Beyond the Cognitive: The Role of Social and Personal Norms in Children’s Recycling Behavior Across School Contexts

Despite sustained efforts in environmental education, a persistent value–action gap remains: gains in knowledge and attitudes do not necessarily translate into sustainable practices, particularly among school-aged children. This cross-sectional study examined the role of school-based social norms in shaping personal norms and self-reported recycling-related behavior among 214 sixth-grade pupils (aged 10–12) from three public schools in Évora, Portugal, including Eco-School and non-Eco-School contexts. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires assessing social norms, personal norms, preservation and utilization attitudes toward nature, and self-reported recycling-related behavior. Structural equation modeling showed a good overall fit and explained 53% of the variance in self-reported recycling-related behavior. Social norms had both direct effects on behavior and indirect effects through personal norms. Personal norms were the strongest predictor and partially mediated the influence of preservation attitudes. In non-Eco-Schools, the direct effect of social norms was stronger. Among children participating in environmental groups, the association between social norms and preservation attitudes was more pronounced. Utilization attitudes did not significantly predict behavior. Findings refer specifically to self-reported recycling-related behavior rather than pro-environmental behavior more generally and suggest that school norms may be associated with children’s recycling-related behavior at this age, particularly when internalized as personal norms.