Analysing the Environmental Values and Attitudes of Rural Nepalese Children by Validating the 2-MEV Model

Abstract

The Two-dimensional Model of Ecological Values (2-MEV), developed and verified in Western Europe, successfully explores the environmental values and attitudes of the children (11−16 years old) using questionnaires/items. However, the reliability of the 2-MEV Scale and its bi-dimensionality in a non-industrialised country, such as Nepal, is unexplored. Nepal lies within the monsoon region, which triggers extreme environmental crises such as floods. As environmental values and attitudes are related to pro-environmental/adaptive behaviour, this study analyses not only the values and attitudes of children but also the validity of the 2-MEV Scale in a different geographic and socioeconomic setting. Therefore, the items of the 2-MEV Scale were modified, translated, and validated in two rounds with 200 and 201 children. Results were examined using principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. The findings validated the two constructs of environmental values (Preservation and Utilisation) with a correlation of −0.93, but the attitude’s pattern varied from that found in industrialised countries. Finally, the rural Nepalese version of the 2-MEV was used to measure environmental values. Most children (78.62% from n = 379) show an inclination towards Preservation, 0.26% towards Utilisation, 20.05% towards both values partially, and 1.05% were neutral. In general, the children held pro-environmental values and attitudes.

The Effect of Environmental Values on German Primary School Students’ Knowledge on Water Supply

“…Throughout its long history, the 2-MEV has undergone modifications, adaptations, and shortenings. Even shorter versions of the 2-MEV without PRE 6 have already been applied and confirmed successfully in recent studies [60,64]. Schönfelder and Bogner [46] used and validated an 11-item version without PRE 3 and could report the expected 2-factor-structure.…”

“…Developed in the 1990s, the 2-MEV has been repeatedly used in different contexts and within various populations during the past decades. Bi-national investigations, e.g., [47,54,55], internal cross-validation studies, e.g., [56], and, even more importantly, independent research groups, e.g., [57][58][59][60][61], have repeatedly used the instrument and have confirmed its validity and reliability. Within the past decades, the 2-MEV has been continuously developed and improved.…”

Assessing Environmental Attitudes and Cognitive Achievement within 9 Years of Informal Earth Education

“…While at that time many scales were competing, the 2-MEV received the privilege of independent cross-cultural confirmation from different disciplines (e.g., [5,10,[16][17][18]). Subsequently, the model has been used around the globe and translated into 33 languages, the very basis for its consistency being those bi-national studies; recently, e.g., Regmi et al [19] applied the 2-MEV with 200 rural Nepalese students and confirmed its validity and reliability. The instrument's worldwide acceptance is rooted in its compact format and two-dimensionality, which covers preservation of nature (a biocentric perspective to protect our natural environment) and utilization of nature (an anthropocentric perspective to exploit nature) [20].…”

A Grounded Theory of Pro-Nature Behaviour: From Moral Concern to Sustained Action

“…However, understanding the differences between cultures was beyond the scope of the study. There is evidence of cultural differences in ecological values; for example, in a Nepalese sample, Regmi, Johnson and Dahal [67] replicated the original finding that preservation and utilisation are separable aspects of environmental values [65], but not that they are orthogonal. While we attempted to create a generalisable theory, arguably none of the segments recruited for our study represented a general population sample.…”