Sustainability Consciousness Research Articles

Education for sustainable development and sustainability consciousness: evidence from Malaysian universities

PurposeThis study aims to understand the practices and perceptions of education for sustainable development (ESD) in the university classrooms of Malaysia, exploring how holistic, pluralistic and action-oriented approaches to ESD were linked to their knowingness, attitudes and behavior regarding sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe perceptions of 2,678 students and 1,013 teachers from a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses at four Malaysian universities were surveyed. Their views of ESD and sustainability consciousness (SC) were recorded on five-point Likert-type scales, and the resulting data was investigated using descriptive and analytical statistics.FindingsHolistic, pluralistic and action-oriented approaches to ESD teaching and learning were widespread in Malaysian universities, with significant associations found between ESD approaches and SC. While all three approaches enhanced each aspect of SC, the results indicated the need to develop action-oriented approaches more fully.Originality/valueThis research underlines the importance of sustainability education in the context of higher education. It provides empirical evidence for developing action-oriented approaches to ESD and confirms the utility of holistic content and pluralistic pedagogy to the teaching and learning of sustainability.

A Study to Investigate the Sustainability Consciousness of Prospective Teachers

The current study investigates the student-teachers' sustainability consciousness in the Pakistan context. For this purpose, public sector universities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad region offering four years undergraduate teacher-education programs were selected. The population of the current study were all the 1259 student-teachers studying in these public sector universities. A total population sampling technique was utilized due to the limited number of student-teachers in these universities. Data were collected from 753 student-teachers on the sustainability consciousness questionnaire developed by Gericke et al. (2019). An independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were utilized to ascertain any difference in student-teachers' sustainability consciousness based on their gender and semester of study. The results suggest that there was a significant difference in student-teachers environmental and social consciousness. However, no difference was found in the economic consciousness among the student-teachers.

The Moderation Role of Sustainability Awareness in the Effect of Green Marketing Perception on Purchasing Environmentally Friendly Products

Dünya topluluğunun küresel sürdürülebilirlik bilinci çağrısına yanıt vermek; çevresel boyutun yanı sıra, sosyal ve ekonomik boyutun da dâhil edilerek, sürece insani bilgi alanlarının entegrasyonunu da gerektirmektedir. Bu motivasyondan hareket ile çalışmanın temel amacı, yeşil pazarlama algısının çevreye duyarlı ürünleri satın almaya etkisini incelemek ve bu etkiye sürdürülebilir bilincin aracılık rolünü belirlemektir. Bu doğrultuda nicel bir araştırma temelinde elde edilen veriler, betimleyici istatistikler, faktör analizi, bağımsız örneklem t-testi ve tek yönlü varyans, (ANOVA) analizi, korelasyon ve regresyon analizleri, gibi istatistiksel teknikler ile analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular yeşil pazarlama algısının çevreye duyarlı satın alma faaliyeti üzerinde etkisinin olduğunu, ayrıca sürdürülebilir bilincin, yeşil pazarlama algısının çevreye duyarlı ürün satın alma üzerindeki etkisine kısmi aracılık etkisinin varlığına işaret etmektedir.

The Development of Science Teaching Materials Based on the PjBL-STEM Model and ESD Approach on Environmental Pollution Materials

Critical thinking skills and sustainability consciousness are competencies that students need to have to face the challenges of the 21st century and can be developed through appropriate learning activities and teaching materials. Unfortunately, teachers do not have the right guidelines and teaching materials to implement learning activities that develop those competencies. This study aims to develop science teaching materials with the PjBL-STEM learning model and education for sustainable development (ESD) approach on environmental pollution material to enhance critical thinking skill and sustainability consciousness of junior high school student in class VII. The teaching materials developed in this study are Lesson Plans, Worksheets, and assessment for critical thinking skill and sustainability consciousness. The research method used in developing the product is research and development (R D). While the RD research model used is the four-D development model. The four-D development model has several stage, namely define, design, develop, and disseminate. This study solely reached the development stage. The feasibility test was carried out by the experts. The data were analized using percentage of the product eligibility in the validation form. Based on the results of the feasibility validation, the critical thinking skill asessment validation received a percentage value of 85% with very feasible criteria and sustainability consciousness asessment validation received a percentage value of 97% with very feasible criteria. The finding of the research indicate that the teaching material developed is valid and eligible to use.

