Final Blog Post – Conclusion
My Research Question reiterated: To what extent does a correlation exist between high schoolers’ performance on a test on food sustainability practices and their likelihood of selecting ethically labeled food?
My hypothesis: I hypothesized that a positive correlation would exist between the high schoolers’ likelihood of selecting ethically labeled food and their performance on the quiz on food sustainability practices. Specifically, it is anticipated that students who demonstrate a greater understanding and knowledge of sustainable food production practices will also exhibit a propensity to choose ethically labeled food products. This is because it is assumed that the students with a greater knowledge of ethically conscious food practices will be more likely to recognize ethical labels (or lack thereof) on the image pairs, displaying a deeper which would influence their ‘consumption’ choices on the quiz.
Conclusion – results:
This study revealed a significant discrepancy between high school students’ self-reported knowledge and behavior regarding ethical consumption and their actual understanding demonstrated through quizzes and interviews. Despite showcasing concern about sustainability, students exhibited limited knowledge or priority for sustainable production. The Spearman’s correlation analysis showed a statistically insignificant relationship between students’ performance on quizzes and their likelihood of selecting ethically labeled food products, leading to a rejection of the hypothesis. These findings have significant implications for education, consumer behavior, and policy-making in promoting sustainable practices. All students expressed a desire for more comprehensive labels, indicating a motivation for making informed decisions. Additional research could study the effectiveness of different educational interventions or packaging in inspiring more concern or care in students for ethical practices. This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the gap in knowledge in high school students, which is pertinent as they are the next generation of consumers.