Determination of Environmental Ethics Approaches of Urban and Regional Planning Students

Aslı Altanlar; Esin Özlem Aktuğlu Aktan; Nilgün Çolpan Erkan

doi:10.15320/ICONARP.2023.258

Authors

Aslı Altanlar Amasya University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4876-9527
Esin Özlem Aktuğlu Aktan Yıldız Technical University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9823-1007
Nilgün Çolpan Erkan Yıldız Technical University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4252-4764

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2023.258

Keywords:

Environmental ethics, environmental policies, new ecological paradigm, pro-environmental behavior

Abstract

Urban planners who are environmentally conscious and aware will take action to take responsibility, inform, and control. Raising environmental awareness is essential in urban planning education to understand environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to educate urban planning students on environmental ethics. This study investigates the environmental attitudes and behaviors of urban and regional planning students, who will shape the environment in the future within the context of the value-belief-norm theory. Moreover, to find clues that will shape environmental education in the course curriculum. The study included 226 students from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the Faculty of Architecture of Yıldız Technical University (YTU) and Amasya University (AU). Questionnaire data has been evaluated using principal components analysis, correlation analysis, T-test, and ANOVA analysis. According to the study findings, urban planning students have adopted biocentric, ecocentric, and anthropocentric value orientations. The study has found that students with ecocentric value orientation tend to show more pro-environmental behavior. The study concludes that the student’s characteristics also affect how they show pro-environmental behavior and evaluate environmental policies. In conclusion, focusing on ecocentric approaches in urban planning education can positively affect adopting pro-environmental behavior and policies. Additionally, study findings show that students with relatively better economic conditions are more inclined to have a biocentric value orientation. Based on the literature and these study findings, pro-environmental behavior is not a single-dimensional structure caused only by individuals' personal and professional characteristics. People's environmental attitudes and behaviors are shaped by their upbringing, school, friends, and culture. It shows that pro-environmental behavior has a multi-dimensional complex structure, and a conceptual framework can provide guidance to explain these kinds of behavior.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Aslı Altanlar, Amasya University

Aslı ALTANLAR received his Ph. D. from Yıldız Technical University, Department of Urban Planning in 2015. Between 2010 and 2015, she worked as a research assistant and lecturer at Yıldız Technical University. She worked as an assistant professor at Amasya University from 2016 to 2022. She currently works as an associate professor at Amasya University, Department of Urban and Regional Planning.

Esin Özlem Aktuğlu Aktan, Yıldız Technical University

Esin Ö. AKTUĞLU AKTAN completed a bachelor’s degree in City and Regional Planning and Urban Design master's programs at DEU. She started his doctoral studies and research assistantship at IZTECH and continued his studies/carrier at YTU. She is currently teaching as an associate professor at YTU on urban design, urban morphology, urban transportation, design principles, and utopias in urbanism. She is the editor of the Megaron Journal and the director of the International Center for Urban Studies-ICUS at YTU.

Nilgün Çolpan Erkan, Yıldız Technical University

Nilgün Çolpan ERKAN is a professor at Yıldız Technical University, Department of Urban and Regional Planning. She is one of the founding members and former director of the International Center for Urban Studies-ICUS in YTU and vice dean of the Faculty of Architecture. She is teaching a number of graduate and postgraduate courses, including Environmental Psychology and Urban Design. Her research focuses on urban image-identity and urban safety.

References

Ajzen, I. (1985). From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior. In: J. Kuhl, & J. Beckman (eds) Action Control: From cognition to behavior (pp. 11-39). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69746-3_2

Aminrad, Z., Zakaria, S. Z., & Hadi, A. S. (2011). Influence of Age and Level of Education on Environmental Awareness and Attitude: Case Study on Iranian Students in Malaysian Universities. The Social Sciences, 6 (1): 15-19. DOI:10.3923/SSCIENCE.2011.15.19

Birand, A. (2016). Ecological Footprints Awareness and Environmentally Friendly Behaviors of Preschool Teachers. Lefkoşa: Near East University, Department of Pre-School Postgraduate Teaching, Unpublished Master's Thesis.

Birden, B. (2016). A Brief Overview of the Moral Responsibility of Individual in Environmental Ethics. Turkish Journal of Bioethics, 3(1):4-14. DOI: 10.5505/tjob.2016.66375

Bozdemir, H. (2019). Çevresel Değerler ve Eğitimi. In S. Gürbüzoğlu Yalmancı , & S. Aydın , Çevre Etiği Temel İlkeleri ve Eğitimi (pp. 37-56). Ankara: Nobel Yayınevi.

