From School Experience to Ecological Action: Perceived Environmental Education and Internalized Islamic Ecological Values as Complementary Predictors of Pro-Environmental Behavior among Primary School Students
Abstract
This study aims to develop and evaluate a three-construct framework examining the complementary contributions of perceived environmental education and internalized Islamic ecological values to pro-environmental behavior among primary school students. An explanatory cross-sectional survey was designed to involve 220 students in Grades IV–VI, proportionately selected from 487 eligible students across three integrated Islamic primary schools in East Java, Indonesia. A synthetic dataset representing the planned sample was used to demonstrate confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression. The illustrative measurement model demonstrated acceptable fit (CFI = .962; RMSEA = .043), with satisfactory construct reliability and discriminant validity. Synthetic regression results indicated positive independent associations between perceived environmental education (β = .337, p < .001) and internalized Islamic ecological values (β = .432, p < .001) with pro-environmental behavior, jointly explaining 43.7% of the simulated variance (R² = .437). These patterns illustrate the theoretical complementarity between institutional environmental learning opportunities and moral-spiritual value internalization. Consistent with environmental education theory and affective learning principles, the framework suggests that ecological behavior may depend on both supportive educational experiences and personally meaningful ethical commitments. However, because the analyses rely entirely on synthetic data, the findings cannot establish empirical relationships or causal effects. Future research should validate the proposed model using participant-derived data, direct behavioral observations, and longitudinal designs to strengthen its empirical applicability.
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