Mapping the Concept of Sustainable Consumption: An Analysis From the Adoption and Promotion of Pro-Environmental and Social Behaviors in University Students

Claudia Arias,Adela M Vélez-Rolón,Manuel Méndez-Pinzón

doi:10.3389/feduc.2021.729939

Abstract

The concept of sustainable consumption has been described in the literature from different perspectives, but few have focused on defining the consumer perspective and strategies to appropriate this knowledge and behaviors in the classroom, which becomes a major challenge in times of Covid 19 and confinement. This article proposes an approach to the concept by university students from the implementation of a pedagogical strategy, which involved the implementation of a virtual learning community and the evaluation of the understanding of this concept through the use of mind maps (pre and post). Through the mind maps, data were collected to evaluate the understanding of the concept, the analysis of semantic richness and systemic complexity. The results show the associations established by the students, proposing a categorization system arising from the data and the previous literature review. The study concludes that the students broadened their vision of sustainable consumption in terms of the actors involved, consumption decisions and the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability.

Highlights

Conventional consumption patterns have exceeded the capacity of natural resources, creating pressure on the limits of the environment
There is no theoretical approach yet to provide a structure to these perspectives, the present study proposes an analysis model in which the concept is appropriated from four main perspectives: the actors involved, consumption decisions, dimensions of sustainability, and the magnitude of changes in consumption patterns
This research shows the appropriation of the concept of sustainable consumption through the application of a pedagogical strategy of active learning outside the classroom

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Conventional consumption patterns have exceeded the capacity of natural resources, creating pressure on the limits of the environment. This study proposes an approach to the concept of sustainable consumption based on students’ own experiences and assessing their understanding through the use of mind maps from the development of virtual learning communities. This study, implemented a pedagogical strategy in which an active learning is promoted through the experience of each individual as a consumer and the interaction of students in a virtual environment In this sense, the postulates of the constructivist theories of knowledge become important, as they consider doing as the proper learning tool, capable of modifying the cognitive structures of the learner. The use of concept maps is associated with a better structuring of bodies of knowledge and allows understanding the relationships and associations that students elaborate on them (Hayashi et al, 2020; Mandrikas, 2020), and its importance in confinement contexts is associated with the possibility of being done online (Fatawi et al, 2020)

MATERIALS AND METHODS

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Findings

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT