Evaluating a water conservation education program: A mental models approach.

摘要

Water is essential for all forms of life. When water demands exceed supplies, it has the potential to create a crisis. However, given that water is a renewable resource, the public tends to be unaware of potential water supply problems. Besides a shortage of water, it is also important to address other problems of water quality and disappearing water-based habitats. The Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) program is an informal educational program designed to educate the public with water conservation messages and Florida friendly landscape designs to promote sustainability at the homeowner level.;The purpose of this study is to compare mental models about water conservation between: FYN interpreters (experts); non-FYN participants (Florida homeowners); and FYN homeowner participants. Mental models are a conceptual representation of a perceived situation. By examining the differences in mental models, potential communication gaps can be revealed. Focusing on identified communication gaps when presenting educational content can be a partial solution to increasing the efficacy of the programs.;Through face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nine FYN interpreters, twenty non-FYN participants (Florida homeowners), and ten FYN participants, influential diagrams representing their perceptions of water conservation themes were developed. The findings indicated that four major themes: resource aspects, consequences, contributing factors, and actions were revealed in the experts' mental model. Based on the expert model, non-FYN participants and FYN participants' water conservation mental models were constructed after interviewing samples of those segments.;This study revealed an expert water conservation mental model that represented an active diagram of 35 distinct variables. Moreover, discrepancies were identified between experts and non-FYN homeowner participants. In addition, FYN participants demonstrated better awareness of water conservation actions when compared with non-FYN homeowners.;By continuous comparison between these mental models, discussions from theoretical perspectives, water conservation behavior perspectives, informal educational aspects, and a FYN program perspective addressing the identified mental model gaps are presented. The results provide recommendations for improving the FYN water conservation educational program as well as a better understanding of Florida homeowners' awareness of key water conservation concepts and actions.