1. Survey of Children’s and Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors towards Energy Saving and Carbon Emission Reduction in Taiwan Elementary Schools Hsiu-chih Su, Hsin-Sheng Tsay, Hua-Nan Chang, Wei-Kuo Wang ECER 2012, Cadiz Spain sponsored by the National Science Council in Taiwan NSC 100-3113-S-324-001 1

2. Outline 1.Introduction 2.Method 3.Results 4.Conclusion and Suggestions 2

3. 1. Introduction Global warming is a serious environmental issue nowadays. It does not only bring extreme weather changes, but also cause economic loss. For sustainable development, many countries, including Taiwan, have implemented many policies intended to mitigate global warming, and to reduce carbon emission However, the overall effects were not obvious. 3

4. In ranking of Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) by Germanwatch regarding CO 2 emission trend, level, and climate policy. Among 57 countries, in 2010 Taiwan ranked 50, indicating that overall performance was very poor (Burck, Bals, & Bohnenberger, 2012). International Energy Agency (IEA, 2011) reported that in 2009 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) produced 10.89 tons of CO 2 /capita, compared to 11.40 tons of CO 2 /capita in 2008, however, the number was still higher than 9.83 tons of CO 2 /capita of OECD total countries.

5. Surveys also indicated that many people in Taiwan were not aware of the importance of mitigation of global warming, energy saving, and carbon emission reduction. Yeh (2009) found that most parents and school-age children did not understand the relations between “global warming” and “energy saving and carbon emission reduction”. About 87% did not think they could do anything to improve climate changes resulted from global warming, however, 90 % were willing to buy energy-efficient products within their budget.

6. Scholars suggested that the most efficient way to conserve energy and reduce carbon emission is to start energy education on school-age children. Energy education at elementary schools is likely to have lasting effects on children and their parents. So far, less is known about how energy education at school can affect parents indirectly through their children. 6

7. This is the first year study of a 3-year longitudinal study of the effects of energy education on children and their parents; the major research question is to study whether energy education affects children as well as their parents. This study was intended to survey children’s and parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction in Taiwan elementary schools, and their relations to each other. 7

8. The objectives were 1. To describe children’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction in Taiwan elementary schools. 2. To identify school, child, and family factors associated with children’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction. 3. To examine the relations between children’s and parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction. 8

9. 2. Method theoretical framework

10. Participants included 5th and 6th graders and their parents from 21 randomly chosen elementary schools in central Taiwan (Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou). Totally 1,142 copies of questionnaires were distributed, 1,025 valid child and parent questionnaires were analyzed. The valid return rate was 89.75%. Participants 10

11. Instruments Questionnaire survey was used to collect data. The instruments were modified from questionnaires in Taiwan, and expert opinions (including three professors and two elementary school science teachers) were considered. Items were pilot tested and modified before field survey. Final versions included: 11

12. 1. Knowledge scale: 30 items on a 5-point Likert scale, (1) never heard of or never understand, (2) understand a little, (3) average, (4) understand mostly, (5) understand completely. Higher score indicates better understanding. Cronbach's α for the whole children’s knowledge scale was.96. Cronbach's α for causes of global warming subscale was.92; for effects of global warming subscale was.96; for energy knowledge subscale was.93; for CO 2 reduction knowledge subscale was.95; for knowledge about energy conservation subscale was.90. 12

13. 2. Attitude scale: 17 items on a 5-point Likert scale, (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) no opinion, (4) agree, (5) strongly agree. Higher score indicates better attitudes. Cronbach's α for the whole children’s scale was.90. Cronbach's α for attitude towards global warming subscale was.86; towards energy conservation was.87; towards CO 2 reduction was.86; and advocacy towards energy conservation and CO 2 reduction was.90. 13

14. 3. Behavior scale, 36 items on a 5-point Likert scale, from (1) never, (2) seldom, (3) sometimes, (4) often, (5) always. Higher score indicates better attitudes. Cronbach‘s α for the whole behavior scale was.95. Cronbach’s α for energy conservation subscale was. 82; including Cronbach‘s α of water conservation was.70 and of electricity conservation was.76. Cronbach's α for CO 2 reduction subscale was.91, including.87 in shopping;.70 in garbage related to shopping;.76 in general garbage;.74 in recycle and reuse;.53 in transportation;.75 in food consumption. Cronbach's α for advocacy behaviors subscale was.89.

