developmental correlates of everyday … correlates of everyday environmental actions among youth...

Developmental Correlates of Everyday

Environmental Actions among Youth

Laura Wray-Lake, University of Rochester

Aaron Metzger, West Virginia University

Amy K. Syvertsen, Search Institute

Are Youth Environmentally Engaged?

• Launch and engage in meaningful sustainability initiatives (Arnold,

Cohen, & Warner, 2009; Flanagan, Syvertsen, & Wray-Lake, 2007; Sirianni, 2006).

• More favorable environmental attitudes than adults (Dietz, Stern, &

Guagnano, 1998; Jones & Dunlap, 1992). Others find no age differences (Olli et al., 2001; Matsuba et al., 2012).

• Reluctance to act despite positive attitudes (Grønhøj, & Thøgersen,

2009).

• Historical declines in attitudes and behaviors (Wray-Lake, Flanagan, &

Osgood, 2010).

Environmental Behavior from a

Developmental Perspective

AIM 1: Age differences from childhood to adolescence

• Age-related increases expected due to identity maturity (Erikson, 1963; Hart, 2005; Matsuba, Pratt, Norris, Mohle, Alisat, & McAdams, 2012; Renaud-Dubé, Taylor, Lekes, Koestner, & Guay, 2010).

AIM 2: The role of character strengths

• Individual differences in positive skills and competencies that serve as a foundation for personal thriving and societal contribution (Althof & Berkowitz, 2013; Annas, 2012; Curren, 2013; Lerner et

al., 2012; Peterson & Seligman, 2004).

AIM 3: Direct and indirect effects of socialization

• Evidence for direct effects of parental socialization practices (Pratt, Norris, Alisat, & Bisson, 2013).

Roots of Engaged Citizenship:

Three-Phase Study

Sample: Three Geographic Locations

Sample Characteristics

• 90 youth (46 female)– 30 California

– 30 Minnesota

– 30 West Virginia

• Mage = 13.00

SD = 2.68

• Grades 4 – 12– 24 Elementary (grades 4-5)

– 30 Middle School (grades 6-8)

– 36 High School (grades 9-12

Asian

7%

Hispanic

19%

Black

14%

White

43%

Other

8%

Mixed

9%

PHASE 1: Q-SORT & INTERVIEW

Age Differences in Interview Responses

• Have you ever done anything to help your community or

people in your community?


ummmummm....I, at night, make sure all the lights are off downstairs,

IN YOUR HOUSE?

and I don't use my nightlight anymore

YEAH? WHY DO YOU THINK THAT'S HELPFUL?

because my nightlight uses a lot of energy [5th grader]

umm I actually help out at a different community, but I

maybe, just digging up things they don't want, pulling

weeds, giving them what they want, giving the more

plants, and then we help out the church like that too

[6th grader]

My friends walking around, we've just gotten used to pick up

the trash and going to the nearest trash can and dump it in

there. [9th grader]

Q-Sort Methodology

• Think about someone who engages in environmental or

conservation activities.


Q-Sort: Most Common Character Strengths

• % “Mostly” or “Exactly” Like


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

% "

Exa

ctly

or

Mo

stly

Lik

e"

Summary of Findings

AGE

• Youth of all ages resonated with everyday environmental

issues as a way to help community.

CHARACTER

• Purpose, generous, future-minded, responsible were

rated by youth as particularly applicable to

environmental conservationists.



• 213 youth (59.7% female)

– All from California

• Mage = 13.37

SD = 2.69

• Selected Grades– 74 Elementary (grades 4-5)

– 47 Middle School (grades 7-8)

– 92 High School (grades 10-11)

PHASE 2: PILOT STUDY

Hispanic

77%

Black

7%

White

9%

Asian

5%

Other

2%

Measures

Environmental Behavior (α = .64)

When I see trash on the ground, I try to pick it up. (λ = .38)

I turn off electronics when I’m not using them. (λ = .52)

I try to limit how much paper I use. (λ = .60)

I conserve water by taking shorter showers. (λ = .48)

Response Scale: 1=Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes, 4=Often, 5=Very Often

Character StrengthsPurpose (3 items, α = .76)

Future-Minded (3 items, α = .79)

Responsible (4 items, α = .75)

Thrifty (3 items, α = .76)

Socialization Environmental Modeling (4 items, various agents, α = .65)

Parental Support (9 items, autonomy, competence, relatedness, α = .90)


Results - Age

• Measurement equivalence for environmental behavior

across age groups (under 12 vs. 12 and older).

