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Empirical study examines links between Big Five traits and environmental awareness among future teachers, indicating implications for education.
Prospective teachers’ environmental awareness, as an attitude towards current global issues, is a critical predictor of professional competence and their impact on pupils. This study examines the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and environmental awareness among German teacher education students (N = 385). Regression analyses show that Openness to Experience is the strongest predictor across all dimensions of environmental awareness. Conscientiousness specifically influences environmental knowledge and behaviour. Furthermore, the results reveal significant gender-based differences, with female students scoring higher in the affective and cognitive dimensions. The sample also showed a pronounced value-action gap. These findings shed light on how personality patterns relate differently to affective, cognitive, and behavioural dimensions of environmental awareness. Thus, the study aims to contribute to research on how teacher education can be advanced to better support the translation of environmental awareness into professional action.
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Roth et al. (2026) studied this question.
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