Integrating SDGs in Higher Education—Case of Climate Change Awareness and Gender Equality in a Developing Country According to RMEI-TARGET Strategy

Abstract

Universities play an essential role in spreading climate change awareness. However, slight information on climate change and environmental issues had been integrated into the curricula. Moreover, minimal research had been carried out to understand university role in spreading awareness, and students level of awareness and daily behaviour towards climate change, especially in developing countries. This paper aims to investigate the aforementioned issues. An experimental study was carried out on 448 undergraduate students enrolled at An-Najah National University Palestine. The study aimed to examine students’ knowledge and daily behaviour towards climate change, and the important role the university and students’ societies play in terms of spreading and enhancing awareness. The results revealed that female and male students had a non satisfactory interest level in environmental topics and activities, and gender equality did not seem to be an issue. Moreover, female students tend to have a significantly lower level of awareness on climate change compared to male students. On the other hand, being an engineering students or a member in students’ societies had a positive impact on students’ level of awareness and especially females. The results revealed that female students who are enrolled in the engineering faculty or members of students’ societies had a significantly higher level of awareness compared to female students who are enrolled in other faculties or not members of students’ societies. In general, students had a low level of awareness regardless of gender or faculty and universities should offer undergraduate students and especially female students’ opportunities to learn more about climate change by integrating climate change topics into higher education. Moreover, universities should support extracurricular activities held by student societies, and some of these activities should be directed towards environmental and climate change issues. This study entails the activities of the Mediterranean Gender Equality Community of Practice co-created by the Mediterranean Network of Engineering Schools (RMEI), where An-Najah University is an active member, with the support of the EU TARGET project entitled ’Taking a reflexive approach to gender equality at Institutional transformation’.