IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i18p13763-d1240485.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental Connection, Awareness, and Behaviors in University Students: An Exploratory Portuguese Study

Author

Listed:
  • Ana Torres

    (Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Human Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal
    Center for Health Technology and Services Research of the Health Research Network (CINTESIS@RISE), 4200-319 Porto, Portugal)

  • Paula Carvalho

    (Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Human Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal
    Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal)

  • Jorge Costa

    (Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Human Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal
    Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal)

  • Claudia Silva

    (Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Human Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal
    Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal)

  • Rosa Marina Afonso

    (Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Human Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal
    Center for Health Technology and Services Research of the Health Research Network (CINTESIS@RISE), 4200-319 Porto, Portugal)

  • Carla Nascimento

    (Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Human Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal)

  • Manuel Loureiro

    (Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Human Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal
    Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal)

Abstract

Addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within universities is an urgent necessity. Understanding and measuring the environmental behaviors of university students is an essential initial step in this process. This study had two primary objectives: to translate and adapt the General Ecological Behavior (GEB) Scale for European Portuguese and to provide an exploratory analysis of environmental connection, awareness, and behaviors within a Portuguese university student sample. A convenience sample of 112 university students, aged 18–65, was surveyed using a paper-based, self-report questionnaire. This instrument included sections on sociodemographics, environmental concerns, preferences, and self-report measures (GEB, GAD-7, and PHQ-9). We present the translation and adaptation procedure for the GEB, alongside preliminary findings that suggest acceptable reliability, factorial validity, and discriminant validity. Moreover, exploratory data on environmental connection, awareness, and behaviors are discussed. This study provides a foundational measure for future research into pro-environmental behaviors in the Portuguese context and contributes preliminary insights into the environmental attitudes and behaviors of Portuguese university students. We urge future research to focus on the SDGs, examining factors, measures, and strategies to enhance pro-environmental behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana Torres & Paula Carvalho & Jorge Costa & Claudia Silva & Rosa Marina Afonso & Carla Nascimento & Manuel Loureiro, 2023. "Environmental Connection, Awareness, and Behaviors in University Students: An Exploratory Portuguese Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-15, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13763-:d:1240485
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13763/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13763/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yiannis Georgiou & Andreas Ch. Hadjichambis & Demetra Hadjichambi, 2021. "Teachers’ Perceptions on Environmental Citizenship: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-29, March.
    2. Mónica Fernández & Gisela Cebrián & Elisa Regadera & M. Yolanda Fernández, 2020. "Analysing the Relationship between University Students’ Ecological Footprint and Their Connection with Nature and Pro-Environmental Attitude," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-14, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Noor Saleh Alalawi & Osama Omar, 2024. "Towards Greener Campuses: Assessing Pro-Environmental Behaviours in the University of Bahrain Campus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-23, February.
    2. Jinrong Zhang & Caixia Xue & Guangjian Hou, 2024. "The Impact of Chinese Public Environmental Awareness on Environmental Behavior: An Analysis Based on China National Surveys in 2003, 2010 and 2021," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, September.
    3. Yu-Ling Peng & Yuan Li & Wei-Ying Cheng & Ke Wang, 2024. "Evaluation and Optimization of Sense of Security during the Day and Night in Campus Public Spaces Based on Physical Environment and Psychological Perception," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-26, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yiannis Georgiou & Eleni A. Kyza, 2023. "Fostering Chemistry Students’ Scientific Literacy for Responsible Citizenship through Socio-Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning (SSIBL)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    2. Mykolas Simas Poškus, 2024. "Testing the simple model of environmental citizenship in a sample of adolescents," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Zhuxuan Yan & Juliann Cortese, 2023. "I Can Feel Your Pain: Investigating the Role of Empathy and Guilt on Sustainable Behavioral Intentions to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Plastic Bags among College Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-18, April.
    4. Yung-Kuan Chan & Ming-Yuan Hsieh, 2022. "An Empirical Study on Higher Education C-ESG Sustainable Development Strategy in Lower-Birth-Rate Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-16, October.
    5. Marta R. Ariza & Andri Christodoulou & Michiel van Harskamp & Marie-Christine P. J. Knippels & Eleni A. Kyza & Ralph Levinson & Andria Agesilaou, 2021. "Socio-Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning as a Means toward Environmental Citizenship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-22, October.
    6. Edoardo Thomas Alfonso Maria Eichberg & Aurelie Charles, 2024. "The Role of the Civic University in Facilitating Inclusive and Transformative Pedagogical Approaches to the Sustainable Development Goals: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-26, March.
    7. Joseph Crawford & Javier Cifuentes-Faura, 2022. "Sustainability in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-11, February.
    8. Mykolas Simas Poškus, 2022. "Toward the Development and Validation of a Model of Environmental Citizenship of Young Adults," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, March.
    9. Michiel van Harskamp & Marie-Christine P. J. Knippels & Wouter R. van Joolingen, 2021. "Secondary Science Teachers’ Views on Environmental Citizenship in The Netherlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-22, July.
    10. Sare Asli & Riad Abu-Alhiga & Shafea Algmal & Muhamad Hugerat, 2022. "Teaching and Learning about Bee Extinction through Project-Based Learning (PBL): Its Impact on the Classroom Climate (CL) among Eighth Grader Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Anastasia Adamou & Yiannis Georgiou & Demetra Paraskeva-Hadjichambi & Andreas Ch. Hadjichambis, 2021. "Environmental Citizen Science Initiatives as a Springboard towards the Education for Environmental Citizenship: A Systematic Literature Review of Empirical Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-29, December.
    12. Audronė Telešienė & Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Daphne Goldman & Ralph Hansmann, 2021. "Evaluating an Educational Intervention Designed to Foster Environmental Citizenship among Undergraduate University Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-19, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13763-:d:1240485. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.