• Older youth reported slightly more environmental

behavior than younger youth (Mdiff = 0.27, p = .005).


Results – Character and Socialization


Χ2 (55) = 85.7, p = .01, RMSEA = .05 (90% CI = .03 - .07), CFI = .93, TLI = .91

Environmental

Modeling

Parental Support

Character

Strengths

PurposeResponsi

bility

Future

MindedThrifty

Environmental

Behavior

EB1 EB1EB1EB1

.34**

.30*

.54***

.24***

-.083

.78

.75 .80

.58

.43

.48 .69.72


• 1616 youth so far (55.8% female)

• Planned missing (3-form) design

• Mage = 12.32

SD = 2.48

• Grades 4 – 12

– 526 Elementary (grades 4-5)

– 645 Middle (grades 6-8)

– 439 High (grades 9-12)

PHASE 3: YOUTH SURVEY

Race/Ethnicity

(Check all that apply)

White 46.5%

Hispanic 28.2%

Black 11.8%

Other 10.4%

Asian 7.8%

American Indian/

Alaskan Native

4.6%

Native Hawaiian/

Pacific Islander

1.7%

Measures

Environmental Behavior (α = .69)

I turn off electronics when I’m not using them.

I try to limit how much paper I use.

I conserve water by taking shorter showers.

Response Scale: 1=Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes, 4=Often, 5=Very Often

Character Strengths Purpose (3 items, α = .68)

Future-Minded (3 items, α = .71)

Responsibility (3 items, α = .73)

Thrifty (3 items, α = .69)

Leadership (3 items, α = .77)

Gratitude (3 items, α = .75)


Results – Age


1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

En

vir

on

me

nta

l B

eh

av

ior

Age

Results – Correlations with Character


Purpose Future

Minded

Responsibility Thrifty Leadership Gratitude

Environmental

Behavior

.17*** .21*** .29*** .45*** .26*** .39***

Purpose 1 .71*** .52*** .26*** .48*** .50***

Future

Minded

1 .59*** .36*** .47*** .49***

Responsibility 1 .38*** .61*** .53***

Thrifty 1 .38*** .54***

Leadership 1 .49***

Discussion

• Everyday environmental behaviors may offer a useful jumping off point for building deeper commitments.

• Mixed age findings suggest the need for longitudinal studies.

• Character may play a key role in the process of developing environmental consciousness.

• Implications for cultivating environmental action in childhood and adolescence.

Acknowledgementswww.civicroots.org

Graduate Students

Elizabeth Yale Babskie

Celina Benavides

Ariel Carpenter

Sarah Culbertson

Kaitlyn Ferris

Susan Mangan

Benjamin Oosterhoff

Brian Riches

Maura Shramko

Jennifer Shubert

Michael Warren

Jennifer Williams

School Districts and

Participating Schools

Grant Funding

Check out other project presentations:

11:30am Friday, Poster #11, Metzger

2:00pm Friday, Room 616B, Syvertsen

Phase 3 Character Measures

Personal Responsibility • When I say I’m going to do something, I do it.

• If I do something wrong, I take responsibility for my actions.

• I am responsible.

Thrifty• I am careful about how I spend my money.

• There are things I don’t buy today so I can save my money for the future.

• Reusing an item you already have is better than buying something new.

Future-Minded • I think about who I will be when I’m older.

• When I make a decision, I consider the impact it will have on my future.

• I have plans for my future.

Phase 3 Character Measures

Leadership• I am good at leading others to reach a goal.

• My peers consider me to be a leader.

• I am usually the one who suggests activities to my friends.

Purpose • I feel a sense of purpose in life.

• I believe I am going to make a difference in the world.

• I am hopeful about my future.

Gratitude • I feel thankful for everyday things.

• When good things happen to me, I think about the people who helped me.

• I find it easy to thank people.

Urgent Need for Environmental Action

www.internationalbusinessguide.org

developmental correlates of everyday … correlates of everyday environmental actions among youth...

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