15. Procedure Researchers visited each elementary school and explained the research purposes of the study to the principal or chair of academic affairs. Then researchers seeked for homeroom teachers’ help to distribute child and parent questionnaires. Children who brought back questionnaires received a present. Each teacher also received a small present. 15

16. Analyses Descriptive statistics, t-tests, Anova, and correlation tests were used to analyze data. 16

17. 3. Results 17

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27. Children in bigger school had better performance 27

28. 28 Children in bigger school had better performance

29. 29 Children in bigger school had better performance

30. 30 Children in bigger school had better performance

31. 31 Children in bigger school had better performance

32. 32 Children in bigger school had better performance

33. 33 Children in bigger school had better performance

34. 34 Children in bigger school had better performance

35. 35 Children in bigger school had better performance

36. 36 Children in bigger school had better performance

37. 37 Children in urban area had better performance

38. 38

39. Children in urban area had better performance 39

40. Children in urban area had better performance 40

41. Children in urban area had better performance 41

42. Girls had better performance 42

43. 43 Girls had better performance

44. 44 Girls had better performance

45. 45 Girls had better performance

46. 46 Girls had better performance

47. 47

48. 6 th graders had better knowledge 48

49. 49 6 th graders had better knowledge

50. 50

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53. 53

54. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 54

55. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 55

56. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 56

57. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 57

58. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 58

59. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 59

60. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 60

61. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 61

62. Children with better academic achievement had better performance 62

63. Children with higher paternal education had better performance 63

64. Children with higher paternal education had better performance 64

65. Children with higher paternal education had better performance 65

66. Children with higher paternal education had better performance 66

67. Children with higher paternal education had better performance 67

68. Children with higher paternal education had better performance 68

69. Children with higher paternal education had better performance 69

70. Children with higher paternal education had better performance 70

71. Children with higher maternal education had better performance 71

72. Children with higher maternal education had better performance 72

73. Children with higher maternal education had better performance 73

74. Children with higher maternal education had better performance 74

75. 75

76. Children with higher maternal education had better performance 76

77. Children with higher maternal education had better performance 77

78. Children with higher maternal education had better performance 78

79. Children with higher maternal education had better performance 79

80. Children with higher family incomes had better performance 80

81. Children with higher family incomes had better performance 81

82. Children with higher family incomes had better performance 82

83. Children with higher family incomes had better performance 83

84. Children with higher family incomes had better performance 84

85. Children with higher family incomes had better performance 85

86. Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance 86

87. 87 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

88. 88 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

89. 89 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

90. 90 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

91. 91 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

92. 92 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

93. 93 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

94. 94 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

95. 95 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

96. 96 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

97. 97 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

98. 98 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

99. 99 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

100. 100 Children with better parent-child relationships had better performance

101. 101 Children’s and parent’s ratings were positively correlated

102. 4. Conclusion 1. Results indicated children’s ratings of overall knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward energy saving and carbon emission reduction were above average. Attitude scale had the highest score; and behavior scale had the lowest score. 102

103. Children had better knowledge about “energy conservation” and “CO 2 reduction”, but were less familiar with “causes of global warming” such as greenhouse effects and greenhouse gases. Overall, children had positive attitudes; however, when asked whether they were willing to pay more to buy energy-efficient products, their ratings slightly dropped. 103

104. Children had better behaviors in energy conservation and CO 2 reduction in recycle and reuse, but had lower ratings in behaviors such as advocacy behaviors. Main information sources of global warming, energy saving, and carbon emission reduction were television, teachers, and internet, indicating their importance in promoting related policies. 104

105. Children had better behaviors in energy conservation and CO 2 reduction in recycle and reuse, but had lower ratings in behaviors such as advocacy behaviors. Main information sources of global warming, energy saving, and carbon emission reduction were television, teachers, and internet, indicating their importance in promoting related policies. 105

106. 2. Related factors: school factors Children from bigger schools tended to have better knowledge, more positive attitudes, and better behaviors. Children from Taichung tended to have better behaviors than children in Changhua or Nantou. Big schools are usually located in the city 106

107. Child factors: Girls and children with better academic tended to have better knowledge, more positive attitudes, and better behaviors. Six-grade students had better overall knowledge, especially in causes of global warming, effects of global warming, and energy conservation than 5th-grade students. 107

108. Family factors: Children with higher paternal and maternal education, higher family monthly incomes, better parent-child relationships tended to have better knowledge, more positive attitudes, and better behaviors. Results indicated the importance of family and family education. 108

109. 3. Children’s and parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were significantly positively related to each other. It is unclear about the direction of effects (causal), future studies will address further whether parents are affected by what children learn at school. 109

110. Suggestions for Future Studies 1.This is a correlational study to explore children’s and parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction, and the direction of unclear, in the future experiments can be conducted to further understand the direction of influences. 110

111. 2. This study had found significant relations between children’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors and family factors. In the future, factors such as parenting skills and attitudes, motivation, parent-child relationships, etc. can also be explored. *parent education, parent-child activities 111

112. 3. In this study, only questionnaire survey was conducted, in the future, in-depth interviews might be conducted with participants to better understand their thoughts regarding energy saving and carbon emission reduction. 112

113. Hsiu-chih Su (Faith Su), Ph.D. Department of Early Development and Education Chaoyang University of Technology 168, Jifong E. Rd., Wufong, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC Tel:886-923639857 Fax:886-4-23742357 E-mail: hcsu@cyut.edu.twhcsu@cyut.edu.tw 113

114. The End Thank you. 114

115. Question & Answer 115