The Influence of Pro-Environmental Behavior Stages on e-Learning

Platform Acceptance in Public Works

Lisa Michanol and Jean-Christophe Sakdavong

CLLE Lab, UMR5263 CNRS, University of Toulouse, Allée A. Machado, 31058 Toulouse cedex 9, France

Keywords: UTAUT2, SSBC, Public Works, e-Learning, Ecological Transition.

Abstract: This study investigates the correlation between awareness of the importance of ecological transition and the

acceptance of a digital platform providing educational resources for Public Works professionals. Using data

from 42 users of the platform "tpdemain", the research examines the influence of an individual's stage in pro-

environmental behavior change (as defined by the SSBC model) on their acceptance of the platform's

resources. The study also explores the relationship between perceived organizational responsibility for

ecological transition and social influence on platform adoption. While the level of individual awareness did

not significantly influence platform acceptance, the individual's stage in pro-environmental behavior change

did. The organizational dimension significantly impacted social influence, which in turn influenced the

perceived acceptability of the platform's resources. These findings provide insights for further research on the

intersection of pro-environmental behavior and technology acceptance in the context of Public Works.

1 INTRODUCTION

Climate change is a growing concern for citizens

worldwide, impacting all regions from glaciers to the

Pacific Islands and posing a significant threat to

biodiversity, agriculture, citizens, and infrastructures.

In France, the public sector is playing a major role in

addressing the consequences of climate change. The

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

estimates a temperature increase of 4°C by 2100. The

National Federation of Public Works (NFPW) has

implemented measures to mitigate these effects, such

as exposing schools to extreme heat, 50% of the

railway network, and 75% of the road network to

extreme heat risks.

Digital technologies are increasingly being used

in the public sector, particularly for facilitating

technical learning through virtual and augmented

reality. E-learning platforms are also available for

public sector professionals, offering courses on

various topics. However, the use of digital

technologies by trainers is not automatic. To ensure

the best use of these technologies, they must be well-

accepted and mentored.

https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/deffinum

This study focuses on two aspects: the acceptance

of information and communication technology (ICT)

for professional enrichment and the recognition of the

need to be aware of the environmental damage that

can lead to public sector jobs being forced to adapt to

the ecological transition. The study will explore

different models of technology acceptance,

distinguishing between acceptability and acceptance.

It will also explore the relationship between a more

environmentally friendly behavior and technology

acceptance.

The research methodology used will be discussed,

with the aim of concluding with the results obtained

and proposing complementary research perspectives.

The study will also explore the role of e-learning in

public sector jobs, highlighting the importance of

promoting sustainable practices and fostering a

positive attitude towards climate change.

The question of the ecological transition is

increasingly present in public work, as the

consequences of climate change become more visible

each year. Public works sector is one of the largest

energy consumers, producers of waste, and a

contributor to artificial soil use. As part of a

DEFFINUM

project, an analysis on the cognitive

ergonomics of the platform is being conducted. In

Michanol, L. and Sakdavong, J.-C.

The Inﬂuence of Pro-Environmental Behavior Stages on e-Learning Platform Acceptance in Public Works.

DOI: 10.5220/0013275900003932

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2025) - Volume 1, pages 349-355

ISBN: 978-989-758-746-7; ISSN: 2184-5026

349

parallel, researchers are focusing on the acceptance of

educational resources dedicated to the ecological

transition.

The study aims to explore the influence of the

perception of the importance of the ecological

transition on the acceptance of a public work-oriented

course platform.

The following part will provide an overview of the

literature on the two important subjects of this paper:

Pro-Environmental behavior and Technology

Acceptance.

1.1 Pro-Environmental Behavior

Pro-environmental behavior refers to conscious

actions taken by individuals to reduce negative

impacts on the environment and/or increase

environmental quality. There are several theories to

explain this behavior, including the Theory of

Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991), the Norm

Activation Model (NAM) (Schwartz, 1977), and the

Value-Belief-Norm Theory (VBN) (Stern, 20002).

The social cognitive perspective, with its model of

reciprocal causality (Bandura, 1986) (Triadic

Reciprocal Causation Model), suggests that three

factors have a bi-directional effect on each other

(cognitive or personal factors affecting the

environment and behavior). Personal agency is also

considered, as individuals can choose, execute, and

manage their own actions to achieve desired

outcomes.