Education for sustainable development amidst COVID-19 pandemic: role of sustainability pedagogies in developing students’ sustainability consciousness

PurposeThis study aims to assess the impact of sustainability pedagogies on students’ sustainability consciousness (SC) in the online instructional settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method, embedded research design was applied to conduct the research. The participants of the study were the pre-service teachers studying a course, namely, “Education for Sustainable Development” (ESD) in a public sector university of Pakistan. A total of 49 participants were divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group experienced ESD-pedagogies in online teaching-learning (educational) settings, whereas the control group was taught through a lecture-based approach in an online educational setting. The outcome of the research was measured in terms of a change in the pre-service teachers’ SC. The qualitative data were collected from the experimental group only. The quantitative data were analyzed using paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test, whereas the qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis.FindingsThe quantitative and qualitative data indicate that sustainability pedagogies (i.e. case studies, critical incidents, discussions, debates and problem-based teaching) enhanced pre-service teachers’ SC in online educational settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThe current research expands the discussion on the effectiveness of sustainability pedagogies in online educational settings in teacher education programs.

The ESD-oriented RADEC model: To improve students sustainability consciousness in elementary schools

Sustainability consciousness is an outcome of Education for Sustainable Development which was launched by UNESCO in 2014 to create a society with sustainable living behavior. The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of the ESD-oriented RADEC model on students' sustainability consciousness. This research involved 150 elementary students from 6 districts of Bogor city in Indonesia. The participants’ age range was 10-11 years, while the study duration was 6 months and from the 5th grade. The sampling technique used purposive random sampling. This study used pre-experiment with pretest-posttest design. The data were collected by giving a development questionnaire of sustainability consciousness which was adapted from Gerick et al (2019). The questionnaire consists of 27 statement items. The results showed that (1) there was a difference in the sustainability consciousness of students before and after being given the RADEC learning model integrated ESD, this was indicated by sig (0.000) < (0.05); (2) The average sustainability consciousness of students after being given the RADEC learning model integrated ESD for sustainability knowingness, sustainability attitude and sustainability behavior (4.42, 4.72, 4.35) is higher than the average sustainability consciousness before being given the RADEC learning model integrated ESD for sustainability knowingness, sustainability attitude and sustainability behavior (3.24, 3.51, 3.18); (3) Aspect sustainability behavior having medium category and for aspect sustainability knowledge and sustainability attitude, same have high categories. Based on the result, we can see that RADEC learning model integrated ESD can help students get a higher proportion of sustainability consciousness in all aspects.

Sustainable Knowledge Sharing Model for IT Agile Projects

In order to overcome work environment challenges and remain competitive in the market, organisations must adapt. An organisation's competitiveness can be improved through knowledge sharing; however, improvement without responsibility can have a negative impact on the sociotechnical environment which people cannot fully comprehend. According to researchers, business involvement in sustainable development goals remains minimal [51]. As a result, a sustainable consciousness is crucial to improve the business. In the project profession, sustainability is a business approach that balances the environmental, social, economic, and political aspects of project-based work to fulfil the demands of stakeholders without jeopardising or overburdening the availability of natural resources for future generations [33]. This study goes a step further and proposes a theoretical design that aims to ensure sustainable development during conceptual knowledge transfer in Agile IT projects.

