Values, beliefs and norms that foster Chilean and German pupils’ commitment to protect biodiversity

Fostering young people‟s commitment to protect biodiversity is an important goal of Education
for Sustainable Development (ESD) in both, industrial countries and designated biodiversity
hotspots. However, little empirical evidence exists to describe factors that influence
such commitments. Based on the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory, 15 to 19-year-old
Chilean (n= 216) and German (n= 217) pupils‟ commitment to protect biodiversity was investigated.
Comparisons revealed that Chilean adolescents showed higher personal norms
and commitments to protect biodiversity. Regression analysis showed that within the German
sample, the „Schwartz‟-value universalism was an important predictor for three different
kinds of behavioural commitment. In both samples, „ascription of responsibility‟, „perceived
ability to reduce threat‟ and, above all, „personal norms‟ were positive predictors.
The paper concludes with a discussion of the results in the light of existing evidence and
suggests implications for biodiversity education.