Does Participation in Outdoor Sports Affect Environmental Attitudes? A Research on University Students

This study aims to compare the environmental attitudes of college students who participate in outdoor sports. This study's sample group consisted of 320 university student volunteers who participate in outdoor sports (n=147) and nonparticipants in outdoor sports (n=173). The Environmental Attitude Inventory (EAI) developed by Milfont and Duckitt (2006) was used to assess participants' environmental attitudes. Turkish validity and reliability analysis of the original form was conducted by Ak (2008). The data obtained from the survey results were collected using Microsoft Excel program and analyzed using SPSS 18.0 package program. Descriptive statistics methods (frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation) were used in the analysis of the obtained data. In addition, the T -test for independent samples was used to compare the means of two different groups, and the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate the differences between the means. On the other hand, Pearson's correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between the groups. In the analysis of the results, a significance level of p > 0.005 and p > 0.01 was assumed. As a result, the environmental attitudes of the participants in outdoor sports were more favorable than those of the others. If participation in outdoor sports is widespread and children's participation in these activities is encouraged, it could be essential in preserving nature and enhancing environmental awareness.