The study evaluated Chile's National System for Environmental Certification of Educational Establishments (SNCAE), a voluntary program that certifies schools at three levels: basic, intermediate, and excellent. Each certification level represents a different degree of environmental commitment in curriculum, management, and relationship with the environment.
Using a multivalued treatment effects model, researchers assessed how different certification levels impact children's pro-environmental behavior related to plastic waste. This behavior was measured through knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding plastic consumption and disposal among 1,521 fourth-grade students from 30 participating schools.
Major findings include:
- Schools with excellent certification generally showed the best performance across most environmental measures, confirming that higher certification levels typically promote stronger pro-environmental behaviors in children.
- The most significant effects were observed in practices where children have more decision-making power, particularly lunch box choices. Students in schools with excellent certification performed 34.96% better in lunch box practices than those in schools with basic certification, and 35.48% better than those in intermediate-certified schools.
- An unexpected finding was the "reverse effect" when comparing basic and intermediate certification levels. Students in schools with intermediate certification sometimes performed worse than those in basic-certified schools, suggesting non-linear effects of environmental education on behavior.
The researchers conclude that environmental education programs can effectively influence children's value systems and change their habits toward more sustainable consumption and disposal of plastic waste. However, to improve program design, they recommend redefining incentives in the certification system to better differentiate the benefits of reaching each certification level.
The study also highlights the importance of parent-child collaboration at home to strengthen intergenerational transmission of environmental norms and awareness, particularly for visible practices like lunch box packing.
This research contributes valuable insights to environmental education practice by demonstrating both the potential and limitations of certification programs in promoting pro-environmental behaviors among children.
The Bottom Line
This study from Chile demonstrates that green school certification programs can effectively promote pro-environmental behaviors in elementary school children, with the strongest effects seen in schools achieving the highest "excellent" certification level. The research finds that certification has the most impact on practices where children have greater decision-making power (like packing lunch boxes with reusable containers). Interestingly, children in schools with basic certification often showed better environmental behaviors than those in schools with intermediate certification, suggesting potential non-linear effects. The researchers recommend redesigning certification systems to better differentiate the benefits of achieving each certification level to maximize program effectiveness.