EFFECT OF THE ENERGY ENVIRONMENT SIMULATOR AND U.S. ENERGY POLICY GAME ON ACHIEVEMENT, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIOR RELATIVE TO ENERGY EDUCATION CONCEPTS IN A COMMUNITY COLLEG

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of achievement in energy concepts attained by the (a) lecture-discussion simulation, (b) lecture-discussion game, and (c) lecture-discussion methods of instruction. Achievement in energy concepts focused on basic energy facts, energy issues, and energy conservation. The study also evaluated the anticipated attitudinal and behavioral changes toward the conservation of energy for each of the methods of instruction.;A five-week energy unit of instruction focused on energy education concepts. The lecture-discussion method was the essential mode of teaching energy, environment, and societal relationships. The lecture-discussion simulation method of instruction was enriched with the Energy-Environment Simulator in a one-hour out-of-class activity. The lecture-discussion game method of instruction was enriched with the U.S. Energy Policy Game in a one-hour out-of-class activity. Students wrote responses to debriefing questions after the treatment.;The pretest-posttest true experimental design was used in the study. The sample consisted of 105 community college student volunteers that were pooled, randomly selected, and assigned to one of three groups (n = 35). Each of the three groups was then randomly assigned to treatment. A total of 12 hypotheses was developed. It was hypothesized that there would be significant differences between groups on (a) energy knowledge, (b) total energy conservation attitudes, (c) willingness to take specific energy conservation actions, and (d) energy conservation behavior.;Analysis of covariance was the statistical procedure used to determine if any significant differences occurred among groups for each of the four areas assessed with the Energy Knowledge Assessment Test and Youth Energy Survey. All 12 hypotheses were rejected because no significant differences were found at the established alpha level (.05).;Post hoc Pearson product-moment correlations were used to test for relationships between posttest scores on (a) energy knowledge and total energy conservation attitudes (r = .50, p < .001), (b) energy knowledge and willingness to take specific energy conservation actions (r = .47, p < .001), (c) total energy conservation attitudes and willingness to take specific energy conservation actions (r = .90, p < .001), (d) energy conservation tasks and energy knowledge (r = .35, p < .001), (e) total energy conservation attitudes and energy conservation tasks (r = .53, p < .001), and (f) willingness to take specific energy conservation actions and energy conservation tasks (r = .58, p < .001).;Several recommendations emanated from the study; they are: (a) replicate the study with populations from the other community colleges; (b) another study should be conducted to examine the effect of the Energy-Environment Simulator and U.S. Energy Policy Game when role playing is performed in small groups consisting of three to five players; (c) effect of the Energy-Environment Simulator and U.S. Energy Policy Game should be evaluated when treatment occurs for a period of at least two hours; (d) evaluate the effect of the lecture-discussion method on total energy conservation attitudes, willingness to take specific energy conservation actions, and energy conservation behavior; and (e) the study should be replicated with populations from other colleges which could accommodate delayed posttests.