| Abstract [eng] |
In the context of current ecological issues, it is important to understand the factors that promote human pro-environmental behaviour. Because children will face environmental challenges in the future and because young individuals’ contact with nature declines, research with children is particularly important. The aim of this dissertation was to investigate pro-environmental behaviour and its prognostic factors in primary school age. The research was planned in two studies. Study one (qualitative study) sought to analyse children’s views of pro-environmental behaviour and study two (quantitative study) aimed to investigate the factors of child’s behaviour. The first focus group research involved 33 children (6 to 11 years). It showed that pro-environmental behaviour was viewed in moral terms by the children. When reasoning about the importance of environmental protection, children demonstrated pro-social, anthropocentric and biocentric appeals. Furthermore, 116 pupils (8 to 11 years), their parents and class teachers participated in study two. Waste recycling and conservation of resources (water and electricity) were distinguished as two types of child’s behaviour. Recycling was directly predicted by pupils’ perception about parental expectation, while children’s willingness to conserve and cognitive attitude revealed as direct predictors of their conservation behaviour. Affective attitude proved significant in predicting children’s willingness to act-pro-environmentally. |