Enhancing Sustainable Consumption in China: A Seafood Example

Abstract In recent years, market surveys on sustainable seafood consumption have analysed Chinese people’s willingness to purchase ecolabelled seafood produced and imported into China. Endogenous and exogenous determinants are thereby unveiled to explore Chinese consumers’ sustainability consciousness, purchasing decisions, and the means of bridging the divide. This article builds upon and adds to these empirical findings with a market-based and information lens. It draws inspiration from analysing the growing interest of younger and middle-class consumers in acquiring seafood information; integrative sourcing and marketing strategies of intermediary businesses to deliver such information; and awakening of public regulators to the imperative of realizing the right to information of less-informed parties. Instead of segregating these stakeholders along a linear supply chain, the study emphasizes the deepening of a consumer-centric information network underpinned by supply chain transparency and traceability. It thus aims to inform a steady shift from a production-oriented to a consumer-oriented seafood management paradigm through systematic reforms of China’s consumer law. To encourage and empower sustainable consumption, the ‘consumer’ notion needs proper broadening and consumers’ right to know should be recognized as a judicial and self-contained legal entitlement with enforcement safeguards.

Sustainability Awareness of In-Service Physical Education Teachers

Physical Education has been described as a subject with unique characteristics that can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals. However, an analysis of PE teachers’ (PETs) sustainability consciousness has not yet been conducted. For this purpose, a total of 203 PETs completed the validated SCQ-S instrument to measure the three dimensions of sustainable development in three components of consciousness (attitudes, knowledge and behaviours). The results obtained show that the PETs have a high consciousness for sustainable development (SD), except for attitudes within the economic dimension. Sex has been identified as a variable that determines awareness in sustainability with significantly higher scores for women in all the variables evaluated, except for knowledge and behaviour in the social dimension. These findings provide new knowledge within the Physical Education and SD paradigm, serving as a link for future research that aims to harness the benefits of Physical Education for the sustainability of the planet.

Collaborative reflection on environmental practices: a vehicle for environmental education in teacher education

ABSTRACT Environmental education and sustainability education have emerged as a key focus in teacher education in the past few decades. Researchers have investigated the impact of different pedagogies on pre-service teachers’ sustainability or environmental consciousness. The current study was an attempt to investigate the impact of collaborative reflection (focusing on environmental issues and practices) on pre-service teachers’ environmental practices. Forty-six pre-service teachers participated in the study. The data were gathered qualitatively through field notes and participants’ written reflections. The findings indicated that collaborative reflection on environmental issues and practices promote pro-environmental practices among the participants. The study suggests the use of collaborative reflection on environmental issues and practices as a pedagogy for environmental education in teacher education.

Promoting Environmental Citizenship in Education: The Potential of the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire to Measure Impact of Interventions

Policy documents across the globe call for citizen engagement to fight climate change emergencies and build more sustainable societies. They also recognize the key role of formal and non-formal education in preparing citizens to address those challenges. However, there is a need to identify appropriate instruments to evaluate the impact of educational interventions on people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, which are essential components of the action competence required to become environmental citizens and agents of change. The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential of the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ) to evaluate different educational interventions aimed at increasing environmental citizenship. It presents three sub-studies from Spain, Belgium, and Sweden using the SCQ with varying contexts, duration, and target groups yet sharing common pedagogical features in the interventions. Pre-intervention scores indicate a common pattern of high sustainability knowingness, moderate sustainability attitudes, and lower sustainability behaviors in the three dimensions (environmental, social and economic) of sustainability consciousness, and a positive impact on sustainability behavior after the intervention. These findings are especially significant when compared to previous studies. We therefore conclude that the SCQ is useful for detecting the effects of learning interventions of varying designs and contexts that address environmental citizenship. The results are discussed in terms of key pedagogical features of the educational interventions, and the appropriateness and sensitivity of the instrument in detecting changes in the intended direction. It concludes with implications for research and practice and suggestions for future lines of work.

