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ENST20001 Human Behaviour and Environment


Assignment 2: Assessing factors that influence environmental action

Due Date: 11pm Sunday May 18, 2025

Word limit: 1500 words (+/-10%) excluding reference list, interviewee quotes, coding table and transcripts of
interviews

Submission: Electronic copy submitted online through LMS (in the assessment section)

Assessment weighting: 35% of final grade

Late penalty: 5% per day



Objective

The objective of this assignment is to explore the relative importance of contextual and attitudinal factors in shaping
environmentally significant behaviour.

It responds in part to Stern (2000)’s assertion that: “The attitude-behaviour relationship is strongest when
contextual factors are neutral and approaches zero when contextual factors are strongly positive or negative,
effectively compelling or prohibiting the behaviour in question” (Stern 2000, p415).

Learning outcomes

Through completing this assignment, you will develop:
- a deeper understanding of theories of human-environment action and how these apply to issues of interest
to you
- a better understanding of why people do and do not take environmental action
- basic research skills for understanding human-environment interactions, including:
o introductory level skills in qualitative data collection and analysis
o skills for reporting social scientific information and applying this to questions about human-
environment interactions

Task

In this project you will research how attitudes and contextual factors shape the action or inaction of a small number
of people on an environmental issue. Through an interview of one person, you will undertake a qualitative
exploration of Stern’s (2000) hypothesis regarding the influence of contextual and attitudinal factors on behaviour.

You will answer the general research question:

How important are contextual and attitudinal factors in shaping a particular environmental behaviour?

Further advice on this assignment is provided on pages 3-6.
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Assessment criteria

Read through these criteria before preparing your report since you will be assessed against these:

Clear argument and
effective use of
evidence (25%)
• States the research question and aim clearly (and in line with assignment instructions)
• Explains the relevance of that research question to the environment or species selected
• Expresses a clear argument throughout the paper in response to the stated research question
• Defends the argument effectively with evidence from academic publications and empirical
observation
• Selects theory and past research that is relevant to the aim and topic, and explains how it is
relevant
• Explains implications of methods (selection of participant, design of questions, analysis of
data) for achieving the aim
• Organises and explains data analysis in relation to the stated aim and research question
• Develops conclusions that directly relate to the stated research question and are based on
the findings presented
Understanding of
theory (30%)
• Defines and explains all key terms or with explicit reference to subject readings
• Demonstrates breadth of understanding of theory that is appropriate to the aim (i.e. covers
all necessary concepts necessary to the aim, and irrelevant concepts are not included)
• Demonstrates evidence of broad reading, drawing on multiple sources including required
subject readings and academic articles reporting relevant empirical studies
• Explains relevance and quality of any empirical research through brief account of the aim,
methods, and results of that work
• Synthesises knowledge from different published sources (e.g. organising, comparing,
criticising)
• Proposes hypotheses or expectations of findings that are plausible based on analysis theory
and empirical studies described
• Interprets data with correct reference to theory, showing where this confirms, extends or
challenges the concepts in published literature
Understanding and
appropriate
application of basic
social science methods
(25%)
• Describes methods comprehensively yet succinctly
• Conducts data collection in a way that allows insights to participant’s perspective and is
consistent with assignment requirements, as evidenced by interview transcript
• Analyses interview with appropriate attention to the research question, theory, and
sensitivity to language, behaviour and context of the participant, as evidenced by results
section and coding table
• Selects appropriate quotes from interview transcript to defend interpretations, and presents
these appropriately (contextualised, explained)
• Evaluates strengths and weaknesses of methods used in the study and draws appropriate
conclusions (i.e. not results are not generalised inappropriately, causal relationships are not
claimed where these cannot be defended).
Effective scientific
writing (20%)
• Structures the report clearly, with appropriate headings and subheadings
• Expresses ideas clearly with logical flow of well-structured paragraphs, professional language,
with correct spelling and grammar.
• Complies with word limits as set for the assignment
• Attributes and cites sources correctly and in APA style (both intext and in reference list). Note
that failure to acknowledge sources will be penalised in line with University academic honesty
processes. https://academicintegrity.unimelb.edu.au/
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Advice on completing this assignment

1 Preparing for data collection

1.1 Set topic and research question/s

Choose one topic for your research. This should be an environmental behaviour (action). Examples of
environmentally significant behaviours include specific transport choices, recycling, growing vegetables at home,
composting, and installation of solar panels, attending an environmental protest, using products made from wildlife,
signing a petition or voting for a particular issue.

