Investigating Energy Literacy and Its Structural Model for Lower Secondary Students in Japan

Autor/inn/en	Akitsu, Yutaka; Ishihara, Keiichi N.; Okumura, Hideyuki; Yamasue, Eiji
Titel	Investigating Energy Literacy and Its Structural Model for Lower Secondary Students in Japan
Quelle	In: International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 12 (2017) 5, S.1067-1095 (29 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1306-3065
Schlagwörter	Energy; Literacy; Environmental Education; Energy Conservation; Sustainability; Models; Gender Differences; Scores; Knowledge Level; Secondary School Students; Student Surveys; Predictor Variables; Student Behavior; Schemata (Cognition); Geographic Regions; Foreign Countries; Structural Equation Models; Maximum Likelihood Statistics; Factor Analysis; Statistical Analysis; Japan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Energie; Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; Umweltbildung; Umwelterziehung; Umweltpädagogik; Energieerhaltung; Energiespeicherung; Nachhaltigkeit; Analogiemodell; Geschlechterkonflikt; Wissensbasis; Sekundarschüler; Schülerbefragung; Prädiktor; Student behaviour; Schülerverhalten; Cognition; Schema; Kognition; Ausland; Faktorenanalyse; Statistische Analyse
Abstract	Energy literacy is indispensable for a sustainable society, which is fostered and improved by formal and informal energy education. To achieve the goal of energy education, which develops a well-informed public with positive attitudes toward energy conservation and the ability to make appropriate decisions regarding future energy choices, we must understand the status of students' energy literacy and its conceptual structure. By employing and modifying the energy literacy framework and instrument developed by DeWaters & Powers (2013), energy literacy and its structural model for students in Japan were investigated through a survey for 1316 lower secondary students (ages 13-15) in 2014. It was found that female students and students who have family discussions about energy-related issues scored higher than their counterparts. Students in Fukushima scored lower than those in Tokyo and Kyoto/Nagasaki. The energy literacy structure model was described by six predictors by structure equation modeling, where energy-saving behavior was predicted by both the awareness of consequences and the ascription of responsibility. Both the awareness of consequences and the ascription of responsibility were predicted by basic energy knowledge through the cognition of environmental issues. The prediction of energy-saving behavior by the awareness of consequences indicates the role of bonding between the relevant knowledge on energy and the environmental issues and energy-saving behavior. A moderation analysis found that (1) the effect of the cognition of environmental issues on responsibility depends on gender, and the magnitude of its effect did not necessarily depend on the amount of knowledge; (2) the indirect effect of responsibility toward energy-related issues on energy-saving behavior through energy-use conscious behavior seems to decrease with grade progression; and (3) the indirect effect of the awareness of consequences on energy-saving behavior through energy-use conscious behavior depends on the region. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	LOOK Academic Publishers. Knobbelzwaansingel 211 Den Haag 2496LN, Netherlands. Tel: 31-20-217-0912; e-mail: editor@lookacademy.nl; Web site: http://www.ijese.net
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01