The Effect of Overseas Educational Experience on Pro-Environmental Practices: Evidence from Cambodian Academic Scholars

Abstract

This paper revealed that after spending years overseas for learning, Cambodian fellows realized that a clean society more likely results from the adopting of a waste management system. The lack of such is the main barrier for waste separation willingness and practices in Cambodia. Self-transcendence values and volunteerism are empirically found as the fundamental factors for any interventions designed to promote pro-environmental intentions and practices respectively. The fellows engaging in volunteerisms appear to do waste separation, ignoring how inconvenient the waste management system or facilities are. Similarly, the fellows concerning the environmental and social issues appear to spare their valuable time to do waste-separation which they find not difficult. This is not the case in this COVID-19 epidemic though. The study results imply that in a society where an inconvenient waste management system is in place the fellows without past volunteering, no matter how knowledgeable they are, will less likely engage in the waste-sorting practice.