You do not have to choose one of these examples but can select a behavior that is of interest to you, however in
selecting that behaviour please consider:

• whether it is a ‘single, indivisible’ behaviour with a clear link to environmental impact (see Topic 6 lectures)
• whether it is practical and ethical to interview about this behaviour
• whether there is suitable background research on the behaviour (Some behaviours are very well researched,
others not so. You will find clues on this in readings for Topic 5-8. You will also find guidance on researching
background literature in the Assessment Module in Canvas)
Determine the research question you will answer through your research, following the template provided on page 1
and specifying the behaviour you have chosen to study: How important are contextual and attitudinal factors in
shaping [insert a particular environmental behaviour]?


1.2 Search for and read background information

Before you start, ensure you understand the theory and past research that informs the question you will investigate.

• Ensure you have read the required readings for Topics 5-8, which cover key general theories on
environmental behaviour.
• Search for and read academic research on similar questions to the one you will address. For example, if your
research question is concerned with recycling, you will find research examining factors that encourage or
discourage recycling behaviour. Particularly search for academic, empirical research on this topic (Research
that is published in a peer reviewed journal and was based on observation - perhaps through interviews,
surveys or document analysis - of relevant attitudes and behaviour). See guidance on this in the Assessment
Module ‘Researching Published Literature on your Topic’.


1.3 Preparing for the data collection

You need to interview one person about an environmental behaviour that you choose. This interview should be
conducted in face-to-face. Interviews must be documented in detail (transcribed and included in your report as an
appendix).
Plan your interview: Your interview questions should allow you to understand the links between the key theories
and the topic you are exploring, so make sure your interview questions examine different facets of the theory that
are relevant. Some questions are provided below – these are not comprehensive. You should consider which of
these are relevant to your topic and research questions. Adapt the questions to suit these and develop your own
questions that are likely to make good links between theory and the topic. Once you have decided on questions, it is
a good idea to practice asking them with someone from the class. Some people give very short answers to these
kinds of questions. Practice using the ‘prompts’ to get people to expand on their answers.
Plan your interview.
Potential interview questions:

• Tell me about how you [behaviour item e.g. ‘use water outside your home’, ‘organise your household waste’
or ‘plan your holiday]?
o You might use probing questions to understand parts of behaviour that are unclear.
• Have you ever done [behaviour item] in a different way? Why have you changed the way you do this?
• What do you see are the costs and benefits of [behaviour item]?
o You might probe with specific questions about financial, legal or political factors relevant to the
behaviour
• Who has influenced the way you do [behaviour item]? Is anyone else involved in this activity? What are their
views on the issue?


2. Collecting the data:

2.1 Select and recruit your participant.

You will get most out of this assignment if the person you interview is different from you (consider age, cultural
background, but particularly their concern or action in regard to the environment). The person may be a friend,
relative or acquaintance but MUST be over 18 years of age. They should not be in a dependent relationship with you
(e.g. they must not be someone you employ or supervise).

2.2 Explain the project

Before asking people to take part in your research you must provide information, so the person can decide whether
or not they consent to participating. Explain that the project is part of coursework for this subject and explain the
purpose of the project (to investigate the specific behaviour and what influences them to do this) and what
involvement is required (e.g. participate in an interview of approximately 10 minutes regarding views on this topic).
Emphasise that participation is voluntary, and that you will be reporting on the interview in an assignment and not
using it in any other way. If the person is not willing to participate, thank them for their time and ask someone else.

2.3 Collect the data

Record the interview using your phone or other recording device. Make sure you ask permission from the participant
before recording.

