We are currently working on various topics in the field of environmental education and environmental psychology.
Today's students are tomorrow's decision-makers. This next generation of decision-makers will have a central influence on the sustainable development of society in the future. It is therefore especially important to analyze their perceptions and attitudes towards nature and environmental issues. In several global studies, we were able to assess how this distinct group evaluates, for example, the Sustainable Development Goals or the boundaries of our planet. We have also investigated the relationship of these future decision-makers to nature in several studies. In addition to standardized statistical evaluation methods, we also develop our own new analysis techniques in order to obtain the most meaningful results possible. Our aim is to uncover possible deficits and derive suitable recommendations for action.
Environmental education programs often aim to encourage people to adopt more sustainable behavior. To this end, these programs usually try to increase knowledge and connection to nature or improve environmental attitudes. Empirical evaluation studies are necessary to verify the learning success of such programs. In various studies, we were able to use established measurement instruments from environmental psychology to demonstrate the influence of educational programs on participants' connection to nature, environmental attitudes or environmental behavior. Among other things, we were able to determine that people with a low connection to nature in particular benefit from educational programs.
Our research also examines how different environmental psychological variables are related. How does interest in nature influence learning success? Is there a connection between environmental attitudes and connection to nature? What factors in an environmental education program can influence environmental behavior? These and many other questions require scientific investigation. In a Europe-wide study, for example, we were able to discover that an interest in animals has a strong influence on attitudes towards species conservation.
When exploring new research topics, there are often no scientifically established and evaluated measuring instruments. It is therefore necessary to develop new survey tools according to scientific standards. As part of our research, we have already developed measurement instruments for environmental behavior, interest in nature or the relational values of nature.