Factors Influencing Public-Sphere Pro-Environmental Behavior among Mongolian College Students: A Test of Value–Belief–Norm Theory

Factors Affecting Sustainability-Related Career Expectations among Engineering Undergraduates in China: An Empirical Study Based on a Modified College Impact Model

The international engineering education community has reached a consensus regarding the need to enhance engineering students' awareness of and capability to provide sustainable services in their future careers. Based on a modified college impact model, this study analyzed the impacts of curricular emphasis, curricular instruction, and sustainability-related career self-efficacy on the sustainability-related career expectations of engineering students and investigated the moderating effects of gender on the relationships among the research variables. The results show that both curricular emphasis and curricular instruction have direct positive effects on the sustainability-related career expectations of engineering students; sustainability-related career self-efficacy plays a partial mediating role in this process; and gender significantly moderates the influence of curricular emphasis and curricular instruction on sustainability-related career expectations. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence that can be used by higher education institutions and engineering educators to enhance the belief of engineering students in their ability to solve sustainability-related issues in their future careers and promote the diversification of engineering education.

Influences of Social-Psychological Constructs in Predicting Taiwanese Pro-Environmental Behaviors

A value-belief-norm (VBN) model for understanding the pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) of Taiwanese was developed. This formulated VBN model included personal values, openness to change, awareness of consequences, personal norms, social norms, and PEB. Ecological world view and ascription of responsibility were excluded to develop a tighter model. A total of 1079 completed questionnaires were collected and structural equation modelling was utilized, where standard estimates and coefficients of determination validated the formulated VBN model's effectiveness. Each construct served its role as the mediator between its distal variable and outcome variable, with a substantial level of predictive accuracy, and 74.3% of the variance in PEB was accounted for. Further findings found that mature individuals had a stronger tendency towards awareness of consequences due to personal values; the young had a stronger tendency towards personal norms due to awareness of consequences; men had a stronger tendency towards personal norms due to awareness of consequences; and women had a weaker tendency due to a greater emphasis on altruism. Future interventions, such as sharing of personal pro-environmental lifestyles verbally or through social media, periodically decluttering personal items and maintaining a minimalist lifestyle, where these personal norms are in line with collective social norms, could help to strengthen PEB.

Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban-rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy

The study investigates residents' behavior towards reducing the use of single-use plastic (SUP), specifically in the context of food packaging. The widespread view holds that pro-environmental behavior (PB) results from a person's moral and rational deliberations. In reducing single-use plastic (SUP) consumption and waste, the relative roles of rationality and morality models in validating PB among rural and urban residents are not yet clear. In this empirical study, we compared the relative efficacy of two models for explaining people's SUP reduction behavior: the theory of planned behavior (TPB; rationality) and the value belief norm (VBN; morality). We investigated Thailand's rural (Sichang Island) and metropolitan (Nonthaburi city) areas. As a result, we surveyed people living on Sichang Island (n = 255) and in Nonthaburi city (n = 310). We employed structural equation modeling (SEM) for data analysis in this study. Findings showed that while morality better justified all the study participants' SUP reduction behavior, rationality underpinned behaviors of rural residents, while morality better explained the actions of city residents. We discussed future theoretical development and a policy roadmap based on these findings.

Integrating values, ascribed responsibility and environmental concern to predict customers' intention to visit green hotels: the mediating role of personal norm

Introduction

It is crucial to understand the environmental friendly behavior of tourists. The utilization of natural resources by the tourists poses a significant threat to environmental sustainability. Fostering environmental friendly practices within tourism industry will help to protect future generation. The current study will evaluate the influence of values, ascribed responsibility, environmental concern and personal norms on customers' intention to visit green hotels. Furthermore, it will assess the mediating effect of personal norms via ascribed responsibility and environmental concern.

Methods

The study collected data from Data 347 customers through a questionnaire survey method. Partial least square-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was employed for the analysis of data.

Results and discussion

The findings indicate that values are significant factors affecting ascribed responsibility and environmental concern. Environmental concern direct impact on intention was insignificant. However, the environmental concern significantly affect intention to visit green hotels via personal norms indicating full mediating impact of personal norms.

