Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

12-2023

Abstract

Environmental educators stress the importance of engaging with the wonders of the Earth in promoting nature connectedness. However, it remains unclear if learning about nature has an incremental effect beyond mere exposure to nature and what psychological mechanism can explain such a learning effect if it exists. To fill this gap, we propose a mediation model in which learning about nature promotes a sense of awe—a self-transcendent emotion associated with the recognition of vastness in nature. A sense of awe, in turn, promotes nature connectedness. Study 1 employed a cross-sectional survey and offered preliminary support for the proposed model, with participants who showed greater knowledge about nature (assessed by a species identification quiz) reporting higher levels of dispositional awe and nature connectedness, even after controlling for contact with nature. Study 2 was an experimental study that administered a two-week intervention where participants learned about nature with the help of two smartphone applications, Google Lens and Seek by iNaturalist. Results showed that there was an indirect effect of learning about nature on nature connectedness via awe among participants with higher levels of engagement with the intervention. The practical implications of our findings are discussed.

Keywords

Learning about nature, Nature connectedness, Awe, Intervention, Environmental education

Discipline

Applied Behavior Analysis | Environmental Sciences | Social Psychology

Research Areas

Psychology

Publication

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Volume

92

First Page

1

Last Page

11

ISSN

0272-4944

Identifier

10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102069

Publisher

Elsevier

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102069

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