Much environmental education (EE) research focuses on target audiences that do not yet behave pro-environmentally, with the goal of changing their behaviors. The authors of this article chose to approach EE from a different angle, by examining which precursors to motivation are present among people who already behave pro-environmentally. By understanding which of these precursors significantly influence motivation—and therefore behavior— educators can tailor their lessons and materials to encourage those motivations to arise. When people are strongly motivated, studies suggest they are more likely to pursue pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in the long term, overcoming obstacles that may have deterred them otherwise.
This study drew upon self-determination theory, which argues that people are more likely to perform a given behavior when their motivation arises internally (from their own thoughts and feelings), as opposed to being constrained or pressured by external forces. For example, this theory suggests that a person is more likely to recycle when that decision is based on their own love for the environment, instead of a government incentive program.
Self-determination theory also proposes that certain contextual factors can support the development of internal motivation. These factors are autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Autonomy refers to a person's ability to make his or her own decisions; relatedness is when a person feels connected to others while performing a behavior; competence refers to a person's sense that he or she has the skills or information to perform a behavior. The researchers sought to examine whether people's PEBs vary according to how self-determined are their motivations, and how influential are autonomy, relatedness, and competence.
The researchers conducted an online survey of over 580 Australian individuals. They distributed the questionnaire to members of environmental groups via email and Facebook. This resulted in the majority of the sample consisting of people who already had pro-environmental viewpoints and behaviors. The questionnaire used a combination of new and established scales to evaluate respondents' levels of self-determination, autonomy, relatedness, competence, and PEB (categorized as either “easy” or “difficult” behaviors).
The survey correspondences also included an option to complete an online carbon footprint assessment. As a way of dividing the respondents into two groups, the 261 people who chose not to complete this assessment were labeled “Sample 1.” Another 320 people did complete the assessment, and were labeled “Sample 2.” The researchers used responses from Sample 1 to develop and test their understanding of motivations, and then re-tested this understanding using Sample 2.
The survey results were consistent with self-determination theory: when respondents reported that their needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence were met, they were significantly more likely to have self-determined motivations. Additionally, more self-determined motivations were correlated with the performance of more PEBs. Relatedness was also directly linked with difficult pro-environmental behaviors, in addition to being mediated through motivation. In the second sample (but not the first), competence was also directly correlated with PEBs. The authors hypothesize that this could be because individuals who completed the carbon footprint questionnaire were more environmentally engaged, and had greater experience with PEBs, reinforcing the importance of competence for them.
The authors intentionally sampled people who were already environmentally aware; this helped them answer their research questions, but more research is necessary to determine whether motivations work the same way for people who are less environmentally conscious. The study relied on self-reported environmental behaviors, rather than direct observations of behavior. Therefore, respondents could have reported more or fewer pro-environmental behaviors than they actually participated in.
The authors recommend that EE programs seek to facilitate self-determined motivations. They can do this by using language that supports student empowerment and autonomy, providing free choice learning opportunities, and encouraging students to connect with each other about environmental action. EE programs may also wish to focus on relatedness, because it was correlated directly with environmental behaviors in addition to influencing motivation. Relatedness is likely to be important for individuals who do not have existing patterns of PEB, because it can help reinforce these behaviors. Finally, the authors suggest that future research continue to investigate how competence influences motivations.
The Bottom Line
An important factor that influences people's pro-environmental behavior is their motivation. Theory and research suggest that people with internalized, self-determined motivations are more likely to behave pro-environmentally than those who are motivated by external factors. Therefore, the authors of this article examined the motivations of people who already act in environmentally-friendly ways. Their results support previous research, indicating that people with more self-determined motivation were more likely to participate in both easy and difficult environmental behaviors. They also found that peoples' sense of connection to other people about environmental topics was related to behavior, along with their sense of autonomy and capability. The authors recommend that environmental education programs facilitate self-determined motivation by allowing students freedom and encouraging them to connect with others.