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“Why (Should) I Do Something for the Environment?” Profiles of Flemish Adolescents’ Motivation Toward the Environment

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Listed:
  • Wanda Sass

    (Research Unit Edbron, Department of Training and Education Sciences, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Jelle Boeve-de Pauw

    (Research Unit Edbron, Department of Training and Education Sciences, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Vincent Donche

    (Research Unit Edbron, Department of Training and Education Sciences, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Peter Van Petegem

    (Research Unit Edbron, Department of Training and Education Sciences, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

Abstract

The Motivation Toward the Environment Scale (MTES), developed in Canada, measures people’s self-determined motivation for doing something for the environment. Answering the call by its original developers, this study further validated the MTES within a sample of 779 Dutch-speaking senior secondary school students, aged 17 to 19, in the north of Belgium. More specifically, reliability and construct validity of a Dutch translation of the MTES were verified. To this measure, confirmatory factor analysis was used, and the hypothesized simplex structure was tested through correlation analyses. Results confirmed the reliability of the MTES and a five-scale version of the MTES, excluding identified motivation, is introduced. This variable-centered approach was complemented by the adoption of a person-centered approach for identifying MTES profiles. Using cluster analysis, four meaningful MTES profiles emerged, with amotivation scoring medium to high in all but one. Theoretical implications of the findings and suggestions for interventions and further research are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Wanda Sass & Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Vincent Donche & Peter Van Petegem, 2018. "“Why (Should) I Do Something for the Environment?” Profiles of Flemish Adolescents’ Motivation Toward the Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:7:p:2579-:d:159534
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Glenn Milligan & Martha Cooper, 1985. "An examination of procedures for determining the number of clusters in a data set," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 50(2), pages 159-179, June.
    2. Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Peter Van Petegem, 2017. "Because My Friends Insist or Because It Makes Sense? Adolescents’ Motivation towards the Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-13, May.
    3. Alexa Spence & Wouter Poortinga & Nick Pidgeon, 2012. "The Psychological Distance of Climate Change," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(6), pages 957-972, June.
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    1. Catalin M. Stancu & Alice Grønhøj & Liisa Lähteenmäki, 2020. "Meanings and Motives for Consumers’ Sustainable Actions in the Food and Clothing Domains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-25, December.
    2. Hanri Taljaard & Nadine Sonnenberg, 2019. "Basic Psychological Needs and Self-Determined Motivation as Drivers of Voluntary Simplistic Clothing Consumption Practices in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Mohammad Abu Nasir Rakib & Hyo Jung Chang & Robert Paul Jones, 2022. "Effective Sustainability Messages Triggering Consumer Emotion and Action: An Application of the Social Cognitive Theory and the Dual-Process Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-15, February.

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