Circular economy, environmental quality and tourism receipts in Europe: A time series data analysis

The study examines how progress towards a circular economy (CE), patents related to recycling and secondary raw materials as a proxy for innovation, affect tourism receipts. The study uses Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Error Correction Method (ECM) to analyse time series data from EU countries from 2000 to 2020. Our estimates show that there exist long-run and short-run equilibrium relationships. In sum, evidence shows that promoting circular innovative practices, including recycling and using secondary raw materials in tourist destinations, could improve environmental quality and positively impact tourism receipts. The study concludes with policy and practical suggestions for circular economy innovation towards green tourism, destination management, and sustainable tourism.

Contact with Nature in Social Deprivation during COVID-19: The Positive Impact on Anxiety

The 2019 outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had a devastating impact on millions of people worldwide. Following the constantly changing course of the pandemic, the Italian government massively restricted public and private life to prevent the further spread of the virus. Unfortunately, lockdown policies negatively impacted many people's mental and physical health. Numerous studies recognized an essential role of urban green areas in promoting human well-being. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of personal dispositions towards nature, measured using the connectedness to nature scale (CNS) and actual contact with green spaces (CwN) on human well-being (i.e., anxiety) and medicine intake during COVID-19 lockdowns. A total of 637 Italian residents answered a survey aimed at gathering information about the above variables. A series of path analyses were performed. The results showed that the CNS was positively associated with the CwN, and the latter, in turn, was negatively associated with anxiety. Finally, anxiety was positively related to medicine intake. In sum, these results identify the positive role of person-nature relationships for individual well-being during COVID-19 restrictions.

Linking Cultural Tightness, Components of Norm Activation and COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors among University Students: Evidence from Beijing, China

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has imposed greater challenges and more stringent requirements on higher education institutions (HEIs). However, limited empirical research has been devoted to identifying external and internal factors that may promote individual preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic within the higher education context. This study proposed and examined an extended norm activation model (NAM) concerning the relationships among cultural tightness, original NAM components, and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 3693 university students from 18 universities in Beijing, China. The results showed that cultural tightness was positively associated with respondents' COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Three original NAM variables, namely, awareness of consequences, the ascription of responsibility, and personal norms, played a chain mediating role in the relationship between cultural tightness and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications regarding the findings of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Understanding the Environmentally Sustainable Behavior of Chinese University Students as Tourists: An Integrative Framework

The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical framework by integrating the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory with environmental awareness in measuring Chinese university students' environmentally sustainable behavior toward tourism destinations. University students tend to engage in sustainability efforts since their values and beliefs are still being formed. The participants were 301 university students from a university in eastern China. The empirical findings demonstrate that: (1) environmental awareness has positive influences on biospheric value, altruistic value and egoistic value; (2) biospheric value positively predicts the new ecological paradigm (NEP), whereas altruistic and egoistic values do not; (3) the NEP, awareness of consequence and personal norms play an important mediating role. Results indicate that extended VBN can explain students' environmentally sustainable behavior. This research supports the growth of sustainable tourism and has a number of practical implications for universities and the relevant environmental departments to promote university students' involvement in sustainable tourism.

Pro-Environmental Behavior Research: Theoretical Progress and Future Directions

Realistic environmental problems drive the growth of pro-environment behavior research, among which the most important progress is about the theoretical innovation and development of pro-environmental behavior. Thus, the main purpose of this paper was to review the literature and help researchers to understand the theoretical progress of pro-environmental behavior. This study systematically analyzed 1806 papers published in SCI-EXPANDED and SSCI databases. It presented the research overview of pro-environmental behavior in terms of status of literature publication, research hotspots and topics. On this basis, this paper further focused on key theoretical papers and summarized three paths of theoretical progress for pro-environmental behavior: theoretical development, theoretical exploration and theoretical integration. Along the theoretical development path, studies mainly apply theories of psychology, sociology and economics to analyze and explain the formation and consequences of pro-environmental behavior. In terms of theoretical exploration, existing studies propose and develop value-belief-norm theory, behavioral theories related to contexts and pro-environmental behavior decision models. Theoretical integration is the direction of future research, such as the combination of rationality and sensibility, and the combination of external and internal causes. Therefore, this paper summarized the theoretical progress of pro-environmental behavior and proposed future research directions, which contribute to its theoretical development.

