Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Development and Application of a Public Energy Literacy Instrument

  • Published:
Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Few and fairly limited measures of public energy literacy exist, especially in the Canadian context. We argue that more needs to be known about the public with respect to their energy-related literacy, given their increasing involvement as informants to and participants in energy systems and sustainability transitions. In this article, we describe the development and application of a public energy literacy instrument measuring three recognized domains of energy literacy (cognition, attitudes, and behaviours) in an urban setting. Existing surveys, frameworks, and models from academic and grey literature were used to guide development. Mixed methods included pretesting, cognitive interviews, and quantitative and qualitative analysis. The resulting instrument is a 15-item, 5-item, and 9-item measure of energy-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours, respectively. The instrument was administered to 204 Torontonians, who demonstrated low knowledge but high attitude and behaviour scores. Results support a reliable instrument that can be used in further research as well as in the field.

Résumé

Les données existantes sur les connaissances du public en matière d’énergie sont peu nombreuses et relativement limitées, particulièrement dans le contexte canadien. Nous soutenons qu’il faut en savoir plus quant à la littéracie énergétique de la population étant donné l’implication grandissante des membres du public en tant que collaborateurs et participants aux diverses filières énergétiques et transitions vers la durabilité qui sont en cours. Dans cet article, nous décrivons l’élaboration et la mise en application d’un questionnaire mesurant la littéracie énergétique dans la population, et qui s’attarde à trois domaines reconnus de connaissances en matière d’énergie (la cognition, les attitudes et les comportements) dans un environnement urbain. Afin d’orienter l’élaboration, des sondages, cadres et modèles existants tirés de la littérature universitaire et de la documentation parallèle furent utilisés. Des méthodes mixtes comprenaient des prétests, des entrevues à caractère cognitif et des analyses quantitative et qualitative. Le questionnaire qui en résulte mesure respectivement le degré de connaissances, les attitudes et les comportements se rapportant à l’énergie sur des échelles de 15, cinq et neuf éléments. On a fait répondre au questionnaire 204 Torontois qui ont manifesté une connaissance limitée, mais des indices élevés en ce qui touche les attitudes et les comportements. Les résultats indiquent que le questionnaire est fiable et qu’il peut être utilisé dans des recherches plus poussées ainsi que dans le domaine.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abrahamse, W., Steg, L., Vlek, C., & Rothengatter, T. (2005). A review of intervention studies aimed at household energy conservation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25(3), 273–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2005.08.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguirre-Bielschowsky, I., Lawson, R., Stephenson, J., & Todd, S. (2017). Energy literacy and agency of New Zealand children. Environmental Education Research, 23(6), 832–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1054267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: a theory of planned behavior. In J. Kuhl & J. Beckman (Eds.), Action control: From cognition to behavior (pp. 11–39). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen, I. & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall).

  • Allen, J. B. & Ferrand, J. (1999) Environmental locus of control, sympathy, and pro- environmental behavior: A test of Geller’s actively caring hypothesis, Environment and Behavior, 31(3), pp. 338–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angus Reid Public Opinion. (2010). Energy literacy survey.

  • Barrow, L. H., & Morrisey, J. T. (1989). Energy literacy of ninth-grade students: A comparison between Maine and New Brunswick. Journal of Environmental Education, 20(2), 22–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.1989.9943027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bidwell, D. (2013). The role of values in public beliefs and attitudes towards commercial wind energy. Energy Policy, 58, 189-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.03.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, B., Engelhart, M., Furst, E., Hill, W., & Krathwohl, D. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, Handbook I: Cognitive domain. David McKay Co.

  • Bozuwa, J. (2019). Energy democracy: Taking power. Democracy Collaborative. https://democracycollaborative.org/learn/publication/energy-democracy-taking-back-power

  • Brounen, D., Kok, N., & Quigley, J. M. (2013). Energy literacy, awareness, and conservation behavior of residential households. Energy Economics, 38, 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2013.02.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burgess, J., Harrison, C. M., & Filius, P. (1998). Environmental communication and the cultural politics of environmental citizenship. Environment and Planning A, 30(8), 1445-1460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campos, I., & Marín-González, E. (2020). People in transitions: Energy citizenship, prosumerism and social movements in Europe. Energy Research & Social Science, 69, 101718.

