Designing Effective Educational Programs: The Attitudinal Basis of Marine Littering

摘要

The worldwide concern with marine and coastal debris has sparked recommendations for various abatement interventions. Popular among them have been educational programs. Effectiveness of educational interventions directed toward changing environmental attitudes and behavior has, however, been found wanting, according to some recent assessments. It is argued that problems with educational abatement programs may stem from the lack of appreciation and lack of application of social science knowledge about the basis of environmental beliefs, attitudes, values, and human behavior which affect the environment. Marine debris abatement efforts can be enhanced by basing them on social science knowledge in three relevant areas: (1) paradigms and the nature of environmental attitude formation; (2) the nature and constraints of the desired nonlittering behavior; and (3) research on attitude and behavior change, including recycling and land litter abatement. Each of these topics is reviewed, with recommendations about its application to marine debris abatement.