Brennan, A., & Lo, N. (2002, rev. 2021). Environmental Ethics. Retrieved from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://seop.illc.uva.nl/entries/ethics-environmental/

Bursal, M. (2019). SPSS ile Temel Veri Analizleri. Ankara: Anı Yayıncılık.

Cary, J. (1993). The Nature of Symbolic Beliefs and Environmental Behavior in a Rural Setting. Environment and Behavior, 555-576. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916593254001

Cottrell, S. (2003). Influence of Sociodemographics and Environmental Attitudes on General Responsible Environmental Behavior Among Recreational Boaters. Environment and Behavior, Vol.35, No.2, 1-29. DOI: 10.1177/0013916503251439

Çamur, Ö. (2020). Çevre Etiği. In C. Yaşaroğlu, Çevre Psikolojisine Giriş (pp. 237-257). Ankara: Nobel.

Çokluk, O., Şekercioğlu, G., & Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2010). Sosyal Bilimler İçin Çok Değişkenli İstatistik SPSS ve LISREL Uygulamaları. Ankara: PEGEM.

Drescher, M., Warriner, K., Farmer, J. R., & Larson, B. M. (2017). Private landowners and environmental conservation: a case study of social-psychological determinants of conservation program participation in Ontario. Ecology and Society, 22 (1): 44-67. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26270094

Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3): 425-442. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00176

Ergün, T., & Çobanoğlu, N. (2012). Sustainable Development and Environmental Ethics. Journal of Ankara University Institute of Social Sciences, 3(1): 97-123. DOI: 10.1501/sbeder_0000000041.

Ersoy, M. (2007). Planlama Kavramı Üzerine. In M. Ersoy, Kentsel Planlama Kuramları (pp. 7-34). Ankara: İmge Kitapevi.

Erten, S. (2007). The Adaptation Study of the Ecocentric, Anthropocentric and Antipathetic Attitudes Toward Environment. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (EJER), Vol 7, No.28: 67-74. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299079690

Furman, A. (1998). A Note on Environmental Concern in a Developing Country: Results from an Istanbul Survey. Environment and Behavior, 30(4), 520-534. DOI:10.1177/001391659803000406

George, D., & Mallery, M. (2010). SPSS for Windows Step by Step: A Simple Guide and Reference, 17.0 Update, 10th Edition. Pearson: Boston.

Gökşen, E. (2021). Determination of Environmental Awareness and Attitude of Environmental Officers Providing Environmental Consultancy Services: The Sample of Ankara, Gazi University, Ankara, Unpublished Master’s Thesis.

Gray, J., Whyte, I., & Curry, P. (2018). Ecocentrism: What it Means and what it Implies. The Ecological Citizen, 1(2):130. www.ecologicalcitizen.net

Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Mena, J. A. (2012). An Assessment of the Use of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling in Marketing Research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(3): 414-433. DOI:10.1007/s11747-011-0261-6

Karayeğen Balent, G. (2020). Çevre Yanlısı Tutum ve Davranışların Ahlaki Temelleri. In G. Kıral Uçar, & D. Hasta, Çevre Psikolojisi İnsan-Doğa Etkileşimi ve Çevre Davranışı (pp. 145-164). Ankara: Nobel.

Kayri, M. (2009). The Multiple Comparison (Post-Hoc) Techniques to Determine the Difference Between Groups in Researches. Fırat University Journal of Social Science, 19(1): 51-64. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/firatsbed/issue/6327/84525

Keleş, Ö. (2007). Application and Evaluation of Ecological Footprint as an Environmental Education Tool Towards Sustainable. Ankara: Gazi University, Department of Primary Education, Science Education Discipline, Ph.D. Thesis.

Kıral Uçar, G. (2020). Değer Yönelimleri ve Çevre Yanlısı Davranışlar. Uludağ University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Journal of Social Sciences, 21(39): 801-822. DOI: 10.21550/sosbilder.654035

Klöckner, C. (2013). A Comprehensive Model of the Psychology of Environmental Behavior—A Meta-Analysis. Global Environmental Change,23:1028-1038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.05.014

Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the Gap: Why Do People Act Environmentally and What are the Barriers to Pro-Environmental Behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3): 239-260. DOI:10.1080/13504620220145401

Manoli, C. C., Johnson, B., Buxner, S., & Bogner, F. (2019). Measuring Environmental Perceptions Grounded on Different Theoretical Models: The 2-Major Environmental Values (2-MEV) Model in Comparison with the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale. Sustainability, 11(5), 1286, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051286

Morgil, İ., Arda, S., Seçken, N., Yavuz, S., & Özyalçın Oskay, Ö. (2004). The Influence of Computer-Assisted Education on Environmental Knowledge and Environmental Awareness. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 2 (5): 99-110. https://doi.org/10.1039/B3RP90032K

Müderrisoğlu , H., & Altanlar, A. (2011). Attitudes and Behaviors of Undergraduate Students Toward Environmental Issues. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Tech, 8 (1):159-168.DOI: 10.1007/BF03326205.

