COMPARING PLACE ATTACHMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS OF VISITORS AND STATE PARK EMPLOYEES IN OKLAHOMA By MICHAEL JOSHUA BRADLEY Bachelor of Science in Leisure Studies Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 2005 Master of Science in Recreation, Parks, & Tourism Administration Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois 2008 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May, 2012 COMPARING PLACE ATTACHMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS OF VISITORS AND STATE PARK EMPLOYEES IN OKLAHOMA Dissertation Approved: Dr. Lowell Caneday Dissertation Adviser Dr. Donna Lindenmeier Dr. Jesse Mendez Dr. Rebecca Sheehan Outside Committee Member Dr. Sheryl A. Tucker Dean of the Graduate College ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................ VII CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ............................................................................................................................ 9 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY ............................................................................................................................. 11 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS ................................................................................................................................ 13 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................................... 17 PLACE ATTACHMENT RESEARCH QUESTIONS ....................................................................................................... 18 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................................. 19 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS ......................................................................................................... 20 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................................................... 21 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................................................. 21 SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY ........................................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................................ 27 PLACE ATTACHMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 27 PLACE IDENTITY ............................................................................................................................................. 30 PLACE DEPENDENCE ....................................................................................................................................... 32 ASSOCIATED RESEARCH................................................................................................................................... 34 PLACE ATTACHMENT MEASUREMENT TOOLS ...................................................................................................... 42 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS ................................................................................................................................ 46 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS MEASUREMENT TOOLS ................................................................................................ 54 THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PARADIGM SCALE .................................................................................................... 56 NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PARADIGM REVISIONS .................................................................................................... 57 OKLAHOMA STATE PARKS ............................................................................................................................... 59 RESEARCH SITES ............................................................................................................................................ 62 Beaver’s Bend State Park. .................................................................................................................... 62 Sequoyah State Park. ........................................................................................................................... 65 Boiling Springs State Park. ................................................................................................................... 66 Quartz Mountain Resort Arts & Conference Center ............................................................................. 66 CHAPTER III RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY .................................................... 68 PLACE ATTACHMENT RESEARCH QUESTIONS ....................................................................................................... 69 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................................. 71 POPULATION AND SAMPLING ........................................................................................................................... 72 Table 3-1: Research Site Sample Calculations. .............................................................................................................. 77 DATA COLLECTION & INSTRUMENTATION ........................................................................................................... 79 QUANTITATIVE INSTRUMENTATION ................................................................................................................... 79 DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ..................................................................................................................................... 80 iii PLACE ATTACHMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 80 Table 3-2: Place attachment instrumentation sample. ................................................................................................. 83 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS ................................................................................................................................ 84 ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................................... 86 CHAPTER SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................... 90 CHAPTER IV RESULTS .................................................................................................... 91 PROCEDURAL MODIFICATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 92 DATA COLLECTION ......................................................................................................................................... 92 Table 4-1: Data collection schedule. ............................................................................................................................. 93 POPULATION & SAMPLE SIZE ........................................................................................................................... 93 Table 4-2: Research site data collection response ratios. ............................................................................................. 96 NORMALITY TESTING ...................................................................................................................................... 96 DESCRIPTIVE & FREQUENCY STATISTICS ............................................................................................................. 96 Table 4-3: Research respondent roles ratios. ............................................................................................................... 97 Table 4-4: Approximated mileage from research sites to major cities in Oklahoma. ................................................... 99 Table 4-5: Length of association with research site in years. ........................................................................................ 99 Table 4-6: Respondents’ household income ratios. .................................................................................................... 101 Table 4-7: Respondents’ highest level of education ratios. ........................................................................................ 101 Table 4-8: Respondents’ Cultural Origin response ratios. ........................................................................................... 101 Table 4-9: Respondents’ Race response ratios. .......................................................................................................... 102 Table 4-10: Respondents’ sex response ratios. ........................................................................................................... 103 Table 4-11: Respondents’ age response ratios. .......................................................................................................... 103 PLACE ATTACHMENT ...................................................................................................................................