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Prediction of secondary school students’ environmental attitudes by a logistic regression model

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Abstract

This paper explores some variables and impacts affecting secondary school students’ environmental attitudes. The Environmental Attitude Scale was used as a data collection tool. The participants consisted of 1794 students attending nine secondary schools with all grades in urban and rural places in five provinces. Students’ place of residence, gender, having a pet or growing a plant, school type, family income, discussing environmental issues at home, and grade were all tested using binary logistic regression analysis to create a model that predicted their environmental attitudes. Among the variables included in the logistic regression model regarding secondary school students’ environmental attitudes, gender, having a pet or growing plant, school type, family income, discussing environmental issues at home, and grade significantly predict their attitudes. The classification of students’ low or high with the logistic regression model is examined; the accurate classification rate is 60.9.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank teachers Dr. Zeki İpek, Duygu Kara, Bilge Kocayiğit Beyazid, and Ebru Durmuş for data collecting, and undergraduate biology education students Selim Şahin and Ayşenur Öztürk for data processing.

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Sciences, Muallim Rıfat Faculty of Education, Kilis 7 Aralık University, Kilis, Turkey

    Ali Derya Atik

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Institute of Science and Technology, Gazi University, Teknikokullar, 06500, Ankara, Turkey

    Gamze Yücel Işıldar

  3. Department of Biology Education, Gazi University, Teknikokullar, 06500, Ankara, Turkey

    Figen Erkoç

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  1. Ali Derya Atik
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  2. Gamze Yücel Işıldar
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Correspondence to Ali Derya Atik.

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Appendix 1 Environmental Attitude Scale (EAS)

Appendix 1 Environmental Attitude Scale (EAS)

  1. a-

    Environmental behaviour sub-scale

  2. 1.

    I watch environmental programs that are broadcast on TV and radio.

  3. 2.

    I read about environmental issues in daily newspapers.

  4. 3.

    I watch environmental documentaries.

  5. 4.

    I read books about environmental issues apart from textbooks.

  6. 5.

    I read popular environmental journals.

  7. 6.

    I read scientific articles about the environment.

  8. 7.

    I warn a person who is damaging the environment without hesitation.

  9. 8.

    I want to voluntarily participate in any activity organized related to the natural environment at school.

  10. 9.

    My friends see me as a person who is sensitive to the environment.

  11. 10.

    If necessary, I am willing to work for a liveable environment for a long time with low pay.

  12. 11.

    I share my knowledge about the environment with my friends.

  13. 12.

    While purchasing a product, I prefer to buy recyclable ones.

  14. 13.

    Even if it is more expensive, I prefer to buy goods that are not harmful to the environment.

  15. b-

    Environmental Opinion Sub-scale

  16. 1.

    I think that endangered species are exaggerated, that there are many species in nature; so, it is not important for a few of them to be extinct.

  17. 2.

    It is better to spend money on the construction of high-quality roads rather than on historical sites.

  18. 3.

    There is no erosion in our country anymore.

  19. 4.

    Pesticides used in agriculture are useful for the environment.

  20. 5.

    There is nothing wrong to sell areas that have lost their natural characteristics to bring money to our country.

  21. 6.

    Construction of hotels for tourism in national parks and forests should be allowed.

  22. 7.

    For housing, wetlands should be drained so houses can be built there.

  23. 8.

    Since the environment can clean itself, human wastes are not a problem.

  24. 9.

    Ozone layer has especially depleted above the U.S.A., there is no risk concerning Turkey.

  25. 10.

    While going out of a room, turning off the light does not save much energy.

  26. 11.

    In the world, there is so much water that humans can never use all of it.

  27. 12.

    Rapid depletion of our natural resources is a significant threat to our future.

  28. 13.

    Non-planned urbanization is an important problem of Turkey.

  29. 14.

    Continued warming of the earth may cause catastrophes in the future.

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Atik, A.D., Işıldar, G.Y. & Erkoç, F. Prediction of secondary school students’ environmental attitudes by a logistic regression model. Environ Dev Sustain 24, 4355–4370 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01618-3

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