| This study was an investigation of the relationships between environmental attitude and a number of socio-cultural factors. The degree of relationship between each factor and attitude was determined so as to indicate which factors contribute the most to the formation of a favorable attitude toward the environment. A number of studies have been done attempting to identify these factors, but at this time results are inconclusive. Because of the complex nature of environmental attitude, there are probably a number of factors which are influential. Since many of these factors can be controlled, identification of them would be beneficial.;The data collected were analyzed using simple correlation and multiple regression techniques. Nominal scale variables were dummy coded. Several frequency counts were utilized to better describe the participants in the study, and mean scores of various groups were calculated. The findings indicated that the following variables (listed with simple correlations to attitude) had the highest correlations with environmental attitude: participation in outdoor clubs (.21), camping experiences (.20), participation in school life science courses (.17), having outdoor magazines in home (.15), area of residence (.15), educational level of mother (.14), and participation in outdoor experiences (.13). Other variables were found to have lower correlations. These data support the idea that there are many factors which correlate with environmental attitude. No one factor was found to have a much greater correlation with attitude than others.;The participants in this study were 692 students from six high schools in Missouri. Districts sampled ranged from rural communities to urban centers. Intact classes which were identified by the school administrators as being approximately normally distributed with respect to ability and socio-economic status were used for data collection. A questionnaire developed by the experimenter and a 45 question paper and pencil test developed by Maloney, Ward, and Braucht were given to students during the school day in November or December of 1982. The dependent variable, Environmental Attitude, and one independent variable, Environmental Knowledge, were measured by this test. The remaining independent variables were assessed by answers given on the questionnaire. |