The Role of Healthcare Employees’ Pro-Environmental Behavior for De-Carbonization: An Energy Conservation Approach from CSR Perspective

Buildings worldwide use a large amount of energy and, hence, contribute to increasing the level of greenhouse gases emission (GHG). It was realized that most electrical energy is used in buildings for heating, cooling, and ventilation purposes. To deal with environmental issues, the concepts of renewable energies and clean or green energy sources have been a part of academic discussions. A review of the literature unveils that most of the prior research in the GHG domain focused on the production side of producing renewable energy by opting for different cleaner energy sources (for example, solar energy). Although such studies have contributed significantly to advancing the field, it is also important to change the energy consumption behavior at the level of individuals for decarbonization. However, such a debate to promote the pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of employees from the perspective of energy consumption remains an understudied area. Against this backdrop, this research was carried out to promote PEB at the level of employees through corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green organizational practices in the healthcare sector of an emerging economy. The current research also focused on personal employee values, especially altruistic values, to spur their PEB. The data for the current work was collected from employees of different hospitals by employing a survey strategy (n = 441). To analyze the data, structural equation modeling was considered. The results showed that CSR directly and indirectly (via green organizational practices) influences employees’ PEB, whereas the altruistic values of employees produce a significant conditional indirect effect on the above relationship. The current research offers different implications for theory and practice, which are discussed in detail.

Factors Influencing the Purchase Intention for Recycled Products: Integrating Perceived Risk into Value-Belief-Norm Theory

Recycling used materials is one way to deal with the depletion of natural resources available on earth. Companies increasingly integrate recycled materials into their production processes and transition towards circular business models. However, although the attitude towards sustainable products is positive, consumers still prefer to buy products made from new instead of recycled materials. Empirical research on factors influencing the purchase intention of recycled products is still limited. This study aims to examine consumers’ individual factors that are important in the decision process to buy recycled products. The Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory is explored in the context of recycled product purchase intention. Perceived risk is added to the research model as a moderator that hinders purchase intention. The different influences are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling with a sample of 177 respondents from Germany. Results indicate that the causal chain of relationships between values, beliefs, and personal norm has a positive influence on recycled product purchase intention. Perceived risk, on the other hand, has a significant negative direct effect on purchase intention but strengthens the relationship between personal norms and purchase intention. Theoretical and managerial implications as well as avenues for further research are discussed.

Investigating Predictors of Public- and Private-Sphere Sustainable Behaviors in the Context of Agritourism

Encouraging sustainable behaviors regarding food choices among the public is crucial to ensure food systems’ sustainability. We expand the understanding of sustainable behavioral change by assessing engagement in local food systems (LFSs) in the context of agritourism experiences. Using theory of planned behavior (TPB) and personal norms, we conducted pre–post-surveys at agritourism farms to measure the impact of changes in the TPB behavioral antecedents as predictors of the following behavioral intentions regarding LFS engagement: (1) purchasing local food (private-sphere behavior), (2) increasing monthly budget to purchase local food (private-sphere behavior) and (3) advocating for local food (public-sphere behavior). Our findings indicate that strategies to encourage LFS engagement should seek to activate moral considerations that can motivate action across private and public behaviors, which applies to various demographic groups. To stimulate collective action, strategies should target subjective norms specifically (e.g., encouraging social interaction around local food), while strategies encouraging private behaviors should focus on easing perceived barriers to buying local food (e.g., promoting local food outlets). As agritourism experiences effectively modify the three above-mentioned behavioral antecedents, we advocate for holistic experiences that provide opportunities for deeper engagement with local food, stimulate the senses, and facilitate social interaction around LFSs.

