Defining Youth Environmental Value Towards First Class Mindset Component: A Scale Development

The world’s rapid modernisation has caused environmental, economic, social, and cultural disruption. However, some people believe it to be a necessary evil [1]. As a result, many people minimise the negative repercussions, most notably sustainability. Hence, education is the most effective way to increase global awareness of the conservation of the environment.

The United Nations designed the years 2005 to 2014 the decade of education for sustainable development (DEfSD). The aim was to integrate sustainable development principles, values, and practices into all facets of education and learning. This was reaffirmed in the Bonn Declaration 2009, which stated that education for sustainable development (ESD) represented a new direction for education and learning for all. The primary objective was to ensure that all people received a high-quality education founded on the values, principles, and practices necessary to address current and future challenges, particularly in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era. The role of education in promoting sustainable development was evident in the Rio Conference’s Agenda 21, which stated that education must be recognised as a process by which individuals and communities reach their full potential.

Sustainability education is crucial for producing world-class thinkers. According to Canterucci [2], such people have four primary characteristics: Awareness, curiosity, focus, and initiative. Goleman’s [3] theory of emotional intelligence identified awareness as a critical attribute for those skilled at managing their emotions. Conscious humans are constantly aware of what needs to be done for themselves, others, and the environment. Awareness ensures that individuals who possess it can adapt to any situation.

Inquisitiveness is indicative of those with a first-class mind. Curious individuals are not satisfied with merely determining the cause of an event. When a person is inquisitive, they seek additional knowledge to address questions. For instance, they constantly ask, “what if?” Curiosity is also at the heart of caring behaviour. It is critical if the mind and emotions are to make the best choices. Curiosity helps us to care about others and anticipate their wants and needs, and such behaviour becomes more appealing and acceptable [2].

The ability to focus on an issue, matter, or situation is also critical in determining how the mind perceives the best way to resolve a problem. It enables the individual to comprehend a situation or problem and employ a variety of approaches and methods for their personal and society’s betterment. Focus necessitates a substantial investment in time and mental energy. In other words, the more concentrated attention that is given to a subject, the more information can be gathered for problem-solving purposes. Furthermore, it increases diligence and the capacity to develop a dynamic and rational mind [4]. Finally, these three characteristics spark the initiative to implement the best decision. This process stimulates the mind, which is then able to produce an exceptionally high-quality result.

The above primary characteristics contribute significantly to the development of the nine elements of the mind: integrity, humility, justice, fortitude, openness, faith in reason, courage, empathy, and autonomy (Figure 1) [5].

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Figure 1. The intellectual branches of the mind [5]

As a result, this study was carried out to validate the component to build the model of environmental values among Malaysian youths with first-class minds from five geographical zones in Malaysia.

3.1 Study model

Data were gathered via a questionnaire. The primary objective of the study was to develop a scale for assessing the level of environmental values amongst youth with first-class minds.

3.1 Population and study sample

The total sample comprised 1,000 young Malaysians aged between 20 and 39. They were selected using stratified random sampling based on their location, gender, and age. The age was determined following the National Youth Development Policy [19] and the Malaysian Youth Index [20]. The sample was then divided into two age groups—20 to 29 years and 30 to 39 years—to examine the differences between early-stage youths (20 to 29 years) and late-stage youths (31 to 39 years), as suggested by Erikson’s [21] theory of developmental psychology The youths aged between 20 and 39 years were chosen based on their ability to think and make decisions.

Table 1 shows that the total population of Malaysian youths aged 20 to 39 years is 11,146,000. Three criteria for inclusion were applied: (a) Krejie and Morgan’s [22] sample table and Cohen, Manion, and Morrison’s [23] sample table; thus, if 10 study constructs were used for multiple regression analysis at a 0.05 significance level, the sample size had to be 833. In the present study, the estimated number of constructs was between 10 and 15 (the actual number would be determined by CFA analysis); and (b) according to Tabachnick and Fidell [24], the appropriate sample size for factor analysis was 300 respondents or 50 respondents for each factor. By contrast, Comrey and Lee [25] recommended a sample size of 1,000. In accordance with the guidelines for the three conditions, the study selected a total sample size of 1,000 individuals, as was noted above (Table 2). Live samples were collected at each stage using a stratified sampling method based on the location, gender, and age category of youths in each zone, as listed in Table 2.

3.3 Study location

The study location encompassed all of Malaysia’s states, which were divided into five zones. The first zone was the northern zone. This included the states of Perlis, Penang, and Perak. The second zone was the central zone, which comprised Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya. The third zone, which was the southern zone, encompassed Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, and Johor. The fourth zone that was the east coast zone included the states of Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu, while the fifth zone was the East Malaysia zone, encompassing the states of Sarawak and Sabah. Each zone's category is based on the classification of zones used by Malaysian government agencies such as the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM) and the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE). This method can also represent the study sample's overall characteristics. Figure 2 summarises the study locations by zone.

