Green Chemistry Education and University Students' Environmental Attitudes: A Path Analysis Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jnse.202617411

Author(s)

Yuxuan Liu

Affiliation(s)

Department of Chemistry, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, Hubei, China

Abstract

Green chemistry has been widely promoted as a component of higher education, yet systematic evidence on how it shapes students' environmental attitudes remains limited. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior, this study examines whether exposure to green chemistry education strengthens university students' environmental attitudes and, through attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, their intention to adopt pro-environmental behaviors. A structured questionnaire was administered to 612 undergraduates at four universities in Hubei Province, China, yielding 580 valid responses. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the reliability and convergent validity of the measurement scales. Path analysis showed that green chemistry education significantly predicted environmental attitudes, which in turn was the strongest predictor of behavioral intention. Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control also contributed significantly, and the effect of green chemistry education on intention was largely transmitted indirectly through the three psychological antecedents (RMSEA = 0.049, CFI = 0.943). These findings suggest that embedding green chemistry principles into general education curricula can serve as a lever for cultivating environmental citizenship, and that curriculum interventions should reinforce normative support and efficacy beliefs alongside the transmission of chemical knowledge.

Keywords

Green Chemistry Education; Environmental Attitude; Theory of Planned Behavior; Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intention; University Students

References

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