Unleashing the Potential Role of CSR and Altruistic Values to Foster Pro-Environmental Behavior by Hotel Employees

The hotel sector, around the globe, has a bad reputation due to its oversized carbon footprint. Therefore, this sector requires different approaches to improve its environmental management efforts. In this regard, the importance of employees' pro-environmental behavior (PEB) has been recently discussed to reduce an enterprise's carbon footprint. Reflecting this, the current work aims to improve PEB of employees as an outcome of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and altruistic values (ALV) in the hotel enterprises of an emerging economy. A total of 489 valid responses was collected from hotel employees, which were then analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM). Different hypotheses were validated by employing SEM, and the results confirmed that CSR, directly and indirectly, via ALV as a mediator, improves PEB. The current work offers insights into the hotel industry for improving its environmental footprint through CSR and ALV. Moreover, academically, the current work advances the literature on CSR and environmental management from the perspective of hotel enterprises and by highlighting the role of individual values, especially ALV.

Drivers of pro-environmental behaviours among outdoor recreationists: The case of a recreational fishery in Western Canada

Pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) are important for mitigation and restoration efforts in the Anthropocene. As recreationists are motivated to engage in leisure activities to increase their own personal wellbeing, we submit that threats to wellbeing (an egocentric motivator) predict engagement in PEBs amongst recreationists. We also predict that differences in experiences across groups of recreationists leads to differences in PEB engagement. Using an online survey, we test our two hypotheses (if recreationists perceive there is a threat to their wellbeing and that their behaviours can yield environmental successes, then they will be more likely to engage in PEBs, and if recreationists differ in recreational experiences then they will demonstrate differences in PEB engagement) amongst outdoor recreationists, specifically Canadian rainbow trout and steelhead anglers in British Columbia (n = 894 respondents). We define 'threat to wellbeing' as the interaction of environmental threat-perceptions of used environments for fishing, and level of centrality fishing has to one's lifestyle. To test our first hypothesis, we conducted three linear regressions corresponding to three different PEBs related to catch-and-release (C&R) fishing. Our egocentric predictor 'threat to wellbeing' was only significant for one out of the three PEBs tested, showing mixed support for our first hypothesis. It is of note that 'environmental threat perceptions' and one's belief in successes resulting from PEB engagement were found to be significant predictors for all three PEBs tested. These results suggest that predictors of PEB may not always be transferable across PEBs relating to recreational activities, and environmental threat perception and one's belief in successes resulting from PEB engagement are strong predictors of PEBs amongst recreationists. To test our second hypothesis, we conducted a Kruskal Wallis test to determine if there were significant differences across angler groups in PEB predictor scores and PEB engagement and conducted pairwise population Z-tests to determine proportional participation rates across angler groups for the three PEBs and PEB predictors investigated. Experiences were found to shape predictors of PEBs, as well as likelihood to engage in PEBs, as different angler groups targeting different fish (i.e., rainbow trout vs steelhead) and using different aquatic habitats (i.e., rivers vs. lakes) demonstrated significantly different scores for PEB predictors, as well as significantly different likelihood to engage in two of the three PEBs tested. These findings support the notion that recreationists are not a homogenous group, and that their beliefs and resulting behaviours during recreational activities are determined by their experiences in nature and can be influenced by the species with which they interact, and the habitats they use for recreation.

Factors Affecting COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors among University Students in Beijing, China: An Empirical Study Based on the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior

Higher education institutions (HEIs), among other social systems, have an irreplaceable role in combating COVID-19. However, we know little about institutional and individual factors that might facilitate university students’ beliefs and behaviors toward preventive behaviors for COVID-19 within the higher education context. Our study applies an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to investigate the structural relationships among the institutional climate, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and preventive behaviors of university students and to detect the moderating impacts of perceived risk on the structural model. Data were collected from 3693 university students at 18 universities in Beijing, China through an online survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multigroup analysis were performed to examine the empirical model. The results reveal that (1) the institutional climate has a significant, direct effect on preventive behaviors for COVID-19 among university students, (2) the TPB components, namely attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, partially mediate the relationship between the institutional climate and preventive behaviors for COVID-19, and (3) perceived risk moderates several paths in the model. Theoretical and practical implications are offered, and recommendations for future research are outlined.

