Investigating energy literacy and its structural model for lower secondary students in Japan

Energy literacy is indispensable for a sustainable society, which is fostered and improved by formal and informal energy education. To achieve the goal of energy education, which develops a wellinformed public with positive attitudes toward energy conservation and the ability to make appropriate decisions regarding future energy choices, we must understand the status of students’ energy literacy and its conceptual structure. By employing and modifying the energy literacy framework and instrument developed by DeWaters & Powers (2013), energy literacy and its structural model for students in Japan were investigated through a survey for 1316 lower secondary students (ages 13–15) in 2014. It was found that female students and students who have family discussions about energy-related issues scored higher than their counterparts. Students in Fukushima scored lower than those in Tokyo and Kyoto/Nagasaki. The energy literacy structure model was described by six predictors by structure equation modeling, where energy-saving behavior was predicted by both the awareness of consequences and the ascription of responsibility. Both the awareness of consequences and the ascription of responsibility were predicted by basic energy knowledge through the cognition of environmental issues. The prediction of energy-saving behavior by the awareness of consequences indicates the role of bonding between the relevant knowledge on energy and the environmental issues and energy-saving behavior. A moderation analysis found that (1) the effect of the cognition of environmental issues on responsibility depends on gender, and the magnitude of its effect did not necessarily depend on the amount of knowledge; (2) the indirect effect of responsibility toward energy-related issues on energy-saving behavior through energy-use conscious behavior seems to decrease with grade progression; and (3) the indirect effect of the awareness of consequences on energy-saving behavior through energy-use conscious behavior depends on the region. OPEN ACCESS 1068 Y. AKITSU ET AL. depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and global climate change. The United Nations adopted the Paris agreement, which requires the widest cooperation by all countries and their participation in an effective and appropriate international effort to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Human societies must recognize that we are facing an urgent and potentially irreversible threat caused by the adverse effects of climate change (COP21). These environmental problems are primarily caused by energy production and consumption (Farhar, 1994). Thus, the improvement in public awareness of energy conservation, appropriate energy choices, and energy problem solving is an urgent matter. Namely, the energy literacy of a public citizen is extremely important for evaluating the energy policy presented by a government “faced with defining new directions and values for energy development, energy consumption, lifestyles, and global environmental protection” (DeWaters & Powers, 2011). Energy literacy is not just knowledge. An energy-literate individual is characterized as one who is cognizant and knowledgeable; understands energy use in daily life, the impact of energy overconsumption on the society and environment, and the need for energy conservation and alternative energy resource development; can make appropriate energy choices and decisions; and can take actions reflecting one’s skills and action for a sustainable society (Barrow & Morrisey, 1989; DeWaters & Powers, 2013). Thus, it can be argued that energy literacy is a common ability that is fostered by energy education to overcome energy challenges in the world. Since 2002, The Japan Science Foundation (JSF) has undertaken the Energy Education Model Schools Project commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (METI, 2014). The project administered a school appointment system to learn energy security, global warming, energy resource diversity, and energy conservation for our future. More than 500 schools including elementary to high school have been encouraged by the project as a role model of energy education practice. The Japan Association of Energy and Environmental Education (JAEEE) established in 2005 has taken leadership in ensuring cooperation among educators, researchers, companies, and the relevant authorities of energy and environmental (E/E) education and in promoting the development of the education materials and practical methods. A variety of energy education practices have been accumulated by teachers in recent years. However, neither an energy education program nor a common evaluation measurement for energy education achievement, which focuses on improving students’ energy literacy including real-world and real-time energy-related issues relevant to their daily life, has been presented by the official curriculum guidelines of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Therefore, energy education in Japan relies on the contributions of teachers who devise their own energy education based on the given official curriculum. To achieve the goal of energy education that develops a well-informed public with positive attitudes and behavior toward energy-related issues (Lawrenz, 1988), we must understand the status of students’ energy literacy and its conceptual structure.