Barriers and motivations to conservation behaviors in zoo visitors

Abstract

This study used the transtheoretical model of behavior change to categorize participants into stages of change groups regarding eleven conservation behaviors. Three main stages of change were identified: precontemplation, contemplation, and action. Participants from different stage placements were interviewed to explore barriers and motivations towards doing different conservation behaviors. Individuals in different stages identified different motivations and barriers that were important to doing (or not doing) an action. Lack of time was the most common barrier for precontemplators, while the most common barrier for contemplators and actors was being unaware of a behavior. Precontemplators and contemplators were most commonly motivated by a behavior being easy, while actors were most commonly motivated by getting reminders about the behavior. This suggests that educational programs designed to promote conservation behaviors should include multiple motivators and reduce as many types of barriers as possible to reach the greatest number of people.

Keywords:

• Transtheoretical model of behavior change
• stages of change
• conservation education
• decisional balance

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the staff of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for granting permission to conduct this research at their facility. We would also like to thank Dr. Joe Heimlich, the Senior Director of Research at COSI’s Center for Research and Evaluation for providing feedback on the development of the survey items.

Author’s note

The research in this article was conducted as part of a dissertation through Indiana University.

Declaration of interest

There are no conflicts of interest to report for this research.

Ethical statement

This research was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board at Indiana University, protocol number 1810864688.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nichole L. Nageotte

Nichole L. Nageotte is the Conservation Education Researcher at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Her research interests include exploring how people learn at zoos and other informal science education settings, how to influence pro-conservation behaviors, and how to connect people to wildlife, conservation, and science.

Gayle A. Buck

Gayle Buck is Associate Dean for Research and Development and Professor of Science Education. She is a former middle-level science teacher whose current research centers on underserved student populations, neglected epistemological assumptions in science teaching and learning, and science teacher development. Dr. Buck’s publications have appeared in Journal of Research on Science Teaching, Science Education, International Journal of Science Education, Educational Action Research, and Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. She has been an author, PI, or co-PI for numerous grants on science education.