The concept of ‘goal’ (the intention of an

individual to engage in an activity) is another

important notion in the social cognitive perspective.

These theories focus on processes of behavioral

change, particularly in the field of ecology. However,

in our research, we will focus on a particular model:

the Self-Regulated Behavioral Change (SSBC) model

(Bamberg, 2013) (see figure 1).

1.2 From MAP to SSBC

The MAP (Heckhausen and Gollwitzer, 1987) is used

as a theoretical base to conceptualize behavioral

changes as a transition through four stages: pre-

decisional, pre-actional, and post-actional. The first

stage corresponds to the moment when an individual

formulates voluntary wishes that they transform into

actions. This form of self-engagement is called the

intention of goal and is formed by the individual

reflecting on the feasibility and desirability of

achieving these goals. The second stage, pre-actional,

occurs when an individual selects the best strategies

for achieving fixed goals, followed by a phase of

reflection on the pros and cons of adopting an

alternative behavior.

Behavioral intention marks the transition to the

third stage, the action stage, where the individual is

tasked with putting the chosen behavioral strategies

into action by initiating and implementing the

necessary actions. This implementation is facilitated

according to (Gollwitzer, 1999, as cited in Bamberg,

2013) by the implementation intention, which creates

a strong mental link between the desired new

behavior and a future situation. This situation is

critical, as it is what allows reaching the final stage,

the post-actional stage, which is the stage of

evaluating what has been done by the individual and

reflecting on what requires further actions or not. It is

also the stage where the individual must prove that

they can maintain their new behavior and not regress.

The MAP does not describe in detail the

psychological factors that contribute to progressions

through the stages. The SSBC will also incorporate

parts of the TPB (Ajzen, 1991) and the NAM

(Schwartz, 1977). The TPB views Pro-Environmental

behaviors as a consequence of a ‘rational choice.’

According to the TPB, the closest behavioral factors

are behavioral intentions, influenced by the degree to

which the individual maintains a positive attitude

towards the behavior, the perceptions the individual

has of the norms and conventions regarding the

behavior (for example, the subjective norm), and the

degree to which the individual perceives the behavior

as being within their control.

The SSBC as a theoretical basis is also applicable

to research on behavior change. Unlike static models

like the TPB, the SSBC argues that behavior change

is a decision made in multiple stages. The SSBC will

also remove the social norm present in the TPB, as

Bamberg rather assumes that in the pre-decisional

phase, perceived social disapproval can motivate the

individual to reflect on personal goals.

The four stages of behavior change, the three

types of intentions, and the affective and socio-

cognitive factors outlined by the SSBC (see figure 1)

provide a solid theoretical foundation in behavior

change research.

Figure 1: SSBC Model (Bamberg, 2013).

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1.3 The Acceptance of Technology

The concept of technology acceptance is an important

element for their proper use and appropriation by

users. Research on technology acceptance has been

inspired by social psychology research, particularly

the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) (Sheppard,

1988, as cited in Venkatesh and al., 2003) and the

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Davis (1989) developed the TAM, which aimed to

explain and predict an individual's acceptance of

technologies. It encompasses two main concepts: the

perception of usefulness and ease of use. If the

technology is easy to use and useful, it increases the

chances of actually using it. Davis and Venkatesh

(2000) developed a second version of the TAM called

TAM-2, which is an extension offering more

variables.

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of

Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh and al., 2003) is

the result of a theoretical study of major acceptance

models and a longitudinal study on the other hand

(see figure 2). The TAM models and their variants,

TAM2 and 3 and UTAUT1 and 2, are based on the

psychosocial theories of TRA and TPB.

The models primarily seem to allow for

understanding users' intentions "a priori"; however, in

our context, the participants are individuals who

already have access to the technology in question.

The TAM models and their variants seen earlier such

as UTAUT1 and 2, are based on the psychosocial

theories of TRA and TPB.

The interest of these approaches lies in the

predictions that can be made regarding the use of a

product. They seek to model probable future

behaviors based on a number of social cognitive

indicators. If the tool is not used effectively, these

approaches allow for anticipating the subjective

reasons for the rejection or adoption of the

technology.

Figure 2: UTAUT2 Model (Venkatesh et al., 2012).