Changes in pro-environmental behaviour and its determinants during long-term period in a transition country as Lithuania

The changes in pro-environmental behaviour, whether people become more environmentally friendly or not, have been analysed very scarcely. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to analyse the changes in pro-environmental behaviour and its determinants in Lithuania as a transition European Union country comparing years 2011 and 2020. Applying Chi-Square and t test statistics, the results showed a significant increase in performance of pro-environmental behaviour in 2020. Waste sorting and purchase of environmentally friendly goods increased the most, meanwhile water and energy saving behaviour increased the least. Applying the value-belief-norm theory and leaner regression analysis, we analysed whether the same determinants influenced pro-environmental behaviour in 2011 and 2020. The results revealed that the impact of determinants differed. In 2020, the main factor of pro-environmental behaviour was the perception of environmental problems but not self-transcendence values dimension. Furthermore, self-enhancement values and awareness of behavioural consequences negatively influenced pro-environmental behaviour in 2020. Analysing the changes in these factors, an insignificant difference was observed in self-enhancement values. The changes in other factors were significant, particularly the changes in the level of environmental responsibility was the biggest. Therefore, implementation of environmental education and information programmes and various environmentally friendly public initiatives positively contributed to the enhancement of environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviour.

Good patriotism, social consideration, environmental problem cognition, and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors: a cross-sectional study of Chinese attitudes

Recent studies have indicated a positive association between patriotism and environmentalism; however, the correlation between them has not yet been quantitatively verified. Additionally, differences in “good” versus “blind” patriotism have been ignored in environmental behavior studies; thus, theoretical concepts related to their effects on environmentalism have not been empirically tested. The present study aims to reveal the effects of good patriotism and social consideration on pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and the mediating effect of social consideration on the relationship between patriotism and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, while removing national or political prejudice or ideology from the measurement of patriotism. Data collected using a self-report questionnaire were analyzed for Chinese university students and workers. Results of multiple hierarchical linear regression analysis of five pro-environmental attitudes/behaviors estimation models showed that patriotism was correlated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and this correlation was completely mediated by individual social consideration, which was strongly and positively correlated with both patriotism and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Our findings show that patriotism encourages people to focus on societal structures and environmental problems. The effect of good patriotism on individual pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors is clearly different from that of blind nationalism, as shown in previous literature. The present study highlights implications for future policy-making and education on patriotism and environmentalism in China.

How love of nature promotes green consumer behaviors: The mediating role of biospheric values, ecological worldview, and personal norms

Previous studies have pointed out the importance of emotional affiliation with nature in fostering environmentalism, but the mechanisms through which such emotional motives influence pro-environmental behaviors are still unclear. To address this issue, this study introduced love of nature into the value-belief-norm model as an emotional basis. The model was examined in predicting high-cost and low-cost green consumer behaviors (GCBs) in selected undergraduate student populations in eastern China. Using data from an online survey (N = 291), this study found personal norms positively predicted both high-cost and low-cost GCBs. Ecological worldview positively predicted low-cost GCBs and its effect was larger than that of personal norms. Love of nature had positive effects on biospheric values and personal norms. The relationships between love of nature and the two types of GCBs were mediated mainly by personal norms, ecological worldview, and biospheric values. The results supported the argument that emotional affiliation to nature offers an essential basis for a moral concern that guides GCBs. The findings also suggest moral concerns may be more salient for difficult and inconvenient GCBs.

Impact of Environmental Moral Education on Pro-Environmental Behaviour: Do Psychological Empowerment and Islamic Religiosity Matter?

In light of increasing concerns about global environmental problems, environmental moral education is assumed to have a significant influence on the pro-environmental behaviour of students. Within the past decade, several higher education institutes have acknowledged the importance of integrating sustainability into the educational curriculum to have a focused and explicit impact on society. The current study investigated the relationship between environmental moral education and pro-environmental behaviour while drawing upon insights from the conservation of resource theory. The relationship among the aforementioned variables was studied for the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating effect of Islamic religiosity. Data were collected from 429 university students with a cross-sectional approach. The data were analysed using “structural equation modelling” and “PROCESS” analytical techniques. The results of the study followed the predicted conceptual model, that is, environmental moral education was positively related to pro-environmental behaviour. Furthermore, psychological empowerment partially mediated the aforementioned relationship, while Islamic religiosity moderated the relationships between environmental moral education and pro-environmental behaviour as well as between environmental moral education and psychological empowerment. These findings reinforce the importance of environmental moral education and Islamic religiosity in understanding the Muslim student’s ecological behaviours.

