From teachers to students: a correlational analysis of the pro-environmental behavior in a private university in the Philippines

Purpose This study aims to address the following objectives: determine the pro-environmental behavior of students and professors engaged in the course Sustainable Tourism; determine the pro-environmental behavior component of the professor that has the highest influence on the pro-environmental behavior of students; and formulate a model describing the components of the pro-environmental behavior of the professor with significant influence on the pro-environmental behavior of students. It also evaluates the norm-activation-theory-aligned pro-environmental behavior of the course's instructor and the students taking the course after they participated in the course Sustainable Tourism. Design/methodology/approach A correlational analysis using the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach was conducted in the survey results to determine the specific components of the professor's pro-environmental behavior that influenced the students' pro-environmental behavior. Findings Situational responsibility, efficacy and denial of responsibility were proven more influential in shaping students' pro-environmental behavior. This implies that students learn and adopt a pro-environmental orientation through role modeling and practical application, not by knowledge acquisition. Originality/value This could improve the body of knowledge on pro-environmental behavior by analyzing the reciprocal relationships between the person who delivers the course that instills pro-environmental behavior and students who learn from their professors using the norm activation theory.