Developing and validating a multidimensional framework for assessing ecoliteracy among Chinese primary and secondary school students

Growing environmental challenges have made students’ ecoliteracy an increasingly important concern in educational research and practice. However, existing instruments often focus on selected components of environmental literacy and seldom examine ecoliteracy as an integrated, context-sensitive construct in Chinese basic education. This study presents the development and validation of a multidimensional framework and assessment tool for evaluating ecoliteracy among Chinese primary and secondary school students. Based on a conceptual framework, the instrument was developed through a multi-stage process, including expert consultation, content and face validity checks, item tryouts, pilot testing, and formal testing. After revisions informed by expert feedback and pilot testing with 608 students, the finalised instrument was administered to 2,712 students from 58 schools across nine districts in Beijing, China. Psychometric analyses, including CFA and IRT, indicated satisfactory reliability and construct validity of the instrument. Descriptive results showed that students generally exhibited positive ecological values and attitudes, while performance in Eco-knowledge and Eco-skills was more uneven. Some students showed relatively limited efficacy despite holding positive ecological values. Gender differences were statistically significant in Eco-knowledge, Eco-skills, and overall ecoliteracy scores, with female students scoring slightly higher than males; however, effect sizes were small. Significant differences were also observed across school stages, with senior high school students achieving the highest overall ecoliteracy scores, particularly in cognitive- and skill-related dimensions. Together, these findings extend current approaches to ecoliteracy assessment by clarifying its multidimensional structure in Chinese basic education context and by offering evidence to support curriculum improvement and environmental education practice.