However, these models seem to rely primarily on

a quantitative system, with a large number of

participants, thus risking overlooking the contextual

nature of the professional situation and the

heterogeneity of individuals. These predictive models

highlight the crucial and determining role those social

cognitions play, considering that the majority of

actions are under the user's control, that their

behavioral choices are deliberate, and that the

intention to use is a commitment regarding their

future behaviors.

1.4 Acceptability Models and Situated

Acceptance

This notion of "acceptability" is addressed by

technology acceptance models, which are described

as ergonomic devices to make them more practical,

usable, and digitally accessible. Models such as TAM

and UTAUT are part of acceptance models, but they

are also considered predictive models, allowing us to

determine if an individual is likely to accept, but not

whether they actually accept and concretely adopt a

technology, and even less whether they continue to

accept or reject a technology over time.

Practical acceptability (PA) is when we seek to

create ergonomic devices to make them more

practical, more usable, and digitally accessible, thus

more compatible with the specific needs that

individuals may have. PA is interesting when

concrete solutions are needed to evaluate and design

a system. It is a factor limited to functional and

instrumental dimensions. Nielsen proposed a model

in 1994 with Practical Usability (PU) and Social

Acceptability (SA), which introduces the idea of

taking into account users' perceptions regarding

technologies.

Social Acceptability is an initial step in the

process of adopting a technology, expressing the

potential degree of acceptance by the user. Attention

is thus focused on the subjective representation of

technology by its potential users. Models such as

TAM and UTAUT are part of the Social

Acceptability.

Social acceptability would predict less the

intentions of use for upcoming tools than it would

gather the feelings of past uses. It indeed considers

that social acceptability models would perceive

technology as an independent and autonomous object

in relation to the user and the environment in which it

operates. Social acceptability could therefore be a

first step in a broader process of individual

appropriation of a technology.

Situated Acceptance (SA) is described by

Bobillier-Chaumont (2016) as the implementation of

technology in its context of use, allowing for a

The Inﬂuence of Pro-Environmental Behavior Stages on e-Learning Platform Acceptance in Public Works

351

concrete evaluation of its contributions and

limitations, and thus defining its relevance in relation

to the individual's activities and projects. Technology

only makes sense within a framework and an

organization.

Bobillier-Chaumon (2016) proposes four

dimensions in SA: the individual or intra-personal

dimension, related to the individual's own activity;

the impersonal or organizational and technical

dimension, related to the organization in which the

individual works and the technology's ability to meet

needs and inspire trust from the individual; the

relational or interpersonal dimension, related to

collective and collaborative activities in the

workplace; and the transpersonal or professional and

identity dimension, related to the individual's sense of

self-efficacy.

1.5 SSBC, UTAUT2 and Situated

Acceptance

The choice in this research is to draw inspiration from

these studies on technology acceptance using the

UTAUT2 model and the concept of SA, and the

effective use of a device.

The SSBC and UTAUT2 are two behavioral

models designed to predict and understand behaviors

related to ecology and the use of new technologies.

While there are numerous articles referencing

these models for assessing the acceptance of

technologies and the adoption of Pro-Environmental

behavior, no studies have been conducted combining

them. In a study by Keller et al. (2021), it was found

that in addition to the four stages of transition,

individuals may be in a denial or inhibition phase of

transitioning from disposable to recyclable goblets.

This idea is interesting because it opens up the

possibility of seeing whether an individual in a pre-

decisional denial or inhibition phase would also be in

a less acceptable and effective form of accepting

resources from a Public Work (PW) platform.

The research on the acceptance of technologies

and Pro-Environmental behavior has allowed for a

global view of the state of the research. Many studies

have been conducted in various contexts, and it is

important to consider the elements of social

acceptability, with some factors of UTAUT2

(perceived usefulness, ease of use, and social

influence) and the elements of situated acceptance

(organizational dimension and effective utilization).

The SSBC model's transition stages (pre-decisional,

pre-actional, actional, and post-actional) and the

intention to implement are considered.

Figure 3: Combination of SSBC and UTAUT2 Models with

Situated Acceptance.

The research aims to determine the impact of

awareness of the impact of climate change on the

level of advancement in ecological transition in the

PW instructor's work with a PW e-learning platform.

The proposed hypotheses are the following:

H1. The level of awareness positively influences the

acceptance of a PW e-learning platform.