  • Chadwick, K., Russell-Bennett, R. & Biddle, N. (2022). The role of human influences on adoption and rejection of energy technology: A systemized critical review of the literature on household energy transitions. Energy Research & Social Science, 89, 102528.

  • Chan, S., Dolderman, D., Savan, B., & Wakefield, S. (2012). Practicing sustainability in an urban university: A case study of a behavior based energy conservation project. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 11(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2012.728060

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chawla, L. (1998). Significant life experiences revisited: A review of research on sources of environmental sensitivity. The Journal of Environmental Education, 29(3), 11-21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chawla, L. (1999). Life paths into effective environmental action. The Journal of Environmental Education, 31(1), 15-26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, K. L., Liu, S. Y., & Chen, P. H. (2015a). Assessing multidimensional energy literacy of secondary students using contextualized assessment. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 10(2), 201–218. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijese.2015a.241a

  • Chen, S. J., Chou, Y. C., Yen, H. Y., & Chao, Y. L. (2015b). Investigating and structural modeling energy literacy of high school students in Taiwan. Energy Efficiency, 8(4), 791–808. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12053-015-9327-5

  • Cohen, A. (2019). Typologies of citizenship and civic education: From ideal types to a reflective tool. In A. Peterson, G. Stahl, H. Soong (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of citizenship and education (pp. 1–18). Palgrave MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, D. (2003). Pretesting survey instruments: An overview of cognitive methods. Quality of Life Research, 12(3), 229–238. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023254226592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Comeau, L. A., Parkins, J. R., Stedman, R. C., & Beckley, T. M. (2015). Citizen perspectives on energy issues in Canada: A national survey of energy literacy and energy citizenship. (Project Report #15–01). University of Alberta, Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology.

  • CCS (Computing and Communications Services). (n.d.). Guide to results. https://www.ryerson.ca/ccs/services/applications/TRS/guidetoresults/

  • Cooke, A.N., Fielding, K.S., & Louis, W.R. (2016). Environmentally active people: The role of autonomy, relatedness, competence and self-determined motivation. Environmental Education Research, 22, 631–657. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1054262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creutzig, F., Fernandez, B., Haberl, H., Khosla, R., Mulugetta, Y., & Seto, K. C. (2016). Beyond technology: Demand-side solutions for climate change mitigation. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 41, 173–198. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-110615-085428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crocker, L., & Algina, J. (1986). Introduction to classical and modern test theory. Harcourt Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Czaja, R., & Blair, J. (2005). Designing surveys: A guide to decisions and procedures (2nd ed.). London: Pine Forge Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Das, R., Richman, R., & Brown, C. (2018). Demographic determinants of Canada’s households’ adoption of energy efficiency measures: Observations from the Households and Environment Survey, 2013. Energy Efficiency, 11(2), 465–482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12053-017-9578-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and applications (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.

  • DeWaters, J. E., & Powers, S. E. (2011). Energy literacy of secondary students in New York State (USA): A measure of knowledge, affect, and behavior. Energy Policy, 39(3), 1699–1710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.12.049

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeWaters, J., & Powers, S. (2013a). Establishing measurement criteria for an energy literacy questionnaire. The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(1), 38–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2012.711378

  • DeWaters, J., & Powers, S. (2013b). Designing an energy literacy questionnaire for middle and high school youth. The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(1), 56–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2012.682615

  • Ebel, R. L., & Frisbie, D. A. (1991). Essentials of educational measurement (5th ed.). Prentice-Hall.

  • Escudero, E. B., Reyna, N. L., & Morales, M. R. (2000). The level of difficulty and discrimination power of the basic knowledge and skills examination (EXHCOBA). Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa, 2(1), 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldpausch-Parker, A. M., Endres, D., & Peterson, T. R. (2019). Editorial: A research agenda for energy democracy. Frontiers in Communication, 4, 53. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2019.00053

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). Sage Publications Inc.

  • Fishbein, M. & Ajzen, I. (1975) Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research (Reading, MA, Addison-Wesley).

