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Autonomous Motivation and Pro-Environmental Behaviours Among Bedouin Students in Israel: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2015

Haya Kaplan  and
Nir Madjar
Haya Kaplan*
Affiliation:
Kaye Academic College of Education, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Nir Madjar
Affiliation:
Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
*
Adddress for correspondence: Haya Kaplan, Kaye Academic College of Education, Beer-Sheva, Israel. E-mail: kaplanp@bgu.ac.il
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Abstract

Promoting pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) among students is a major concern for educators. The present article presents an educational program based on a self-determination theory framework (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) and a study demonstrating that working according to the theoretical principles presented in the program leads to the desired outcomes. The primary aim of the study was to test whether a hypothesised model in which autonomy support by students’ parents and moderators in a large-scale intervention program would be associated with autonomous motivation, which would in turn lead to PEBs, over and above the contributions of the students’ self-perceived competence and relatedness. The participants were 102 Bedouin high-school students (Grades 8 to 10) sampled from a cultural background characterised by a collectivist-hierarchical society in Israel. The results, based on structural equation modelling, indicated that moderators and parental autonomy support, as well as self-perceived relatedness and competence, were associated with students’ autonomous motivation, which in turn was associated with pro-environmental behaviours (including cleaning behaviours, activism, and preserving behaviours). The study supported the hypothesised model and demonstrated that SDT can be utilised as a theoretical framework for educational programs aimed at improving students’ self-determined PEBs.

Keywords

motivationpro-environmental behavioursself-determination theorydisadvantagecivic engagement
Type
Feature Articles
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , December 2015 , pp. 223 - 247
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

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