H2a. The stages of SSBC positively influence the

acceptability of a PW e-learning platform.

H2b. The stages of SSBC positively influence the

acceptance of a PW e-learning platform.

H3. The organizational dimension of situated

acceptance has a positive influence on the social

influence (from UTAUT2).

H4. The “social influence” has a positive influence on

the acceptance of the resources from a PW e-learning

platform.

2 METHOD

This research was conducted with participants from

the tpdemain platform, an e-learning PW platform

created by the Fédération Nationale des Travaux

Publics (NFPW) in France. tpdemain is a platform

that gives access to educational resources such as

texts playlists, videos, and educational pathways

accessible without the need for account creation. It

responds to the DEFINUM project, a plan of

transformation and digitalization of training piloted

by the Ministry of Labour, and the ‘Ecological

Transition in Public Works’ project within France

2030.

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tpdemain proposes a wide range of themes related

to various public sector jobs, ecological transition,

and a training program for PW instructors, aiming to

sensibilize them to pedagogy in an autonomous

training path. The platform offers various types of

content, including educational videos, images, and

courses produced with the French Learning Content

Management System (LCMS) Storiz.

The majority of the educational resources on

tpdemain are creative e-learning content for different

clients, their employees, and their instructors, and can

be used without a teacher.

The study involved 59 participants who were

instructors and had previously used resources from

the PW platform. The selection criteria included the

knowledge of the platform, age limit, and potential

affinities with technologies or climate change. Only

42 participants completed at least 18% of the

questionnaire, while 17 others were excluded due to

lack of data to handle.

The questionnaire was sent via social networks to

a community of PW instructors who had already used

the platform. It was available for about two months.

The research was conducted on various axes, with

several hypotheses proposed. The questionnaire was

divided into four blocks: one on UTAUT2 (thirty-four

items), one on SSBC (with questions for the four

stages of transition), and one block on the

organization's responsibility (one question divided

into five parts). For each item, a five-point Likert

scale was used.

We created the questionnaire and collected the

data on Qualtrics. The data has then been statistically

treated on Jamovi.

3 RESULTS

Among the 42 participants, most were men (n=30),

with a smaller number of women (n=4). One

participant did not specify their gender, and 7 did not

answer the question. The average age of the

participants was 49.1 years for men, 45.5 years for

women, and 53 years for the participant who did not

specify their gender.

The majority of the participants (91.2%) indicated

that they had used the digital platform at least once.

In terms of the level of awareness of the importance

of ecological transition, the participants showed an

average level of awareness. Regarding the stages of

the SSBC model (Bamberg, 2013), most of the

participants were in stage 4 (post-actional).

To test the hypothesis H1 (the level of awareness

positively influences the acceptance of a PW e-

learning platform), we conducted an ANOVA test

that showed the level of awareness did not have a

significant influence on acceptance (measured by

Effective Use) (F (1.33), p = .268, η2 =.541). This

suggests that the level of awareness of the training

organization does not influence the acceptance of the

resources by the trainers.

For Hypothesis H2a (the stages of SSBC

positively influence the acceptability of a PW e-

learning platform) and H2b (the stages of SSBC

positively influence the acceptance of a PW e-

learning platform), we tested the influence of SSBC

stages on both Acceptability and Acceptance with

two ANOVA tests.

The ANOVA test for the influence of SSBC

stages on UTAUT2 was close to significance (F

(2.83), p =.054, η2=.209), indicating a potential

positive effect.

The ANOVA test for the influence of SSBC

stages on acceptability measured by effective use was

significant (F(4.92), p =.006, η2 =.316), indicating

that the SSBC stages have an influence on the

acceptance of the platform by individuals with a large

effect size.

To test Hypothesis H3 (The organizational

dimension of situated acceptance has a positive

influence on the social influence), we conducted an

ANOVA test which confirmed that the organizational

dimension of situated acceptance has a significant

impact on social influence (F (3.88), p =.002, η2

=.556) with a large effect size.

For hypothesis H4 (The “social influence” has a

positive influence on the acceptance of the resources

from a PW e-learning platform), we conducted a

linear regression analysis and an ANOVA test which

did not confirm the influence of social influence on

Effective Use (p = .491 and p = .349, respectively).

Based on the data, we cannot prove that social

influence has a direct impact on the effective use

(acceptance) of the platform.