How does Schwartz's theory of human values affect the proenvironmental behavior model?

Purpose

The diversity of perspectives means that one can find many factors and models of proenvironmental behavior. However, they typically suffer from limitations and varying degrees of validity in specific contexts, suggesting that today the prime goal should be to learn and improve the models which have been already developed. In this study, the authors build on the model for predicting proenvironmental behavior developed by Oreg and Katz-Gerro (2006), namely one of the most comprehensive cross-national proenvironmental behavior models and one of the few not to be limited to either a local or single-country context or specific proenvironmental behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

By using the statistical matching technique, the authors merged data from two existing databases without common identifiers – the International Social Survey Program (environmental module) and the European Social Survey (Round 5). The resulting multinational data concerning 9,710 observations enabled a replication with extensions of Oreg and Katz-Gerro's (2006) proenvironmental behavior model that incorporates newly added Schwartz's theory of human values. To achieve the study's main objective, that is, to present improvements to the original model of proenvironmental behavior, the authors used structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures to estimate four competing models in the R program.

Findings

This study implies that Schwartz's individually measured motivational types of values (benevolence [BE], universalism [UN], self-direction [SD]) are predictors of people's proenvironmental behavior, while his conceptualization of post-materialism yields a better model fit than Inglehart's country-level post-materialism scores. The results also corroborate previous findings that post-materialist values can stimulate proenvironmental behaviors through attitudes, perceived behavioral control and intentions. The present study reveals that proenvironmental attitudes did not change substantially in the 10-year period, even though the world's environmental and sustainability challenges have largely increased. Surprisingly, the mean value of several of the perceived threat variables even decreased.

Originality/value

The authors externally validate one of the most comprehensive proenvironmental behavior models by reproducing it using new multinational large-sample data with nearly 10,000 observations collected 10 years later. The most significant addition to the original model introduced in the current study is the inclusion of Schwartz's motivational types of values, which are measured at the individual level, namely BE, UN and SD. The authors also extend the model by adding proenvironmental behavior measures and group the construct into three latent variables: saving natural resources, green purchasing and environmental activism.

Millennial Tourists’ Environmentally Sustainable Behavior Towards a Natural Protected Area: An Integrative Framework

In the last few years, natural protected areas have been facing great challenges and degradation around the world. Among this, environmental sustainability has become a priority to create harmony between tourists and nature. Tourists visiting protected areas are becoming progressively more concerned regarding the environment. Moreover, the United Nations (UN) “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” have highlighted the potential role of young tourists to contribute to sustainable tourism. However, very few studies have focused on tourists’ environmentally sustainable behavior towards natural protected areas. To fill the existing gap in the literature, this study aims to provide a theoretical framework that includes environmental sustainability awareness (ESA) in measuring millennial tourists’ environmentally sustainable behavior (ESB). Thus, this study delivers an integrated approach based on the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory and the concept of the new ecological paradigm (NEP) towards protected areas. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted from one of the protected areas located in the north of Sichuan province of China, and 511 responses were obtained for statistical analysis. Results of the structural statistical analysis showed that the unified model includes a satisfactory level of predictive power for tourists’ ESB, which was superior to existing theories and concepts. The findings also revealed that all proposed relationships of the variables were significant and identified the positive influence of environmental sustainability awareness in generating the ESB. This study contributes towards sustainable tourism development and the conservation of protected areas, with several practical implications for local authorities in terms of millennial participation.

Promoting Employee Green Behavior Through the Person-Organization Fit: The Moderating Effect of Psychological Distance

The importance of employee green behavior (EGB) to an enterprise’s green development goal is increasingly emphasized in many industries. However, to date promoting EGB through interaction, namely between individuals and organizations, has not been a central concern. Therefore, from the perspective of the person-organization fit, this study considers the psychological distance between employees and the organization as a moderating variable, exploring the mechanisms of values fit, needs-supplies fit, and demands-abilities fit on green behaviors as within and outside the scope of employee responsibility. After collecting the results of questionnaires from 412 employees, our hypotheses were tested using the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The results show that (1) person-organization fit can effectively promote EGB in the workplace. However, different types of person-organization fit have different influencing paths and effect-strengths on employees’ task-related green behavior and proactive green behavior. (2) Values fit has the greatest incentive effect on EGB, followed by demands-abilities fit, while needs-supplies fit promotes only eco-helping behavior. (3) Psychological distance has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between the person-organization fit and EGB. The effect of person-organization fit on EGB is enhanced when employees are close with less emotional distance, while the effect is weakened in the case of close expectation distance. Finally, this study provides suggestions for enterprise managers providing ways to motivate EGB through the selection and allocation of human resources.

