Role and origin of human values in the study of pro-environmental behavior

Environmental social scientists have paid considerable attention to the psychological processes of pro-environmental behavior, defined as behavior that reduces impacts on or improves the environment. Theories on human values posit that these psychological phenomena guide behavioral decisions in environmental contexts. My dissertation includes three independent studies with an overarching goal to advance knowledge of the role of human values and their antecedents for better understanding pro-environmental behaviors in the context of outdoor recreation and natural resource management. The first study builds on the existing research on human values by incorporating an emerging concept of eudaimonia (i.e., long-term happiness promoted by a meaningful life) as a human value related to pro-environmental behavior. Using survey data from recreational anglers (n = 1,103) in the Great Lakes region, I found that eudaimonic values could be conceptualized as higher-order values that underpin other individual values related to preventive actions taken to minimize the spread of aquatic invasive species. The second study investigated the relationships between childhood experiences with nature and adults’ connection to nature, environmental values, and pro-environmental behavioral intentions among adult residents (n = 617) in the Kaskaskia River Watershed region in the U.S. state of Illinois. I found that childhood experiences with nature could be conceptualized and measured in terms of outdoor recreation experiences and environmental education. While outdoor recreation indirectly predicted environmental values through connection to nature among respondents, childhood environmental education directly influenced their environmental values, which in turn, positively correlated with three dimensions of pro-environmental behavior. In the third study, I examined the educational effects of hands-on experiences with birds on the environmental values of children (n = 21; age 11-15) who participated in nature day camps. Employing a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-test surveys, I found that a one-week bird program increased children’s connection to birds and connection to nature but not bird knowledge and environmental values. Overall, the findings of these studies provide insights into the concepts of human values that drive pro-environmental behavior as well as the experiential origins of values centered on environmental conservation and sustainability.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Natural Res & Env Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Shin, Seunguk

Contributors dc:contributor

• van Riper, Carena J
• Browning, Matthew
• Stewart, William P
• Xia, Yan

• Values
• Pro-environmental Behavior
• Outdoor Recreation
• Environmental Education
• Environmental Psychology
• Conservation Psychology
• Connection To Nature
• Human Dimensions
• Wildlife Conservation
• Environmental Social Sciences

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Seunguk Shin

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121509

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F121509