The contribution of sustainability education pedagogies to the development of Greek preservice teachers’ sustainability consciousness about social issues in urban environments

This study explores the role of specific sustainability education pedagogies in developing preservice teachers’ sustainability consciousness (SC). The participants were 77 Greek preservice teachers from a Department of Primary Education, organized into two cohorts (N1=30, N2=47), from two consecutive semesters. Data were collected through (a) the use of the SC scale, administered before and about two weeks after the end of project and (b) reflective discussions, in the form of interviews, with the groups of preservice teachers at the end of the project. Questionnaire data were analysed using significance testing, 95% confidence intervals, and effect sizes, while from interview data bottom-up categories were developed. Analysis revealed a significant increase in the Total SC scores and in the Knowledge and Social Aspects scores in both cohorts, while Environmental scores were significantly increased only in cohort 1. Moreover, from the interviews it was concluded that the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) pedagogies of site visits and the associated worksheets and activities, along with concept maps were by far the most influential factors affecting preservice teachers’ learning, while general principles of teaching (e.g. students’ engagement during teaching, the practicing of theoretical concepts) were also identified.

STEM Learning in Sustainability Issues to Improve Sustainability Consciousness of Junior High School Students

<p>Sustainability Consciousness is the expected result with the existence of ESD that is a complicated construction that can be influenced by various factors. ESD aims to develop students' understanding of sustainability issues and change students' attitudes and behavior regarding environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to determine the improvement of students’ sustainability consciousness after attending STEM learning in sustainability issues. This study used quasi experimental method with one group pretes-posttest design. It was conducted in 28 seventh grades students of junior high school in Surabaya. The instrument was declared as valid based on expert’s judgment and showed Alpha Cronbach score 0,85. Data was collected by pretest and posttest of sustainability consciousness questionnaire. Based on the data analysis, it showed that sustainability issues were effectively integrated into STEM learning to enhance the sustainability consciousness of junior high school students. N-gain average of sustainability consciousness were 0,18 as low category. The findings suggest that required learning strategies that can provide more opportunities for students to learn about sustainability issues and develop pro-sustainability attitudes and behaviors.</p>

From Theory to Praxis: 'Go Sustainable Living' Survey for Exploring Individuals Consciousness Level of Decision-Making and Action-Taking in Daily Life Towards a Green Citizenship.

This study aims at embedding sustainability practices by exploring sustainable actions of individuals consisting the educated workforce of Greece. A tailored questionnaire was created and sent via e-mails to 500 respondents, to identify a snapshot of participants daily buying and consuming actions. 483 responses received and analyzed using statistical tools. They respond to recommendations for enhancing sustainability consciousness at individual level, inspiring people to buy sustainable, creating new consumption attitudes that are key factors for moving towards a sustainable citizenship. The findings will further provide information for a second paper on developing the ‘Go Sustainable Living’ digital application to be uploaded in individuals’ mobile phones, for rewarding users with points that correspond to each sustainable action and can later be used for discounts in all participating stores. The analysis showed that <30% of consumers are considered sustainability-conscious, 57.6% are in a transition phase, while 13% fell into the category of non-conscious. To make sustainable decisions and actions in every daily life, individuals need to have knowledge of sustainability, awareness, consciousness of their actions, and be active citizens. An educated workforce armed with sustainability perceptions and competencies is an asset for societies and businesses poised to respond to the sustainability call. Sustainability should not be only an ‘utopia’ in our societies but an ‘eutopia’ entailing a life with ecological and social health and prosperity at a local, regional, and global level.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43615-021-00046-9.

A Psychological Perception Mechanism and Factor Analysis in Landsenses Ecology: A Case Study of Low-Carbon Harmonious Discourse.

