TY - JOUR
T1 - Qualitative revision of the new ecological paradigm (NEP) scale for children
AU - Kopnina, H.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - One of the most popular measures of ecological worldview, predicting environmental attitudes and behaviors is the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale developed by Dunlap and Van Liere has been applied to measure children's environmental attitudes across cultures. There is however some controversy about the cross-cultural applicability and the relevance of the NEP scale items. This article reflects on the case study of 59 Dutch school children between the ages 10 and 12, probing their comprehension of the NEP scale through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. It appears that some items in the NEP scale appeared ambiguous revealing differences in cognitive beliefs (knowledge) and affective states. On the basis of this study, the author calls for a deeper ethnographic analysis of the socio-cultural context in which the children form their worldviews to complement and deepen the largely quantitative studies. In conclusion, it is suggested that qualitative approach adds contextual complexity to the otherwise sound system of measurement, allowing probing of theories about the influence of social, political and institutional influence in shaping environmental attitudes.
AB - One of the most popular measures of ecological worldview, predicting environmental attitudes and behaviors is the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale developed by Dunlap and Van Liere has been applied to measure children's environmental attitudes across cultures. There is however some controversy about the cross-cultural applicability and the relevance of the NEP scale items. This article reflects on the case study of 59 Dutch school children between the ages 10 and 12, probing their comprehension of the NEP scale through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. It appears that some items in the NEP scale appeared ambiguous revealing differences in cognitive beliefs (knowledge) and affective states. On the basis of this study, the author calls for a deeper ethnographic analysis of the socio-cultural context in which the children form their worldviews to complement and deepen the largely quantitative studies. In conclusion, it is suggested that qualitative approach adds contextual complexity to the otherwise sound system of measurement, allowing probing of theories about the influence of social, political and institutional influence in shaping environmental attitudes.
KW - Environmental attitudes
KW - Environmental sociology
KW - Focus groups
KW - Interviews
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80053359388&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.22059/IJER.2011.459
DO - 10.22059/IJER.2011.459
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:80053359388
VL - 5
SP - 1025
EP - 1034
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research
SN - 1735-6865
IS - 4
ER -