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Greener Child Care: Parents' Pro‐environmental Values, Beliefs, Behaviors, and Knowledge and Their Child Care Preferences
Author(s) -
TorresAntonini Maruja,
Vatralova Zuzana
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of interior design
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.229
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1939-1668
pISSN - 1071-7641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1939-1668.2012.01072.x
Subject(s) - preference , exploratory research , norm (philosophy) , psychology , value (mathematics) , child care , quality (philosophy) , sample (material) , ordinary least squares , social psychology , medicine , nursing , mathematics , statistics , sociology , social science , philosophy , chemistry , epistemology , chromatography , political science , law
This study explores the disconnect between the limited existence of green child care environments, attributed to lack of sufficient parent demand, and literature documenting they can provide children with the best start in life. In light of the value‐belief‐norm (VBN) theory, the ability of parents, prime consumers of child care services, to discern quality criteria was questioned, and their values and beliefs about the environment, their environmentally significant behaviors, and their understanding of green design practices were brought to bear on their preference for green child care options. The study was exploratory, survey based, and used a two‐part survey including closed and open‐ended questions based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system categories cross‐referenced with values/beliefs, behaviors, and knowledge dimensions adapted to the existing conditions of two study sites. Statistical treatment of collected data from a sample size N = 66 relied on the ordinary least squares (OLS) method from three sequential linear regression models. A relationship of mutual influence was found between parents' pro‐environmental values and beliefs and their environmentally significant behaviors. Similar influences were found regarding their green design knowledge and their preference for green design in child care. The model ( R 2 = .4473) established associations with 99% confidence levels for the pro‐environmental values and beliefs, and 95% for the environmentally significant behaviors and knowledge. Although thought to be inaccurate child care evaluators with limited understanding of green design in child care environments, parents demonstrated significant understanding of and preference for green design features. Additional and mutually complementary issues are discussed to address the absence of green child care design in the future.