4 DISCUSSION

4.1 Discussions of Findings

Due to our lack of participants, we can't reach

definitive conclusions. However, we can discuss the

results obtained with our sample.

The results of the study show that the level of

awareness of the impact of public works on the

climate at the organizational level has not been

The Inﬂuence of Pro-Environmental Behavior Stages on e-Learning Platform Acceptance in Public Works

353

significantly influenced by the acceptance of

technologies according to the hypothesis (H1). This

could be due to the fact that the questions were not

about individuals but about their organizations,

meaning that participants were not influenced by their

organization's acceptance and use of tpdemain

resources.

The study reveals that the progress in the

transition stages from SSBC is closely related to the

acceptability and acceptance of the resources form the

platform tpdemain.

The hypothesis H2a was near from significance,

but due to the small sample size and individual

variability, it is recommended to conduct a larger

study to confirm or refute this trend.

H2b has been confirmed with a large effect size,

showing a relationship between individuals'

awareness of climate-related issues and their desire to

change their behavior, as seen in Keller and al.’s

study ‘Why consumers shift from single-use to

reusable drink cups’ (2021), and the acceptance of the

tpdemain platform with effective and concrete use of

the other part.

Thus, we can determine that a possible link

between the adoption of a Pro-Environmental

behavior and Technology Acceptance can exist, at

least in Bobillier-Chaumon's Situated Acceptance

(2016).

Bobillier-Chaumon's organizational dimension

(2016) positively influences Venkatesh and al.’s

social dimension (2012) (H3), with higher scores

indicating a stronger influence on the social

dimension. The study has confirmed the relationship

between social acceptance and the situated

acceptance with a quite high effect size.

The hypothesis H4 aimed to highlight the

influence of the context in which individuals work,

highlighting the link between social acceptability

(UTAUT2) and effective acceptance (effective Use).

The organizational dimension of Situated Acceptance

has an impact on the social influence of UTAUT2, as

explained by Bobillier-Chaumon and Dubois (2013)

and Bobillier-Chaumon (2016).

This study shows no influence of SI on effective

use of tpdemain resources, suggesting that

participants may not use them effectively due to their

influence from colleagues or superiors.

The results did not confirm the hypothesis H4.

Further research is needed to determine if social

influence can be correlated to certain dimensions of

Situated Acceptance.

4.2 Limitations and Future Directions

In our research to write this study, we weren’t able to

identify studies about both Technological Acceptance

and Adoption of Pro-Environmentally behavior. This

is why we had several objectives such as trying to

determine if people in a pre-decisional denial of

inhibition (Keller and al., 2021) could also be in a

weaker acceptability and acceptance of an e-learning

platform’s resources. However, the study's sample

size seemed to be too small for this hypothesis to be

studied.

Furthermore, the analysis of the responses was

problematic due to the limited Likert scale, which

may have encouraged participants to make the choice

of not to actually choose their response. Future

research should propose a larger Likert scale with

four or six choices to better align participants'

expectations and needs. A larger sample is also

needed to study the hypothesis. Indeed, to be able to

generalize our findings, we need more participants. It

would be interesting to open this study to people who

are not used to the platform, as well as making a

longitudinal study to see if a change in the SSBC

stages of transition concretely influences the effective

use of the e-learning platform.

It is also important to have in mind that there are

potential biases in the data, due to the fact that it is

self-reported answers.

5 CONCLUSION

This study aimed to investigate the relationship

between the acceptance of technologies and the

adoption of a Pro-Environmental behavior.

The study also sought to determine if the

acceptability and acceptance of a technology,

specifically the resources of the tpdemain platform,

and the adoption of a Pro-Environmental behavior

could be significantly related. The hypothesis was

tested showed that the stages of the SSBC have a

positive influence on acceptance and possibly

acceptance. As a matter of fact, the results showed

that when the participants indicated to be in SSBC’s

stage 3 or 4, their results in questions about effective

use of the platform went in the same direction.

Furthermore, we have been able to determine that

a gateway can be made between Pro-Environmental

behavior and acceptability/ acceptance of

technologies. Further research is needed to better

understand how these factors can be combined to

improve the acceptability and acceptance of

technologies and support sustainable practices.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This research has been funded by TP D’AVENIR

without any conflict of interest.

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