Factors Affecting Students’ Pro-Environmental Behavior and a Communication Program for a Green University Campus

Abstract

This study examined the factors that shape pro-environmental behavior among students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education and translated the empirical findings into a pilot communication program for a greener campus. A mixed-method design was used. Qualitative discussion and expert review refined the measurement scales, and a quantitative survey collected 400 valid student responses. The data were processed with descriptive statistics, reliability testing, exploratory factor analysis, and partial least squares structural equation modeling. The validated model retained five external-impact items, three level-of-interest items, four awareness items, four attitude items, five behavioral-intention items, and five pro-environmental-behavior items. Results showed that attitude had the strongest positive effect on behavioral intention (β = 0.205, p < 0.001), followed by level of interest (β = 0.174, p = 0.001) and awareness (β = 0.152, p = 0.003), while external impact was not significant. Behavioral intention positively affected actual behavior (β = 0.149, p = 0.002). The theoretical novelty is positioned modestly as a Vietnamese technical-university case study and as an applied attempt to convert quantitative behavioral evidence into targeted campus communication activities. The proposed Green Up UTE program is therefore presented as a research-informed intervention framework, not as an evaluated campaign outcome.