Sustainability Education and Environmental Worldviews: Shifting a Paradigm

Higher education institutions are tasked with education for sustainable development, of which the environment is a central pillar. Understanding the demographic factors that influence the establishment of environmental worldviews allows educators to better contextualize sustainability content and discussion. Identifying pedagogies capable of creating learning spaces within which worldviews can shift offers similar opportunities. Using a quasi-experimental design and model building, this study identifies important social psychological antecedents of environmental beliefs, assesses the effectiveness of outbound mobility pedagogy at changing those beliefs and identifies important predictors of the nature and magnitude of those changes. Sustainable outbound mobility courses were effective at increasing environmental worldview compared to a control group. At program commencement, political orientation and business majors were negatively associated with environmental worldview, while female gender was the reverse. For sustainability education courses, only gender was retained as a significant predictor of the nature and change of environmental worldview by the course’s end. These results suggest that the factors associated with environmental worldview upon commencement of a course do not necessarily predict the malleability of that worldview in higher education students.

Application of the Modified College Impact Model to Understand Chinese Engineering Undergraduates’ Sustainability Consciousness

The college impact model provides a valuable framework for explaining various college student learning outcomes. However, few quantitative studies have examined the effectiveness of college impact model in explaining engineering undergraduates’ sustainability consciousness, a critical learning outcome in engineering education. This study proposes a modified college impact model to test the structural links among curriculum experiences, sustainable agency beliefs, and engineering undergraduates’ sustainability consciousness, and to explore the moderating effect of gender on the structural model. Data are collected from 1804 senior engineering students enrolled in five traditional engineering disciplines at 14 first-class engineering universities in China. Structural equation modeling was used for testing the research model. The results demonstrate that (1) curricular emphasis has a significant direct impact on all three dimensions of students’ sustainability consciousness, while instructional practice has a significant direct influence on the sustainability knowingness dimension; (2) both curricular emphasis and instructional practice have a significant indirect influence on sustainability consciousness through the full or partial mediation of sustainable agency beliefs; and (3) gender moderates several paths in the structural model. Theoretical and practical implications are provided, and suggestions for future research are offered.

How to Motivate Employees’ Environmental Citizenship Behavior through Perceived Interpersonal Circle Power? A New Perspective from Chinese Circle Culture

Employees’ spontaneous environmental citizenship behavior (ECB) is a key factor in facilitating the low-carbon transition of enterprises. However, little research has focused on the impact of interpersonal interactions on ECB. To explore how ECB is affected by special interpersonal circles in Chinese organizations, we propose a new concept: perceived interpersonal circle power (PICP). From the two dimensions of PICP, leader-oriented perceived interpersonal circle power (PICP-L) and colleague-oriented perceived interpersonal circle power (PICP-C), we establish a mechanism model to explore the effect of PICP on ECB. A structural equation model was used to test our hypotheses through 332 questionnaires, and the results show that PICP-L and PICP-C differ significantly in the directions and strengths of their effects on ECB. PICP-C has a direct positive driving effect on environmental engagement behavior (EEB) and environmental helping behavior (EHB). High PICP-C can also encourage EEB via affective organizational commitment (AOC). Conversely, PICP-L has no significant effect on EEB. More unexpectedly, PICP-L has a significant negative influence on EHB. This study provides a new direction for future theoretical research on ECB, as well as a new opportunity for policy-making and enterprise management practices to promote employees’ ECB.

