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Changing attitudes toward energy conservation: The effect of self‐generated thoughts on the salience of a two‐sided persuasive communication
Author(s) -
Koballa Thomas R.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.3730700107
Subject(s) - salience (neuroscience) , energy (signal processing) , context (archaeology) , psychology , mathematics education , curriculum , function (biology) , social psychology , pedagogy , mathematics , cognitive psychology , paleontology , statistics , evolutionary biology , biology
The most logical place to start addressing a new energy ethic and its implications for daily life is the elementary school. While young children tend not to be big energy users, they can be taught to view energy in a different way from the way their parents view it. This can be accomplished by elementary teachers in much the same way that they try to teach good health habits or the practice of looking both ways before crossing the street. Perhaps the elementary school is also the place to begin introducing the idea that energy conservation does not necessarily mean doing with less, but using energy more wisely. Teachers serve as a vital link between what society thinks is important and what is taught to elementary age children. This is especially true when considering that the attitudes that teachers possess can be easily passed on to their students (Hone & Carswell, 1969) and thus reflected in their future behavior (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). It is desirable, therefore, that an ethical procedure be identified that enhances the probability of teachers including energy conservation topics in the elementary school curriculum. The persuasive communication model of attitude change has been demonstrated to function as such an ethical procedure within the context of science education (Grabowski, Shrigley, & Welliver, 1980; Koballa & Shrigley, 1983).