Abstract
The 21st century’s environmental problems require not only scientific solutions but also a shift in individual’s moral behaviors and feelings towards the environment. The growing urgency of environmental issues has underscored the need to understand the psychological and ethical dimensions that drive sustainable behavior, particularly among adolescents. The importance of promoting environmental sustainability in all spheres of society has been brought to light in recent decades by the pressing need to address worldwide sustainability problems such pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Education is vital for developing beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that foster sustainable development, especially in adolescent learners. This study explores the influence of environmental empathy on ethical reasoning and decision making for environmental sustainability among adolescent learners aged between 15 to 17. The population of the study comprises all adolescent learners across Kerala. Utilizing a normative survey method, data were collected from a representative sample of 200 higher secondary school students drawn from various educational institutions across Thiruvananthapuram. The data was collected using Environmental Empathy scale, Ethical Reasoning test and Decision-making test through random sampling The analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship between environmental empathy and both ethical reasoning and decision making and Environmental Empathy influences significantly on Ethical Reasoning and Decision-making abilities of adolescent learners. The findings suggest that adolescents with higher levels of empathy towards the environment are more likely to make ethical and sustainable choices. Also, Environmental Empathy is a significant predictor of Ethical Reasoning and Decision-making abilities of adolescent learns for Environmental Sustainability. The study highlights the importance of integrating emotional and ethical components into environmental education to foster responsible and sustainability-oriented behavior among young learners.
KEYWORDS
Environmental Empathy, Ethical Reasoning, Decision Making, Environmental Sustainability, Sustainability-Oriented Behavior, Adolescent Learners.
Arya S1*, Pallavi Sasidharan Pillai2, Simi M3, Bindu R L4
1,2Research Scholar, Department of Education, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram-695034, Kerala, India
3Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Education, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram-695034, Kerala, India
4Professor, Department of Education, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram-695034, Kerala, India