The Development of an Instrument to Assess the Environmental Literacy of Eleventh Grade Students in Wisconsin

It has been mandated by the state of Wisconsin that the environmental literacy of students be periodically assessed by the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The purpose of the study herein described was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to be used to assess the environmental literacy of high school students in Wisconsin. To accomplish this purpose, an advisory committee was formed and a framework of the form and content of the environmental literacy assessment to be developed was determined. Test items based on the framework were written or adapted from existing instruments, evaluated by a validity panel, administered to sample student populations, analyzed, and assembled into a final pilot assessment instrument. Four main areas were included in the environmental literacy assessment framework: attitudes towards the environment and environmental problems and issues, beliefs about personal efficacy relative to environmental problems and issues, environmentally related behaviors, and knowledge about basic ecological principles and environmental problems. An item pool consisting of a total of258 items was developed based on the framework. The items were reviewed by a validity panel made up of experienced secondary level educators familiar with environmental education and environmental problems and issues. Four item-pilot instruments were assembled from the item pool and administered to samples of high school students. The data collected was used to carry out a statistical analysis of the items. Based on various statistical criteria as well as the environmental literacy framework, 93 items were selected for inclusion on the final pilot instrument. The final pilot instrument contains 27 attitude items, 6 efficacy belief items, 16 behavior items, and 44 cognitive items