The Impact of Learning Approaches and Performance Levels on Pro-Environmental Behavior in Inquiry Contexts

Abstract

This article examines the impact of implementing a didactic strategy rooted in inquiry-based learning on the development of pro-environmental behaviors. The study considers the Learning Approaches and Performance Levels achieved by 108 students aged 13 to 16 from a public rural educational institution in the Department of Meta, Colombia. This research follows the principles of the mixed methodological paradigm, employing a Simple Integrated Empirical Case Study with a descriptive approach. The characteristics of inquiry-based learning contribute to the improvement of environmental education processes. This approach enables half of the participating students to reach the higher levels of the SOLO taxonomy, while a third achieve the multi-structural level. These outcomes are not influenced by the student's preferred Learning Approach or associated factors such as their academic ease in environmental sciences or the socioeconomic conditions of their families. Instead, the strategy enhances pro-environmental behaviors by encouraging students to analyze the impact of human actions on their environmental reality, particularly those actions that benefit the environment and improve the well-being of social groups. The study concludes that actions perceived as difficult by young people are often linked to negative socio-affective aspects, such as low self-esteem or feelings of shame.