Oğuz, D., Çakçı, L., & Kavas, S. (2010). Environmental Awareness of University Students in Ankara, Türkiye. Journal of Agricultural Research, 5 (19): 2629-2636. http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR

Özcan, K. (2016). Sustainability Agenda in Urban Planning an Essay on Conceptualization. Eurasscience Journals, 4(2):7-17. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ejatd/issue/24396/258617

Özdemir, O. (2012). The Environmentalism of University Students: Their Ethical Attitudes Toward the Environment. H. U. Journal of Education, 43:373-385. http://www.efdergi.hacettepe.edu.tr

Özgür, B. (2020). A Debate Towards a Synthesis of Radical Ecology and Spatial Planning Theories, METU, Ankara, Unpublished Master’s Thesis.

Özkazanç, S., & Korkmaz, C. (2019). Anxiety and Expectations Related to Education, Employment and Professional Self-Efficacy in City and Regional Planning Discipline. Journal of Architecture Sciences and Applications, 4(2):122-139. https://doi.org/10.30785/mbud.582936

Pan, S.-L., Morrison, A. M., Huang, W.-S., & Lin, M.-C. (2018). Will the Future Be Greener? The Environmental Behavioral Intentions of University Tourism Students. Sustainability, 10(3), 634: 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10030634

Ramirez, M. (2006). Sustainability in the Education of Industrial Designers: the Case for Australia. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 7 (2): 189-202. DOI 10.1108/14676370610655959

Sarı, E. (2020). Çevreci Değerler ve Çevreci Davranışı Açıklayan Modeller. In C. Yaşaroğlu, Çevre Psikolojisine Giriş (pp. 207-236). Ankara: Nobel Yayınevi.

Sasidharan, V., & Thapa, B. (1999). An Exploration of the Influence of Gender and Locality on Environmental Attitudes, Using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale. Proceeding of the 1999 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. April 11-14 (pp. 57-61). Bolton Landing, New York: The Pennsylvania State.

Smith-Sebasto, N. J. (1995). The Effects of an Environmental Studies Course on Selected Variables Related to Environmentally Responsible Behavior. The Journal of Environmental Education, 26(4):30-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.1995.9941449

Steg, L., & De Groot, J. (2010). Explaining Prosocial Intentions: Testing Causal Relationships in the Norm Activation Model. British Journal of Social Psychology, 49:725-743. DOI: 10.1348/014466609X477745

Stern, P. (2000). Toward a Coherent Theory of Environmentally Significant Behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3):407-424. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00175

Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., & Guagnano, G. A. (1995). The New Ecological Paradigm in Social-Psychological Context. Environment and Behavior, 27(6):723-743. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916595276001

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using Multivariate Statistics (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Talay, İ., Gündüz, S., & Akpınar, N. (2004). On the Status of Environmental Education and Awareness of Undergraduate Students at Ankara University, Türkiye. International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 21 (3): 293-308. DOI:10.1504/IJEP.2004.004196

Tekeli, İ., & Ataöv, A. (2017). Sürdürülebilir Toplum ve Yapılı Çevre. İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları.

Thompson, S. C., & Barton, M. A. (1994). Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes Toward the Environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, V. 14 (2):149-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80168-9

Turaga, R. M., Howarth, R. B., & Borsuk, M. E. (2010). Pro-environmental Behavior: Rational Choice Meets Moral Motivation. Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences, 1185: 211–224. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05163.x

Wong, C. A., Afandi, S. H., Ramachandran, S., Kunasekaran, P., & Chan, J. K.-L. (2018). Conceptualizing Environmental Literacy and Factors Affecting Pro-Environmental Behavior. International Journal of Business and Society, 19 S1:128-139. Corpus ID: 155099504

Wong, K. (2003). The Environmental Awareness of University Students in Beijing, China. Journal of Contemporary China, 12(36): 519-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670560305472

Yaban, E. (2020). Gelişim Bağlamında Çevre Yanlısı Davranışlar. In G. Kıral Uçar, & D. Hasta, Çevre Psikolojisi İnsan-Doğa Etkileşimi ve Çevre Davranışı (pp. 301-329). Ankara: Nobel Yayınları.

Yücel, A. G. (2005). Environmental Ethics Approach in the World and in Türkiye, METU, Department of City and Reagional Planning, Ankara, Unpublished PhD Thesis.