Predictors of Turkish Elementary Teacher Candidates’ Energy Conservation Behaviors: An Approach on Value-Belief-Norm Theory

The present study aimed to explain elementary teacher candidates’ energy
conservation behaviors by using Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) Theory. Participants in this
study were 512 students at Faculty of Education from two public universities in Turkey. Of
the 512 students, 35.5% were enrolled in the early childhood education program, 30.9%
were in the elementary science education program, and 27.7% were in the elementary
mathematics education program. The rest of the participants were pursuing a graduate
program under the department of elementary education. The results of multiple linear
regression analysis reflected that VBN Theory could successfully explain the participants’
energy conservation behaviors. The teacher candidates’ reduction in energy consumption
could be accounted by personal norms, egoistic and biospheric value orientations.
However, rather than personal norms, egoistic and biospheric value orientations made
greater unique contribution to explain the criterion variable. Furthermore, each predictor
variable in the causal model of VBN Theory was found to be significantly associated with
the next variable, but value orientations deserved more attention than VBN Theory places
on them within the study context.