Gender, Human Nature Connection & Environmental Identity in Kerala

Gender, Human Nature Connection & Environmental Identity in Kerala | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Gender, Human Nature Connection & Environmental Identity in Kerala Rondine Twist, Marilyn Walker, J. Sophie von Lieres, R. Bhavani Rao, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8732344/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study examines gender differences in connectedness to nature and environmental identity among university students in Kerala, India, a region where cultural traditions often personify nature in feminine forms. We assessed the psychometric properties of a modified version of the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS10) and the Environmental Identity (EID) scale to explore the intersection of gender, culture, and students’ environmental connectedness and selfconcepts. Female students scored significantly higher than male students on both scales. The findings highlight the importance of cultural narratives, gendered symbolism, and belief systems in shaping human–nature relationships, and underscore the value of validating established instruments within diverse cultural contexts to support more inclusive approaches to environmental engagement. Biological sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences Social science/Environmental studies Biological sciences/Psychology Social science/Psychology Connectedness to nature environmental identity belief in God personification of God gender differences psychometric validation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files CollegestudentCNSEIDdata.sav ScriptusedforInformedonssent.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 06 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 03 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 03 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 25 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 22 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 22 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8732344","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":601710613,"identity":"ce77d126-e708-4ddb-bb0f-04a2779e21e8","order_by":0,"name":"Rondine Twist","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rondine","middleName":"","lastName":"Twist","suffix":""},{"id":601710616,"identity":"fefb467a-d8c9-4b4e-b7cc-73e1720ea60a","order_by":1,"name":"Marilyn Walker","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Mount Allison University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Marilyn","middleName":"","lastName":"Walker","suffix":""},{"id":601710619,"identity":"26b26586-5386-43c7-9a02-febe8b595559","order_by":2,"name":"J. 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