The title of the article “An empirical test of self-determination theory as a guide to fostering environmental motivation” by Rebekka Darner is rather self-explanatory. This study focuses on exemplifying what leads children in classrooms to be motivated to protect the environment. It builds off of a concept called Self-Determination Theory, or SDT, which is used to predict the likelihood that a person will carry out a certain behavior, even when unprompted. According to the theory, each human behavior stems from one of five main types of motivation: (1) amotivation (no specific catalyst toward behavior), (2) external regulation (behavior to obtain a reward or avoid punishment), (3) introjected regulation (behavior linked to self-esteem, e.g. to avoid shame or guilt), (4) identified regulation (behaviors one wishes to integrate into their identity, but has not yet done so) and (5)  intrinsic regulation (behaving simply for the pleasure of the behavior).

Typically, environmental educators attempt to trigger an integration of these different types of motivation, so that students feel accountable to act environmentally responsible unconditionally because they are willing to, even when it is not pleasurable.

In the study, two different post-secondary environmental biology classes were observed at a community college in San Diego. One was a course with an average environmental biology curriculum, and the other was the same class, but guided by SDT theory principles. Part of the SDT theory focuses on the need for the three social needs to be met: autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Following the end of this course, all students were given at 24-question questionnaire called the MTES psychological instrument, which measures motivation toward pro-environmental behaviors. Although the total sample size was extremely small (at only 27 students, all from varying backgrounds), the results showed that there was a significant difference in the amotivation section: those with the SDT-guided course scored much higher in this subject category.

Despite the low sample size, this study is interesting because it is the first of its kind. The main lesson from this article? People are people first, and students second. This method of thinking could change the way that environmental education is taught both inside and outside the classroom. My theory is that part of the reason why outdoor education can be so successful is that most outdoor educators are trained to focus on providing a psychologically safe space for their participants.

Link to Article:

http://0-web.a.ebscohost.com.books.redlands.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=a3070488-1460-4be6-940a-c22ddd94d43d%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4214