Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to Test Sustainable Development in University 4.0 in the Ultra-Smart Society Era

Abstract

Sustainability has a significant role in the reputation and status of a higher education institution. Universities have a part in “forming the values of society” through educating the present and future generations of decision makers. Universities can help with economic and sustainable development (SD) in several ways, including mediating social conflicts and educating the public on scientific and technological issues. This study aimed to evaluate the students’ agreement level (as a latent construct) to examine the causal relationship between predictors (Skills and activities, Behavioral dissemination, Society 5.0 and Industry 4.0), mediating (Education and Community Awareness) and outcome (Sustainable Development) variables, the multivariate statistical method; as a result, Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed. In order to characterize potential links, a dependency model in the form of structural equations was built based on the classification of the questions. The correlations between the various parameters were then confirmed using statistical techniques. The authors used SEM structural equations, which enabled them to ascertain the relationships between the overlapping parts in the subsequent step to identify potential connections between the survey’s questions. Research has shown that education and sustainable development have a close connection. And it is especially important to stay alert and pick up information throughout the study. This study provides new information on sustainable development in modern Universities 4.0 and Society 5.0. This study adds empirical evidence of factors that influence the sustainability of universities as a driver of innovation and economic growth. This study also provides practical implications for the development of universities’ competitiveness.