Is youth pessimism good for the environment? Insights from Pisa 2015
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21640123 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Margarita Pivovarova (0000-0002-2965-7423, Arizona State University), Jeanne M Powers (0000-0001-5197-6546, Arizona State University), Ketevan Chachkhiani (0000-0003-2310-1683, Arizona State University) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | August - December |
| Pages | 126 |
| Publication date | 2021-09-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Policy Analysis Archives (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1068-2341 • E-ISSN: 1068-2341 |
| Publisher | Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.14507/epaa.29.4820 |
| OpenAlex | W3203567437 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 25 |
In this study, we explore the potential of data from large-scale assessments to provide insights into how students’ environmental knowledge could address the global challenge of environmental threats to humanity and the transition to sustainable development. We analyze data from the 2015 PISA survey to understand the extent to which 15-year old students in 54 countries are aware of these challenges. We find that students’ science activities, self-efficacy and environmental knowledge are positively associated with their awareness about environmental challenges. Students’ environmental awareness, in turn, is associated with environmental pessimism, or their outlook on the future of environmental issues. Students who are more engaged with environmental science are more aware about environmental issues and feel less optimistic that environmental issues will improve in the future. Such pessimistic attitudes about the future may be a precursor to pro-environmental behavior. Our results provide a cross-national picture of students’ engagement with environmental issues and insight into the potential of large-scale assessment data to inform environmental education policies promoted by individual countries and international organizations
Environmental adult education · Environmental education · Environmental studies · Geography · Pedagogy · Pessimism · Political science · Sustainability · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Psychology · Ecology
Pisa 2015 Assessment and Analytical Framework
The Handbook of Global Education Policy
Unrealistic Optimism
Climate confusion among U.S. teachers
Heterogeneity in the association between environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior
The Optimum Level of Well-Being
Temporal pessimism and spatial optimism in environmental assessments
The relationships between awareness of consequences, environmental concern, and value orientations
Optimistic Biases About Personal Risks
Why it won't happen to me
Adolescent Environmental Behaviors
The Wealth of Nations and Environmental Concern
Environmental Attitudes, Knowledge, Intentions and Behaviors Among College Students
Positive associations of optimism–pessimism orientation with pro-environmental behavior and subjective well-being
Educational impact on the relationship of environmental knowledge and attitudes
Mind the Gap
The influence of the family, the school, and the group on the environmental attitudes of European students
Hope and climate change
Examining the influence of international large-scale assessments on national education policies
(Un )Doing the Next Generation Science Standards
Unrealistic optimism about future life events
Global activism and nationally driven recycling
Environmental Attitudes in Cross-National Perspective
Facilitating Pro-environmental Behavior
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |