Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1999; Vaske et al. 2001), and the “new environmental paradigm” (Van Liere and
Dunlap 1980).
Behavior is the product of an opportunity and intent where intent is motivated by
social norms, one's attitudes, and one's values (Monroe 2003; Gotch and Hall 2004;
Huang and Yore 2004). To illustrate the relationship between these variables of the
theory of reasoned action, consider a simple fictional example about an older woman
participating in an ecological restoration project. She has a basic set of beliefs and val-
ues concerning the natural environment. Given her beliefs and values regarding
nature, she forms an attitude toward environmentally related activities, specifically
toward restoring damaged ecosystems. Her attitude toward restoring damaged ecosys-
tems influences her intention to participate in an ecosystem restoration project. Addi-
tionally, her intention to participate in an ecosystem restoration project is also influ-
enced by how her family and friends feel about her participation in such a project
(i.e., subjective norms). Taken together, her beliefs, attitude, subjective norms, and
behavioral intentions can be used by a volunteer coordinator to predict whether this
woman will participate in an ecosystem restoration project or explain why she may
not.
The theory of reasoned action does not include separate variables for ability to per-
form a behavior and does not account for situational deterrents to behavior. For ex-
ample, individuals' feelings about their ecosystem restoration skills and abilities could
influence their intention to participate in an ecosystem restoration project. Addition-
ally, a situation could arise (scheduling conflicts, etc.) that would intervene between a
person's intention to participate and the person's actually participating in an ecologi-
cal restoration project. Another theoretical model was adapted to include these addi-
tional variables: the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen 1991).
With few exceptions (Fulton, Manfredo, and Lipscomb 1996), research has sup-
ported the relationship between values, attitudes, and behavior (Vaske and Donnelly
1999). The theory of reasoned action has been used to predict or explain behaviors
such as recycling (Boldero 1995; Park, Levine, and Sharkey 1998), water conservation
(Kantola, Syme, and Campbell 1982; Trumbo and O'Keefe 2005), energy conserva-
tion (Stutzman and Green 1982), participation in agricultural conservation programs
(Luzar and Diagne 1999), children's environmental behaviors (Gotch and Hall 2004;
Huang and Yore 2004), and environmental communication and education (Monroe
2003; Trumbo and O'Keefe 2005). This model of human behavior is useful for un-
derstanding the underlying beliefs, attitudes, and behavior of members of volunteer
stewardship groups, including those involved in ecological restoration projects. How-
ever, more research in this specific area is warranted.
Organizational Component
A volunteer restoration or stewardship group is more than individual volunteers; it is
an organized group with characteristics that contribute to its success and long-term vi-
ability. However, the success of a volunteer stewardship group requires more than sim-
