To address the frequent emergence of ecological problems, ecology has intersected with various disciplines. From the perspective of linguistic ecology, ecological literacy is an important concept that combines the subjects of ecology and linguistics. It not only discusses ecological issues, but also establishes a linguistic framework. Here, we constructed a quantitative method of assessing ecological literacy from the perspective of linguistic ecology. Ecological literacy was divided into five parts: ecological knowledge literacy, ecological awareness literacy, ecological ethics literacy, ecological emotional literacy, and ecological behavioral literacy. Each of these was set with four quantitative indicators that were evaluated through eight questions. A case study was conducted to investigate the ecological literacy of the inhabitants of Guiyang City, one of China’s top ten ecologically advanced cities. The results showed that the proposed assessment method was an effective way to evaluate the level of ecological literacy comprehensively. In the case analysis, the overall ecological literacy level of Guiyang inhabitants was relatively good, and the levels of the five specific dimensions of them in descending order were as follows: ecological ethics literacy, ecological emotional literacy, ecological awareness literacy, ecological knowledge literacy, and ecological behavioral literacy. The results of this study are conducive to the production of targeted ways to improve the level of ecological literacy for sustainable development. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-021-16753-7.
Ecological literacy (ecoliteracy) is an interdisciplinary concept that spans ecology and linguistics. This concept is particularly important given today’s increasingly severe ecological environmental problems. In the discipline of linguistic ecology, ecoliteracy can include five aspects: ecological knowledge literacy, ecological awareness literacy, ecological ethics literacy, ecological emotional literacy, and ecological behavioral literacy. We advocate for a quantitative assessment of the level of ecoliteracy from those five dimensions. However, in the evaluation process, the difference in the specific sociodemographic characteristics (SDCs) of the participants is a factor that cannot be ignored. Therefore, this article starts from SDCs and takes the inhabitants of Guiyang City, a top-ten ecologically advanced city in China, as the study population. The main purpose of the study was to identify the differences in the levels of ecoliteracy shown by inhabitants of this city who have different SDCs. The results indicated that there were significant differences in the levels of ecoliteracy among the inhabitants of Guiyang City with regards to gender, age group, ethnicity, type of living area, educational background, and current main identity. The highest overall score among the participants, that is, the most ecoliterate inhabitants, were found to be males, middle-aged groups, Buyi ethnic groups, those who live in urban areas, the most highly educated, and those who work for the Chinese government. To address the specific five-dimensional levels, this article also analyzed the nuances among inhabitants regarding each aspect. Based on this analysis, the reasons for the differences among inhabitants with different SDCs are discussed. In addition, after discovering the specific characteristics of inhabitants with high-level ecoliteracy, we also propose ways to improve low-level ecoliteracy among inhabitants. Our ultimate goal is to make contributions to the advancement of harmonious coexistence between humans and the natural environment.
In today’s society, citizens’ ecological literacy (ecoliteracy) is critical for their understanding of sustainable development. This study used a questionnaire designed to quantitatively assess ecoliteracy from a linguistic ecology perspective. First, an underlying mechanism model for ecoliteracy was designed based on the results of previous studies. Then, the ecoliteracy level assessment scores of Guiyang inhabitants were combined with the respondents’ corresponding lifestyle characteristics to explore the effectiveness of interventions in affecting the participants’ ecoliteracy levels. The results showed that the formation and development of ecoliteracy is a dynamic and circular process that revolves around variables of independent, dependent, mediating, moderating and control. The various factors in the model interact and operate evenly along a particular path. As for the level of lifestyle characteristics, participants’ ecoliteracy levels had a statistically significant relationship with their attitudes regarding the importance of nature, participating in outdoor activities, and improving their ecoliteracy levels; as well as the frequencies regarding daily outdoor activity, the main activities in ecological areas, participation in volunteer activities, and use of ecological knowledge. The respondents with the highest levels of ecoliteracy had the most positive attitudes and engaged in ecological actions with the highest frequency. The lifestyle intervention features here are of great significance to the harmonious coexistence between humans and the natural environment and are also helpful for improving human health.
To address the frequent emergence of ecological problems, ecology has intersected with various disciplines. From the perspective of linguistic ecology, ecological literacy is an important concept that combines the two subjects. It not only discusses ecological issues, but also establishes a linguistic framework. Here, we constructed a quantitative method of assessing ecological literacy from the perspective of linguistic ecology. Ecological literacy was divided into five parts: ecological knowledge literacy, ecological awareness literacy, ecological ethics literacy, ecological emotional literacy, and ecological behavioral literacy. Each of these was set with four quantitative indicators that were evaluated through eight questions. A case study was conducted to investigate the ecological literacy of the inhabitants of Guiyang City, one of China’s top ten ecologically advanced cities. The results showed that the proposed assessment method was an effective way to evaluate the level of ecological literacy comprehensively. In the case analysis, the levels of the five specific dimensions of Guiyang inhabitants in descending order were as follows: ecological ethics literacy, ecological emotional literacy, ecological awareness literacy, ecological knowledge literacy, and ecological behavioral literacy. The results of this study are conducive to the production of targeted ways to improve the level of ecological literacy for sustainable development.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.