  • Frick, J., Kaiser, F.G., & Wilson, M. (2004). Environmental knowledge and conservation behavior: Exploring prevalence and structure in a representative sample. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1597–1613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2004.02.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gadermann, A. M., Guhn, M., & Zumbo, B. D. (2012). Estimating ordinal reliability for Likert-type and ordinal item response data: A conceptual, empirical, and practical guide. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 17(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.7275/n560-j767

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gambro, J. S., & Switzky, H. N. (1999). Variables associated with American high school students’ knowledge of environmental issues related to energy and pollution. Journal of Environmental Education, 30(2), 15–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958969909601866

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, G. T., & Stern, P. C. (2008). The short list: The most effective actions US households can take to curb climate change. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 50(5), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.3200/ENVT.50.5.12-25

  • Geels, F. W., Schwanen, T., Sorrell, S., Jenkins, K., & Sovacool, B. K. (2018). Reducing energy demand through low carbon innovation: A sociotechnical transitions perspective and thirteen research debates. Energy Research & Social Science, 40, 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.11.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geller, E. S. (1981). Evaluating energy conservation programs: Is verbal report enough? Journal of Consumer Research, 8, 331-335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, Z. M., Tierney, M. J., Pegg, I. M., & Allan, N. (2010). Low-energy dwellings: The contribution of behaviours to actual performance. Building Research & Information, 38(5), 491–508. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2010.505371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godin, G., & Kok, G. (1996). The theory of planned behavior: A review of its applications to health-related behaviors. American Journal of Health Promotion, 11, 87-98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grubler, A. (2012). Energy transitions research: Insights and cautionary tales. Energy Policy, 50, 8–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.070

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heffron, R. J. & McCauley, D. (2014). Sustainable supply chains and energy justice. Applied Energy, 123, 435–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.12.034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hines, J. M., Hungerford, H. R., & Tomera, A. N. (1987). Analysis and synthesis of research on responsible environmental behavior: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Environmental Education, 18(2), 1-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirst, E., & Grady, S. (1982–1983). Evaluation of a Wisconsin utility home energy audit program. Journal of Environmental Systems, 12, 303–320.

  • Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EDPR.0000034022.16470.f3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoicka, C. E., Parker, P., & Andrey, J. (2014). Residential energy efficiency retrofits: How program design affects participation and outcomes. Energy Policy, 65, 594–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.10.053

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofman, H. (1980). Energy crisis—schools to the rescue again. School Science and Mathematics, 80(6), 467–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, B. (1978). Energy knowledge and attitudes, national assessment of energy awareness among young adults (Report No. NAEP-08-E-01). Education Commission of the States, Denver, Colorado.

  • Huddart‐Kennedy, E., Beckley, T. M., McFarlane, B. L., & Nadeau, S. (2009). Rural‐urban differences in environmental concern in Canada. Rural Sociology, 74(3), 309-329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutton, R. B., & McNeill, D. L. (1981). The value of incentives in stimulating energy conservation. Journal of Consumer Research, 8, 291-298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). (2014). Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

  • Jensen, B. B. (2002). Knowledge, action and pro-environmental behaviour. Environmental Education Research, 8, 325–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgenson, S. N., Stephens, J. C., & White, B. (2019). Environmental education in transition: A critical review of recent research on climate change and energy education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 50(3), 160–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2019.1604478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jurin, R. R., Fox-Parrish, L. (2008). Factors in helping educate about energy conservation. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 7(3), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/15330150802502130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser, F. G., Ranney, M., Hartig, T., & Bowler, P. A. (1999). Ecological behavior, environmental attitude, and feelings of responsibility for the environment. European Psychologist, 4(2), 59e74.

  • Kashima, Y., Paladino, A., & Margetts, E.A. (2014). Environmentalist identity and environmental striving. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, 64–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.12.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). Guilford.

  • Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239-260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kormos, C., Gifford, R., & Brown, E. (2015). The influence of descriptive social norm information on sustainable transportation behavior: A field experiment. Environment and Behavior, 47(5), 479-501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., & Masia, B. B. (1973). Taxonomy of educational objectives, the classification of educational goals, Handbook II: Affective domain. David McKay Company.

  • Lacroix, K., & Gifford, R. (2018). Psychological barriers to energy conservation behavior: The role of worldviews and climate change risk perception. Environment and Behavior, 50(7), 749-780.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, L. R., Stedman, R. C., Cooper, C. B., & Decker, D. J. (2015). Understanding the multi-dimensional structure of pro-environmental behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 43, 112-124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Law, N. (2002). Scientific literacy: Chartering the terrains of a multifaceted enterprise. Canadian Journal of Math, Science & Technology Education, 2(2), 151–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, L. S., Chang, L. T., Lai, C. C., Guu, Y. H., & Lin, K. Y. (2017). Energy literacy of vocational students in Taiwan. Environmental Education Research, 23(6), 855–873. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1068276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, L. S., Lee, Y. F., Altschuld, J. W., & Pan, Y. J. (2015). Energy literacy: Evaluating knowledge, affect, and behavior of students in Taiwan. Energy Policy, 76, 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.11.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lei, P. W., & Wu, Q. (2007). CTTITEM: SAS macro and SPSS syntax. Behavior Research Methods, 39, 527–530. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levy, A., Orion, N., & Leshem, Y. (2018). Variables that influence the environmental behavior of adults. Environmental Education Research, 24(3), 307–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2016.1271865

