Faculty of Education - Theses

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Author: Duke, Geoff × End date: 1979 × Start date: 1960 × Type: Masters Coursework thesis × Subject: Testing ×

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    The development and validation of an instrument to assess environmental attitudes
    Duke, Geoff ( 1976)
    This study has attempted to produce valid and reliable scales for the measurement of environmental attitudes. There have already been a great many studies published which were concerned with the assessment of various. aspects of environmental attitudes. However, few of these studies seem to have undertaken any field testing of the scales used and consequently, the , validity of the scales used may be questioned. Furthermore, very few of the tests were published, which makes it difficult for other workers to confirm the published results. A group of four scales were developed in this study and details of their validity and reliability are presented. The attitude scales were derived from a pool of Likert - type items using an oblique rotation factor analysis of the item responses of senior high school and college students. The first order factor correlation matrix was subjected to a second oblique factor analysis and the factor attitude scales were constructed on the basis of the second order factors.. These scales were then used to investigate the attitudes of students at Rusden State College. Overall it was shown that Environmental Studies students had more favourable attitudes towards the environment than non - Environmental Studies students. No significant differences could be found between the-first and third year students. This could possibly reflect the increased incidence of environmental studies programmes in schools. The scales developed in - this study could prove to be useful in the measurement of environmental attitudes. Future research work in this. area should concentrate more on the relative effects on. environmental attitudes of influences other than environmental education programmes, such as parental and home influences and personal attributes. Thus it would be possible to determine the nature of individuals who need environmental education and the relative impact of different environmental education courses on different groups of students. Also this information would aid the design of environmental education programmes so that each group of students would be presented with the most effective programme.