Table 1. Malaysian youth population by age

Table 2. Study sample fraction

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Figure 2. Locations of study area by zone

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Figure 3. Phases of scale construction

Table 3. Items, statements, and sub-constructs of environmental values amongst youths with first-class minds

3.4 Procedure

The scale construction procedure for the present study was based on previous literature. Scaledevstat [26] and McMillan and Schumacher [27] identified six processes in scale construction: conceptual framework construction, item clustering, content expert validity, pilot study, validity testing, and reliability testing (Figure 3).

3.4.1 Conceptual framework construction phase

A conceptual framework briefly describes a study’s purpose, format, and stages or phases. It can be based on an established theory or self-designed. A conceptual framework is not yet fully developed, so is more tentative than a theoretical one. The conceptual framework serves as a guide for selecting the study’s constructs or sub-constructs during scale development. Table 3 show a list of previous research-derived items, statements, and sub-constructs from Salwati [28], Kempton, Boster and Hartley [16] and Onur, Sahin and Tekkaya [29].

3.4.2 Item clustering phase

Confirmation factor analysis was used to analyse 50 codes obtained through a literature review. Twenty-five items were generated from 50 codes, as some of these statements should not be evaluated and should be stated more commonly.

3.4.3 Content expert validation phase

Following the item clustering phase, five content validation experts with expertise in instrument construction, environmental education, environmental management, sustainable environmental development and consumption, and consumer behaviour evaluated the scale. The content's validity was determined by judging and expert validation content relevant to the field studied twice using an evaluation form.

3.4.4 Pilot study phase

A pilot study was conducted following consultation with experts. It used a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = not sure 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree). The questionnaire was distributed online to 100 youths in Bandar Belia Muallim, Perak, Malaysia (Table 4). The purpose of the pilot study was to ascertain whether respondents comprehended and responded appropriately to the scale. Afterwards, several items were revised in terms of language, expression, and structure based on feedback from pilot study participants.

Table 4. Reliability of pilot study questionnaire by construct

Table 5. Normality test by construct

3.4.5 Validity and reliability testing phase

Following the completion of the pilot study and the refinement of the questionnaire, the field study was conducted using face-to-face and online questionnaires. To ascertain the validity of the constructs, normality tests were performed on each independent and dependent construct after collecting the study data. Table 5 shows that the mean and standard deviation of all constructs were almost identical. They had a normal distribution and thus were suitable for analysis. Pallant [30] stated that the standard deviation for skewness and kurtosis was between +2 and -2. All constructs were normally distributed in the normality test because they fell within the specified range.

Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the questionnaire’s reliability. This test can be applied to a single measure to ensure that the same results are obtained repeatedly and under varied conditions. The term reliability refers to whether measurements are error-free and whether they consistently produce accurate data. Sekaran [31] asserted that the closer an item’s Cronbach’s alpha value was to 1, the more reliable it was. The values obtained for each construct in the present study were greater than 7, indicating a high level of reliability.

According to the EFA and CFA results, the present study achieved centralised and discriminant validity. The EFA findings revealed that the participants’ environmental value scale comprised three values: anthropocentric, ecocentric, and egocentric. It was determined that the values of n1, n2, n3, n4, n5, n6, and n7 belonged to component 1 (anthropocentric); n8, n9, n10, n11, n12, n13, n14, n15, n16, n17, and n18 were accumulated in component 2 (ecocentric); and n19, n20, n21, n22, n23, n24, n25, n26, n27, and n28 were accumulated in component 3 (egocentric). The cut-off points fit indices of CMIN = 58.739, DF = 32, CMIN/DF = 3.967, GFI = .905, CFI = .966, TLI = .965, and RMSEA = .092 were within an acceptable range and met the prescribed requirements. The study’s scale development model, which quantified the environmental values of Malaysian youths with first-class minds, could serve as a backup for constructing environmental value instruments. Indeed, it could assist the community in taking proactive steps to implement environmental sustainability participation activities, foster young people’s environmental values, and encourage the development of a first-class-minded society in line with the goals of the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, 2021-2025 and Sustainable Development Goals.

The limitation of this study is that it only includes a group of youth aged 21 to 40 years old and does not begin with youth aged 15 and up. This study also only follows five Malaysian zones and does not go into detail by state. Furthermore, only three sub-value variables, namely anthropocentric, ecocentric, and egocentric, were used in this study. This study's recommendation for future studies is to include a group of youths aged 15 to 19 years old, i.e. teenagers in secondary school. The study can also be subdivided by state and other sub-value variables.