The Development of Environmental Motivation Scale at Secondary Schools and Analysis of Different Variables of Students' Motivation Towards Environment

Abstract

This study aims at developing Secondary School Environment Motivation Scale (SSEMS) in order to analyse the motivations of the students for the environment in terms of gender, grade, socio-economic level. The data were collected from 677 secondary school students to develop the scale and 1775 secondary school students for the survey study. SSEMS was developed as16 items, on three-point likert scale and two dimensions (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation). The results of the research show that the general environmental motivation and intrinsic motivation of female students is significantly higher than the male students. There was no significant difference in the environmental motivation levels of female and male students in terms of extrinsic motivation dimension. When the relationships between the students' grade and their environmental motivations are examined, it is revealed that as their grades increase, all motivation levels (general, intrinsic and extrinsic) of students towards environment decrease. Moreover, there is not substantial correlation between the students' socio-economic levels and general environmental motivations. However, as the socio-economic levels of the students increased, their intrinsic motivation increased significantly, and their extrinsic motivations decreased significantly. The gradual change of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as to gender, class and socio-economic level is discussed at length in the article.