| The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers' beliefs and evaluations of behavioral outcomes, attitude, subjective norm, normative beliefs, motivations to comply with important referents, and behavioral intention toward the proposal of new nuclear power plants in Taiwan. The study also attempted to utilize Fishbein's model of reasoned action to investigate the relationships among different factors related to the theory of reasoned action and to predict behavioral intention for voting in favor of building new nuclear power plants. The sample was selected from the first-year students enrolled in three teacher-training universities in Taiwan in 1992. The total number of subjects participated in the study was 774. The research instrument was composed of seven questionnaires and used a seven-point scale to measure subjects' beliefs and evaluations of outcomes, attitude, subjective norms, normative beliefs, motivations to comply, and behavioral intention specially related to the proposal for new nuclear power plants. Also included were nine items designed to collect subjects' demographic and political party affiliation information. The instrument also included a modified version of the Nuclear Locus of Control Scale to measure beliefs concerning nuclear power plant accidents and how they may relate to nuclear policy. The data were collected during the fall term, 1992.;Results of this study indicated a majority of students expressed favorable beliefs, evaluations, attitude, and behavioral intention for voting "yes" in support of building new nuclear power plants; perceived that most important referents supported them for voting "yes"; and were willing to do most of what important referents wanted them to do. A majority of students also were concerned about potential environmental problems caused by nuclear power plants. In further analysis, supporters of Kuomintang, students living in the areas without industrial pollution, students who scored high on internal nuclear locus of control, and students who scored low on powerful others nuclear locus of control showed more favorable behavioral intention for supporting new nuclear power plants.;Results of this study indicated that Fishbein's model of reasoned action was successful in predicting behavioral intention to vote "yes" for the proposal of new nuclear power plants. The data revealed that students with favorable beliefs, evaluations of outcomes, and attitude, and who believe that most important referents support them to vote "yes," showed favorable intention to vote in favor of the proposal for new nuclear power plants.;Results also revealed that among many external factors, political party affiliation, residential area, and nuclear locus of control were better able to predict behavioral intention for supporting nuclear power plants. |
