Social-cognitive conceptualization of Iranian farmers’ water conservation behavior

Valizadeh, Naser; Bijani, Masoud; Hayati, Dariush; Fallah Haghighi, Negin

Social-cognitive conceptualization of Iranian farmers’ water conservation behavior | Conceptualisation sociocognitive du comportement de conservation de l’eau des agriculteurs iraniens Conceptualización socio-cognitiva del comportamiento de los agricultores iraníes en la conservación de agua 伊朗农民水保护行为的社会-认知的概念化 Conceitualização social cognitiva do comportamento de conservação de água de fazendeiros iranianos

2019

Valizadeh, Naser | Bijani, Masoud | Hayati, Dariush | Fallah Haghighi, Negin

Many environmental dilemmas such as water scarcity originate from human behavior. This study aimed to analyze Iranian farmers’ water conservation behavior using Bandura’s social-cognitive theory. To this end, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect the required data. The research instrument was a questionnaire. A sample of 380 farmers was selected using a multistage stratified random sampling method. The results indicated that variables of social-cognitive theory could predict about 73% of farmers’ water conservation behavior variance. Investigation of direct effects of factors on farmers’ water conservation behavior revealed that the major determinants are as follows: intention of water conservation, social-structural factors, perception of others’ behavior, outcome expectancy, self-efficacy, and water conservation co-regulation. Findings showed that factors that have been mentioned in social-cognitive theory could be considered for enhancing farmers’ water conservation behaviors since the theory provides a more realistic insight into farmers’ behaviors with an emphasis on farmers’ social and structural contexts.

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