What shapes environmental identity: Insights from highly environmentally literate students

The paper aimed to describe features of the environmental identity of primary school students (age 13-14) in Serbia, as well as the experiences they find most influential in shaping their environmental identity. Specifically, students from the two best-performing classes (N=34), based on their scores on environmental literacy assessment responded to an open-ended questionnaire regarding their relationship with nature and the most important experiences shaping this relationship, in both private and school contexts. The students offered evidence of features of their environmental identity in terms of: environmental affect-sensitivity, environmental concern, moral reasoning, as well as pro-environmental behavior as its correlate. Both private life and school experiences were recognized as essential in shaping positive environmental dispositions and behaviors. The most important incentives to fostering environmental identity in the school context involved: a) teacher as a role model; and b) variety of outdoor teaching activities and approaches, such as visits to locations characterized by natural beauty, exposure to degraded environments, and activities involving planting and cleaning, including group discussions on the experiences. Different students emphasize different aspects of their relationship towards nature, allowing for the differentiation of respondents into three groups that also differ regarding the incentives for environmental identity formation and class affiliation.