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tal issues, is committed to the idea of environmental-social sustainability and actively
participates in actions in the direction of solving current problems and preventing the
creation of new ones. The concept of Environmental Citizenship embodies behaviour – an actively involved citizen who exercises their environmental rights and obligations in both the private and public spheres. Accordingly, Education for
Environmental Citizenship implies behavioural change. The goal of Education for
Environmental Citizenship is to facilitate the commitment towards and the capacity
for active participation in environmentally responsible actions; it is about cultivating
the cognitive (e.g. knowledge and understanding, skills and competences) and affective (e.g. values, beliefs, attitudes/emotions, assumption of responsibility, sense of
ability) components that both motivate and enable the translation of knowledge into
effective action as citizens. This chapter is based on the assumption that Education for
Environmental Citizenship is not coercive or indoctrinating – it is not about imposing
‘correct’ behaviours but rather about facilitating the individual’s intellectual growth
and emotional capacity that may lead to a critical and actively engaged individual.
Human behaviour is extremely sophisticated – what shapes pro-environmental
behaviour is complex and context specific. Additionally, empirical research indicates a discrepancy between having environmental knowledge and environmentally
supportive attitudes and behaving pro-environmentally (e.g. Heimlich and Ardoin
2012; Hungerford and Volk 1990; Hines et al. 1987). It is, therefore, not surprising
that identifying the numerous internal (and external) factors that influence a person’s decision towards a course of action and elucidating how these interplay is the
focus of extensive but inconclusive study. The point of departure of this chapter is
that social and psychological study of behaviour has much to inform the study of
environmental behaviour and, deriving from this, to inform regarding the type of
education that educates towards behaviour/action in the goal of social transformation. This chapter focuses on internal factors (i.e. psychosocial, personality) rather
than external ones (i.e. situational, contextual) that influence behaviour. Within this
framing, the chapter presents selected models regarding factors influencing behavioural decisions that have been acknowledged as influential frameworks for investigating pro-environmental behaviour and selected contemporary theories that may
inform behavioural models.
As a basis for the behavioural models, this chapter opens with a brief mapping of
types of pro-environmental behaviour in the context of Environmental Citizenship.
The main body of the chapter reviews the behavioural models. It concludes with a
brief discussion of the implications of the presented models for educational practice
from the perspective of Education for Environmental Citizenship.
8.2 Pro-environmental Behaviour in the Context
of Environmental Citizenship
Growing complexity and interconnection between and within societies have
become inherent characteristics of the modern world. Outreach to citizens is related
to the concept of ‘community’, which embraces the local, regional, national and
D. Goldman et al.
tal issues, is committed to the idea of environmental-social sustainability and actively
participates in actions in the direction of solving current problems and preventing the
creation of new ones. The concept of Environmental Citizenship embodies behaviour – an actively involved citizen who exercises their environmental rights and obligations in both the private and public spheres. Accordingly, Education for
Environmental Citizenship implies behavioural change. The goal of Education for
Environmental Citizenship is to facilitate the commitment towards and the capacity
for active participation in environmentally responsible actions; it is about cultivating
the cognitive (e.g. knowledge and understanding, skills and competences) and affective (e.g. values, beliefs, attitudes/emotions, assumption of responsibility, sense of
ability) components that both motivate and enable the translation of knowledge into
effective action as citizens. This chapter is based on the assumption that Education for
Environmental Citizenship is not coercive or indoctrinating – it is not about imposing
‘correct’ behaviours but rather about facilitating the individual’s intellectual growth
and emotional capacity that may lead to a critical and actively engaged individual.
Human behaviour is extremely sophisticated – what shapes pro-environmental
behaviour is complex and context specific. Additionally, empirical research indicates a discrepancy between having environmental knowledge and environmentally
supportive attitudes and behaving pro-environmentally (e.g. Heimlich and Ardoin
2012; Hungerford and Volk 1990; Hines et al. 1987). It is, therefore, not surprising
that identifying the numerous internal (and external) factors that influence a person’s decision towards a course of action and elucidating how these interplay is the
focus of extensive but inconclusive study. The point of departure of this chapter is
that social and psychological study of behaviour has much to inform the study of
environmental behaviour and, deriving from this, to inform regarding the type of
education that educates towards behaviour/action in the goal of social transformation. This chapter focuses on internal factors (i.e. psychosocial, personality) rather
than external ones (i.e. situational, contextual) that influence behaviour. Within this
framing, the chapter presents selected models regarding factors influencing behavioural decisions that have been acknowledged as influential frameworks for investigating pro-environmental behaviour and selected contemporary theories that may
inform behavioural models.
As a basis for the behavioural models, this chapter opens with a brief mapping of
types of pro-environmental behaviour in the context of Environmental Citizenship.
The main body of the chapter reviews the behavioural models. It concludes with a
brief discussion of the implications of the presented models for educational practice
from the perspective of Education for Environmental Citizenship.
8.2 Pro-environmental Behaviour in the Context
of Environmental Citizenship
Growing complexity and interconnection between and within societies have
become inherent characteristics of the modern world. Outreach to citizens is related
to the concept of ‘community’, which embraces the local, regional, national and
D. Goldman et al.