Goal Setting and Commitment to Pro-Environmental Anti-Littering and Pro-Recycling Behaviour among University Students in Rivers State
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31150/ajshr.v3i1.736Keywords:
Goal Setting, Pro-environmental, Pro-recycling, Anti-littering, BehaviourAbstract
This study examined goal setting and commitment to pro-environmental anti-littering and pro-recycling behaviour among university students in Rivers State. The study was ex-post facto study that adopted a multivariate survey design to gather data on the independent, the mediator, and the dependent variables. The study population comprised 39,430 undergraduate students in three selected tertiary institutions in Rivers State namely: Rivers State University, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education and University of Port-Harcourt, all in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Stratified sampling technique was used to select three hundred (300) students from the three selected tertiary institutions (University of Port-Harcourt, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education and Rivers State University) for the study. A standardized structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were used to test for the joint and independent influence of the predictors on the criterion variable at 0.5 alpha level of significance. Result showed that goal setting and actual commitment had significant positive effects on pro-environmental anti-littering and pro-recycling behaviour among university students. Also demographic variables (age and gender) significantly predicted pro-environmental anti-littering and pro-recycling behaviour among university students to a high degree. These findings imply that students’ goal setting and actual commitment promote pro-environmental anti-littering and pro-recycling behaviour. The study recommended that psychologists should be involved in designing of litter prevention strategies in Universities. This will ensure the inclusion of behavioral issues in such strategies to promote pro- environmental behaviour.
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