Initial Development and Validation of the Plant Awareness Disparity Index.

Area of Science:

• Botany Education
• Plant Science
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Plant awareness disparity (PAD) describes students' tendency to overlook or undervalue plants.
• This lack of appreciation can lead to the misconception that plants are unimportant to humans.
• Existing interventions to combat PAD lack validated measurement tools, hindering progress assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Plant Awareness Disparity Index (PAD-I).
• To create a reliable instrument for measuring PAD and its four key components.
• To provide a tool for assessing the effectiveness of PAD interventions in undergraduate biology students.

Main Methods:

• Developed and validated the Plant Awareness Disparity Index (PAD-I).
• Collected validity evidence through content, response processes, and internal structure analysis.
• Administered the PAD-I to undergraduate biology students (74.32% female, 69.08% white).

Main Results:

• The PAD-I demonstrated reliable inferences for measuring PAD (Cronbach's alpha = 0.884).
• The instrument exhibited a six-factor structure conceptually aligned with the four components of PAD.
• Initial study population demographics highlight the need for broader testing in diverse student groups.

Conclusions:

• The validated PAD-I serves as a reliable instrument for measuring plant awareness disparity.
• This tool can aid in evaluating the efficacy of educational interventions designed to increase plant appreciation.
• Further research is recommended to ensure the PAD-I's applicability across diverse student populations.