The Importance of Environmental Knowledge for Private and Public Sphere Pro-Environmental Behavior: Modifying the Value-Belief-Norm Theory

The promotion of pro-environmental behavior is regarded as very important in solving environmental problems. The Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory usually emphasizes internal factors; however, we have transformed this theory by including the environmental knowledge as an external factor. The results showed that action-related environmental knowledge was related to the ecological worldview and directly influenced the private sphere behavior. The ecological worldview, which in this paper was operationalized as environmental concern, had a direct effect on public sphere behavior and an indirect effect on private behavior through awareness of behavioral consequences. Thus, in this paper we revealed how specific environmental knowledge influenced pro-environmental behavior. We also suggest that it is important to educate people about local and global environmental problems, about the impact of behavior on the environment not only in private but also in the public sphere, and to foster the ecocentrism, as well. In addition, we revealed the meaning and necessity of education for environmental citizenship.

Future Teachers’ Sustainable Water Consumption Behavior: A Test of the Value-Belief-Norm Theory

The impact of climate change and the demand of people for water resources are dramatically increasing. In order to protect water supply in the world, it is essential to develop individuals’ sustainable water consumption behaviors. Teachers play a key role in fostering students’ beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors about sustainable water consumption. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore pre-service teachers’ sustainable water consumption behaviors using the Value-Belief-Norm theory. 481 pre-service teachers completed a questionnaire measuring sustainable water consumption behavior, universal values, personal norms and beliefs that were categorized as awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility. The results revealed that the Value-Belief-Norm theory could successfully explain sustainable water consumption behaviors of pre-service teachers. The study revealed that personal norm was a strong predictor to explain sustainable water consumption behavior. Mediation analysis confirmed the causal order of the variables in the model. In other words, personal norms mediated the relationship between ascription of responsibility and sustainable water consumption behavior; ascription of responsibility mediated the relationship between awareness of consequences and personal norms; awareness of consequences mediated the relationship between biospheric-altruistic values and ascription of responsibility; and lastly, personal norms mediated the relationship between biospheric-altruistic values and sustainable water consumption behavior. The results have important implications for education programs and environmental program designers. Through designing water conservation education programs, teachers and students’ sustainable water consumption behaviors can be fostered by strengthening their biospheric-altruistic values, environmental beliefs and personal norm to act for the environment.

Academic Engagement and Intention to Drop Out: Levers for Sustainability in Higher Education

The present paper analyses the relevance of academic engagement in the process of students dropping out of school. Previous studies have consistently shown strong associations between engagement and students’ achievement outcomes. The increased attention given to academic engagement in recent years is also visible in the efforts of stakeholders in higher education to increase engagement and, consequently, to reduce dropout. The relationships between engagement and dropout rates are somewhat fuzzier, vigor, dedication, and absorption vary inconsistently in students at risk. Using a correlation research design, we tested several dimensions of academic engagement as predictors of early dropout intentions on a sample of first-year students (N = 1063). The results showed that psychological academic engagement of students is a significant predictor of early dropout intentions. Differences in academic engagement given by family background and academic context were also tested. The implications of the results are discussed in the light of possible interventions for increasing academic engagement of university students. Also, suggestions for including employers in academic engagement and dropout interventions are given.

Impact of Information Intervention on the Recycling Behavior of Individuals with Different Value Orientations—An Experimental Study on Express Delivery Packaging Waste

Changing residents’ recycling behavior at the source of waste generation is a fundamental way to solve the environmental and resource problems caused by express delivery packaging waste. Information intervention is a common means to help transform individual environmental protection behavior. In this study, behavioral experiments were used to examine the changes in individual express packaging waste recycling behaviors under the intervention of written and pictorial information. Differences in information processing and behavior decision-making among individuals (N = 660) categorized as self-interested, pro-relation, or pro-social were analyzed. Results showed that (1) recycling behavior is divided into persuasive, purchasing, disposal, and civil behavior. (2) Recycling behavior is differs significantly due to an individual’s education background, state of health, and interpersonal relationships. (3) Both written and pictorial information can positively change an individual’s recycling behavior, and their effectiveness is not significantly different. (4) Pictorial information has a stronger impact on purchasing behavior than written information. (5) Feedback from written information cannot effectively promote the overall recycling behavior of self-interested groups, but it can improve the overall recycling behavior of pro-relationship groups and pro-social groups. (6) Information intervention cannot effectively impact civil behavior, even among pro-social individuals. The research provides an important theoretical reference and practical basis for improving individual recycling behavior at its source.