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liobikienė, G., & Poškus, M. S. (2019). The importance of environmental knowledge for private and public sphere pro-environmental behavior: Modifying the Value-Belief-Norm theory. Sustainability, 11(12), 3324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzo-Seva, U., & Ferrando, P. J. (2012). TETRA-COM: A comprehensive SPSS program for estimating the tetrachoric correlation. Behavior Research Methods, 44, 1191–1196. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-012-0200-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzo-Seva, U., & Ferrando, P. J. (2015). POLYMAT-C: A comprehensive SPSS program for computing the polychoric correlation matrix. Behavior Research Methods, 47, 884–889. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-014-0511-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucey, T. (2005). Assessing the reliability and validity of the Jumpstart survey of financial literacy. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 26, 283–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-005-3526-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur, J. L., Hoicka, C. E., Castleden, H., Das, R., Lieu, J. (2020). Canada’s Green New Deal: Forging the socio-political foundations of climate resilient infrastructure. Energy Research & Social Science, 65, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101442

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madden, T. J., Ellen, P. S., & Ajzen, I. (1992). A comparison of the theory of planned behavior and the theory of reasoned action. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 3-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magno, C. (2009). Demonstrating the difference between classical test theory and item response theory using derived test data. International Journal of Educational and Psychological Assessment, 1(1), 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mannetti, L., Pierro, A., & Livi, S. (2004). Recycling: Planned and self-expressive behaviour. Journal of environmental psychology, 24(2), 227-236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMakin, A. H., Malone, E. L., & Lundgren, R. E. (2002). Motivating residents to conserve energy without financial incentives. Environment and Behavior, 34, 848-863.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, M., Turcotte, A., Winter, J. (2014). Aboriginal-Canadians and energy literacy: A survey of opinions and thoughts on energy (Research Paper vol.7 issue 6). School of Public Policy, University of Calgary.

  • Moore M., Turcotte, A., Winter, J. & Walp, P. B. (2013). Energy and energy literacy in Canada: A survey of business and policy leadership (Research Paper vol.7 issue 10). School of Public Policy, University of Calgary.

  • NEETF (National Environmental Education & Training Foundation). (2002). Americans’ low “energy IQ:” A risk to our energy future. Why America needs a refresher course on energy. National Environmental Education & Training Foundation, Washington, DC. https://www.neefusa.org/roper-reports

  • Natural Resources Canada. (2019). Generation Energy. https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/climate-change/canadas-green-future/generation-energy/20093

  • Parkins, J. R., Rollins, C., Anders, S., & Comeau, L. (2018). Predicting intention to adopt solar technology in Canada: The role of knowledge, public engagement, and visibility. Energy Policy, 114, 114–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.11.050

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Positive Energy. (n.d). Positive Energy. https://www.uottawa.ca/positive-energy/about-positive-energy

  • Qaqish, B. (2006). Developing multiple choice tests for social work trainings. Training and Development in Human Services, 3(1), 45–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rigdon, E. E. (2010). Polychoric correlation coefficient. In N. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of research design (pp. 1046–1049). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabri, S. (2013). Item analysis of student comprehensive test for research in teaching beginner string ensemble using model based teaching among music students in public universities. International Journal of Education and Research, 1(12), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S.H. (1977). Normative influences on altruism, in: L. Berkowitz (Ed.) Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 10, 221–279. (New York, Academic Press).

  • Seto, K. C., Davis, S. J., Mitchell, R., Stokes, E. C., Unruh, G., & Ürge-Vorsatz, D. (2016). Carbon lock-in: Types, causes, and policy implications. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 41, 425–452. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-110615-085934

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, L., Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, A., & Bellert, A. (2018). Still ‘minding the gap’ sixteen years later:(Re) storying pro-environmental behaviour. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 34(2), 189-203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon Fraser University Centre for Dialogue. (2017). Citizen dialogues on Canada’s Energy Future. https://canadaenergyfuture.ca/resources/

  • Simpson, E. J. (1972). The classification of educational objectives in the psychomotor domain. Gryphon House.