2.4 Transcribe the interviews

Copy down the interviews word for word.

3. Analyse the data

Keep in mind your overall research question – your analysis needs to be targeted to answer this question, and to
make links between the theory and the topic.


Tutorials will cover basic approaches to qualitative data analysis, and the reading list provides additional support.
But some ideas to keep in mind as you analyse the data:

• Consider what the participant says about what they do; the environmental impacts can infer and how
the participant understands these?
• Consider the reasons the participant gives (or reasons evident in their response) for acting/not acting in a
particular way. How do these relate to the theories and concepts covered in Topics 5-8?
• Consider the values or beliefs that underpin the participants actions. These might not be stated explicitly, so
you will need to consider if there the evidence in your data in the interview transcript. How might these values
or beliefs being shaping action?
• Developing an annotated interview transcript and coding table is the best way to demonstrate your
analysis. Opportunities to practice developing and critiquing coding tables were presented in the first part
of semester. Further opportunities for this will be provided in lead up to Research Report 2 submission (see
online activities and tutorials for Topics 7 and 8).


4. Prepare your report

Structure your report in the following way: Note: (word counts are suggested only)

Introduction (450-550 words): This section should state the aim of the investigation (the key research question,
adapted for your purposes), draw on theory and empirical research to explain the reason for posing this question
and what you expect to find, and outline what other researchers have found regarding your key research question
(as much as possible, select and explain published research that examines questions similar to your own topic–
where there is none, provide examples from related research). Make sure you appropriately reference the reading
material you draw on.

Method (200-250 words): Describe the way you collected the data for this assignment. Briefly describe the
participant (simply approximate age and education/work background and any other relevant information) and
explain briefly how and why you selected them. How did you collect the data (i.e. face-to-face interview, how long
did it take, what questions were asked, how was it documented)? Try to make this description brief but
comprehensive. How did you analyse the data? What kind of theory did you draw on when analysing the data and
how did you organise your ideas (e.g. in coding table)? In writing scientific reports we aim for transparency and
repeatability, so provide sufficient details so that the reader could potentially repeat the procedure.

Results and discussion (500-600 words): Present your analysis in a way that helps answer the research question,
noting the suggested approach to analysis above. It’s really important that you provide evidence to support your
observations in this section. With this kind of qualitative research, evidence is provided in the form of words spoken
by the participants (quotes). Carefully select short sections of answers that demonstrate the point you are trying to
make. Include some explanation of the context to make it clear what was being referred to. Where the observations
support or challenge the theory in readings, comment on this. Include the full text of your interview in an appendix,
as well as the coding table you have developed. Make sure you refer to these appendices in the main body of the
report (e.g. in the methods or results sections).

Conclusion (250 - 250 words): In this section, answer the research question as best as you are able. Give a short
summary of the contextual and attitudinal factors evident in your study. Comment on any strengths and limitations
of the study.

References: Make sure you list the readings you have referred to in your report, using an appropriate citation
method. Citations should follow the APA style (excluded from the word limit).

Appendices: Include the annotated interview transcript, and coding table (excluded from the word limit).



5. A note about research ethics in reporting:

For reasons of privacy, you should present your methods, results and interview transcript in ways that protect the
identity of the person you interview. For example, don’t use their name or photograph in your report – you can use
pseudonyms (made up names) if it makes it easier to organise information in your assignment. Similarly, you may
need to disguise other information that could be used to identify the interviewee – for example, it may be best to
disguise information about organisations with which your participant is involved.


6. A note about academic honesty and integrity:

Academic integrity and honesty are at the heart of our university’s values and practice. The University defines
Academic integrity as “the way you demonstrate good scholarship, by:

1. Being honest and ethical in scholarly work.
2. Acknowledging the work and ideas of others.
3. Using your own words.”

Plagiarism is an important issue that can have serious consequences – including failing this course. You can avoid
plagiarism by learning how to appropriately acknowledge your sources, and learning writing strategies that help you to
apply your learning in your own words. This booklet will help you understand what plagiarism is and learn the skills you
need to complete this assignment honestly.

学霸联盟