Examining the relationship between resistance to change and undergraduate engineering students’ environmental knowledge and attitudes

Bibliographic Data

ID14690010
AuthorsMelissa Dyehouse (0000-0002-7219-4137, School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, corresponding author), Nicole Weber (0000-0001-8723-5686, Science & Technology in Education Programs, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, USA), Jun Fang (0000-0002-3604-4238, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA), Constance Harris (Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA), Ray David (Greeley and Hansen, Chicago, IL, USA), Inez Hua (0000-0003-4977-5758, School of Civil Engineering and the Division of Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA), Johannes Ströbel (0000-0002-2124-1116, School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA)
Year2017
Volume42
Issue2
Pages390-409
Publication date2017-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0307-5079 • E-ISSN: 1470-174X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03075079.2015.1052734
OpenAlexW2297026056
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited26

Engineering professional associations identified environmental sustainability as a key responsibility of the educated engineer. Data from national surveys of the general public demonstrate low environmental knowledge levels and a high level of resistance when it comes to environmental behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between first-year engineering students’ environmental knowledge and attitudes and resistance to change (RtC). The authors administered instruments measuring RtC and environmental knowledge and attitudes to three groups (n = 3169) of first-year engineering students in the fall semesters of 2008–2010. Students showed the highest mean scores on the Cognitive Rigidity subscale of RtC. Overall, weak, negative correlations were found between most RtC subscales and environmental knowledge/attitudes, meaning that students with higher RtC score lower overall on environmental knowledge and consider sustainable development less important. Findings can aid researchers and curriculum designers in understanding students’ knowledge levels and the relationship between RtC factors and knowledge/attitudes

Attitude change · Curriculum · Environmental education · Higher education · Knowledge level · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Sustainability · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sustainability in Higher Education · Sustainable Building Design and Assessment · Ecology

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