  • Solomon, J. (1992). Getting to know energy about energy in school and society. The Falmer Press.

  • Southwell, B. G., Murphy, J. J., Dewaters, J. E., & Lebaron, P. A. (2012). Americans’ perceived and actual understanding of energy (Research Report No. RR0018–1208). RTI Press.

  • Sovacool, B. K. & Blyth, P. L. (2015). Energy and environemntal attitudes in the green state of Denmark: Implications for energy democracy, low-carbon transitions, and energy literacy. Environmental Science & Policy, 54, 304–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.07.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Canada. (2006). Survey of Household Energy Use (2003). Questionnaire and Reporting guide. https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3Instr.pl?Function=getInstrumentList&Item_Id=34669&UL=1V

  • Steg, L., Bolderdijk, J. W., Keizer, K., & Perlaviciute, G. (2014). An integrated framework for encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: The role of values, situational factors, and goals. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, 104e115.

  • Steg, L., Perlaviciute, G., & van der Werff, E. (2015). Understanding the human dimensions of a sustainable energy transition. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(3), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.10.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • St. Clair, R. (2003). Words for the world: Creating critical environmental literacy for adults. New Directions for Adult Continuing Education, 99(3), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, P. C. (2000). New environmental theories: Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 407–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, P. C. (2014). Individual and household interactions with energy systems: Toward integrated understanding. Energy Research and Social Science, 1, 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2014.03.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, P. S., Dietz, T. & Karlof, L. (1993) Values orientation, gender, and environmental concern, Environment and Behavior, 25(3), pp. 322–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoutenborough, J. W., & Vedlitz, A. (2016). The role of scientific knowledge in the public’s perceptions of energy technology risks. Energy Policy, 96, 206–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.05.031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taber, K. S. (2018). The use of Cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education. Research in Science Education, 48(6), 1273-1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tashchian, A., Slama, M. E., & Tashchian, R. O. (1984). Measuring attitudes toward energy conservation: Cynicism, belief in material growth, and faith in technology. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 3(1), 134–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/074391568400300110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorgersen, J. (2006). Norms for environmentally responsible behaviour: An extended taxonomy. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 26, 247e261.

  • Turcotte, A., Moore, M. C., & Winter, J. (2012). Energy literacy in Canada. (Research Paper vol.5 issue 32). School of Public Policy, University of Calgary.

  • Varma, S. (2003). Preliminary item statistics using point biserial correlation and p value. Educational Data System, Inc. https://eddata.com/perspectives/publications/

  • Volk, T.L., & Hungerford, H.R. (1990). Changing learner behavior through environmental education. Journal of Environmental Education, 21, 8–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, W., Hwang, K., McDonald, S., & Oates, C. J. (2010). Sustainable consumption: Green consumer behaviour when purchasing products. Sustainable development, 18(1), 20-31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, S., McEwen, L. J., & Quinn, N. (2017). As the climate changes: Intergenerational action-based learning in relation to flood education. Journal of Environmental Education, 48(3), 154–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2016.1256261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, C. & Dowlatabadi, H. (2007). Models of decision making and residential energy use. Annual Review of Environmental Resources, 32, 169–203. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.32.053006.141137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolsink, M. (2012). The research agenda on social acceptance of distributed generation in smart grids: Renewable as common pool resources. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(1), 822–835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2011.09.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the members of the validity panel for their feedback, and all the students who assisted with data collection, in particular Nadia Corsetti. We would also like to thank Drs. Andrea Noack, Robert Gifford, and Mark Gorgolewski for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback which improved the paper. The authors thank Christine Séguin for research assistance and editing.

Funding

This work has been supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council doctoral fellowship and a Ryerson University Centre for Urban Energy, Hydro One Research Award awarded to the first author.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada

    Runa R. Das

  2. Department of Architectural Science, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

    Russell Richman

Authors
  1. Runa R. Das
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Russell Richman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Runa R. Das.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.”

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 27 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Das, R.R., Richman, R. The Development and Application of a Public Energy Literacy Instrument. Can. J. Sci. Math. Techn. Educ. 22, 42–67 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-022-00196-4

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-022-00196-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation