Modeling the Path from Ecological Knowledge to Environmental Action: Attitude Towards Environmental Sustainability as Intermediary Factor among College Students

Authors

Jheorgette Lei A. Chavez

Holy Cross of Davao College, Davao City, Davao Del Sur (Philippines)

Article Information

DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2026.100600903

Subject Category: Education

Volume/Issue: 10/6 | Page No: 12816-12825

Publication Timeline

Submitted: 2026-06-24

Accepted: 2026-06-30

Published: 2026-07-08

Abstract

Environmental action among college students remains poor. This study examined the mediating role of attitudes towards environmental sustainability between ecological knowledge and environmental action. Using a predictive research design, the data surveyed from 744 respondents, selected through a simple random sampling technique, were analyzed using mediation analysis. It reveals that attitude towards environmental sustainability partially but significantly mediates the predictor-criterion correlation, supporting the Knowledge–Attitude–Practice (KAP) theory. Future research may examine additional mediating variables through qualitative approaches. Educational leaders, policymakers, and curriculum developers may strengthen experiential environmental education by fostering positive environmental attitudes through policy and programs and by integrating cognitive and affective components into sustainability initiatives.

Keywords

Ecological Knowledge, Environmental Action

Downloads

References

1. Akash, M. (2024). Students Attitude towards Environmental Sustainability. Shanlax International Journal of Management, 11, 32-43. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Angelita, D., Miarsyah, M., & Komala, R. (2023). Knowledge of Ecological Concepts, Environmental Concern, and Ecological Behavior: A Multiple Correlation Analysis. Journal of Biological Education Indonesia (Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi Indonesia), 9(3), 335-345. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Baldwin, C., Pickering, G., & Dale, G. (2023). Knowledge and self-efficacy of youth to take acion on climate change. Environmental Education Research, 29(11), 1597-1616. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Baring, R., Villacrucis, P. H., Barcenas, J. T., Arsolon, N., Dandan, M. A., Foronda, J., ... & Magallon-Avenido, J. (2024). The Role of Catholic Life Formation in Fostering Sustainable Environmental Attitudes among Selected Filipino SHS Students. Religions, 15(3), 287. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Boermans, D. D., Jagoda, A., Lemiski, D., Wegener, J., & Krzywonos, M. (2024). Environmental awareness and sustainable behavior of respondents in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland: A qualitative focus group study. Journal of Environmental Management, 370, 122515. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Carmona, B., Loureiro, A., & Aguilar-Luzón, M. C. (2021). Environmental Action Scale: Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version (Escala de Acciones Ambientales: Propiedades psicométricas de la versión portuguesa). Psyecology, 12(1), 24-44. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Celli, V. (2022). Causal mediation analysis in economics: Objectives, assumptions, models. Journal of Economic Surveys, 36(1), 214–234. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/joes.12452 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Colombo, S. L., Chiarella, S. G., Raffone, A., & Simione, L. (2023). Understanding the environmental attitude-behaviour gap: the moderating role of dispositional mindfulness. Sustainability, 15(9), 7285. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Costa, N. (2024). Decoding the Effect of Descriptive Statistics on Informed Decision-Making. Innovations in Mechatronics Engineering III, 135. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Dewiyani, L., Ibrahim, N., Atmanto, D., Sunardi, D., Marini, A., Safitri, D., ... & Marfu, A. (2026). Exploring the mediating and moderating roles of environmental attitude in green manufacturing knowledge and sustainability. Discover Sustainability. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Francis, Pope. (2015). Laudato si’ [On care for our common home] [Encyclical letter]. The Holy See. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Helferich, M., Thøgersen, J., & Bergquist, M. (2023). Direct and mediated impacts of social norms on pro-environmental behavior. Global Environmental Change, 80, 102680. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Hickman, C., Marks, E., Pihkala, P., Clayton, S., Lewandowski, R. E., Mayall, E. E., ... & Van Susteren, L. (2021). Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(12), e863-e873. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Hidayati Ahmad, N., Nugroho, S., Farradinna, S., & Herawati, I. (2023). EDUCATIONAL BARRIERS TO PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR: AN ANALYSIS OF INHIBITING FACTORS. Curricula: Journal of Teaching and Learning, 150-161. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Launiala, A. (2009). How much can a KAP survey tell us about people's knowledge, attitudes and practices? Some observations from medical anthropology research on malaria in pregnancy in Malawi. Anthropology Matters, 11(1). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Juanita, I., Kristine, F., & Parayow, B. A. D. (2023, May). Factors Affecting Students’ Pro-environmental Behavior for Sustainable Development. In International Conference of Economics, Business, and Entrepreneur (ICEBE 2022) (pp. 315-326). Atlantis Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Khan, M. Z. (2025). Unveiling the Mediating Mechanisms: How Environmental Knowledge Influences Green Apparel Purchase Behaviour. Journal of Contemporary Business Research, 1(2), 144-155. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Ogunjinmi, A. A., Oluwatuyi, B. G., & Oniya, B. J. (2015). DETERMINING ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS: THE ROLE OF PERSONAL FACTORS AND SCHOOL EXPOSURE. International Journal of Conservation Science, 6(3). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Pandoy, J., Apuya, K. M., Badang, P. S., & Pelobillo, G. (2025). Students’ Environmental Attitude and Sustainable Behavior as Mediated by Social Connectedness. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Pong, V., & Tam, K. P. (2023). Relationship between global identity and pro-environmental behavior and environmental concern: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1033564. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Portus, R., Aarnio-Linnanvuori, E., Dillon, B., Fahy, F., Gopinath, D., Mansikka-Aho, A., ... & McEwen, L. (2024). Exploring the environmental value action gap in education research: a semi-systematic literature review. Environmental Education Research, 30(6), 833-863. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Rizk, T. H. (2023). Correlation. In Translational Interventional Radiology (pp. 153-156). Academic Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Sánchez-Camacho, J., & Villegas Moreno, J. L. (2024). Foundations and implications of the integral ecology and sustainable development goals in catholic university education. Religions, 15(4), 480. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Saro, J. M., Taray, J. D., Cinso, J. S., Ingaling, B. S., Enguio, M. J. A., & Hayon, C. P. B. (2025). Level of attitude, behavior, and awareness of senior high school students toward environmental conservation. JPBI (Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi Indonesia), 11(1), 111-124. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Sheikh, M. A., Bajwa, F., Aslam, M. J., & Mir, B. (2024). Survey research: Descriptive and analytical power, types and usages. International Journal of Politics & Social Sciences Review [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Thomas, L. (2023, December 18). Simple random sampling | Definition, steps & examples. Scribbr. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Wang, Z., Nie, L., Jeronen, E., Xu, L., & Chen, M. (2023). Understanding the environmentally sustainable behavior of Chinese university students as tourists: An integrative framework. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(4), 3317. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Whitmarsh, L., & Mitev, K. (2022). Public perceptions of climate change and their variation across audiences. In The Routledge handbook of environment and communication (pp. 379-394). Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Yadav, M., & Singh, P. (2024). Youth engagement in environmental conservation: Assessing environmental awareness and action among university students. ShodhKosh Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(3). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Yang, X., Chen, S., Liu, T., Luo, J., & Tang, Y. (2025). Practice Primacy: Revisiting the Knowledge–Action Gap in Pro-Environmental Behavior with eXplainable AI. Sustainability, 17(21), 9916. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

Metrics

Views & Downloads

Similar Articles