Design and validation of a scale to measure pre-service Primary teachers´ environmental awareness

Abstract

Recent educational research and global spectrum policies in the field of environmental education set as a priority for sustainable human development the achievement of high levels of environmental awareness. Awareness about this construct in the field of teacher professional development is relatively new and the availability of tools for quantitative treatment still scarce. This paper presents the design process and validation of a scale-like instrument for measuring environmental concern in specific contexts of pre-service teacher training programs. The scale is made up of 30 indicators grouped in four dimensions (affective, cognitive, conative and active) and presents psychometric properties that support its validity and reliability. The analysis of the obtained internal consistency shows adequate results (= .873). Likewise, the validation of the scale with Confirmatory Factor Analysis shows results with a good global fit index in the model finally selected (RMSEA = .031; SRMR = .071; CFI = .991 and TLI = .990). The research is framed in a larger project aimed at developing learning environments supported by metacognitive tools to promote the integration of sound environmental awareness in the daily exercise of the teaching profession in basic education levels. For this reason, this scale appears to be useful as it offers the possibility of establishing the utility of the mentioned metacognitive tools in the context of pre-service teacher training.