Landsenses ecology has been widely applied in research into sustainable consciousness and behavior and the notion of landsense creation realizes the unity of the macro physical senses and micro psychological perceptions. However, a great deal of current research about landsenses ecology has concentrated on the dimension of the physical senses, while there have been relatively few studies on the dimension of its psychological perception. This paper begins by clarifying the concept of self and explaining out that the psychological perception mechanism of landsense creation represents a process of guiding people to know themselves and realize their ecological self. It then utilizes the example of low-carbon discourse to explore the factors contributing to the resonance of ecological self-vision. Our results show that the perceived self-efficacy, environmental concern and environmental knowledge triggered by ecological discourse are the main factors contributing to the resonance of sustainable vision, thus clarifying the indicators of landsenses ecology at the level of psychological perception. Our purpose is to effectively guide the landsense creation of harmonious discourse and promote people to engage in potentially more sustainable behavior.

TEACHING SUSTAINABILITY ONLINE TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH THE USE OF INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION TOOLS: A CASE STUDY

The study was aimed to analyse the efficiency of teaching sustainability online at ESP classes. The participants of the study were 33 second-year technical university students who studied Sustainable Development issues with the use of interactive presentation platforms Thinglink and Padlet which employed different multimedia resources – text, pictures, sound, animation, video. The students’ attitudes toward sustainability issues before and after the experimental learning was measured with the use of the sustainability consciousness questionnaire developed by Gericke, Boeve‐de Pauw, Berglund and Olsson (2018). The analysis of changes in different parameters of engineering students’ sustainability consciousness showed the feasibility and appropriateness of teaching sustainability in an ESP course. The students’ answers showed an increase in their knowingness of issues of Sustainable Development and their more responsible environmental behaviour, which implies the importance of disseminating knowledge and educating people for building a sustainable future. Based on the results of our study, we can conclude that ESP is a course which can organically integrate sustainability topics into its curriculum and use a wide range of resources and materials about Sustainable Development, since the majority of them are in English and thus can contribute not only to Learning for Sustainability but also to language acquisition. The use of online presentation tools and a wide range of multimedia resources on their platforms makes the learning more interactive and motivating for students and stimulates them to active inquiry into sustainability issues.

Пространство и граница России в ценностном измерении

The article reveals the understanding of space and the state border as a national value of Russia. As a result of historical development, due to the presence of a constant threat to the country and the resource mobilization for its protection, the citizens of Russia have formed a sustainable defense consciousness and understanding of the border as a sacred value. The article raises the question of further understanding of the problem.

Analysis on ecological aesthetics based on landsenses ecology – an ancient case of China

ABSTRACT With the rapid social-economic and science development, and the improvement of people’s cognitive level and demand, it is urgent to further study the relationship between human and ecosystem. Landsenses ecology is a comprehensive discipline, a bridge which links ecosystem services and sustainable development. Based on the analysis of the relationship between the principle of landsenses creation and the ecological aesthetics experience, as well as the practice of Chinese traditional culture, this paper preliminarily presents a framework of applying landsenses ecology to explore ecological aesthetics. The principles of landsenses creation have many manifestation forms similar to Chinese traditional culture. Chinese classical landscape poems is a kind of carriers for ancient Chinese people to present their cultural manifestations with their simple ecological view, which shows their simple ecological thoughts, sustainable development consciousness and corresponding vision at that time. The paper discusses the manifestation forms of Chinese traditional culture, and systematically analyzes the landsense creation ways and the spatiotemporal scales in the two poems, Out of the Great Wall (凉州词in Chinese) and On the Stork Tower (登鹳雀楼in Chinese). These two poems combine the ecosystem elements organically, integrate visual landscape with psychological perceptions, and reflect the ecological aesthetics through the combination of landscape spatiotemporal scales, as well as the interactivity of physical senses and psychological cognitions. The approaches of landsenses ecology can expand the cultural ecosystem service in a spatiotemporal way, and contribute to deeply integrate traditional culture with ecological civilization to promote sustainable development.

Implementation of education for sustainable development and pupils’ sustainability consciousness in Adiwiyata School and ESD-based school

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is important to be developed in Indonesia to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The lack of identification in implementing ESD lead to the lack of a representation of ESD in Indonesia. This research aims to identify and to analyze the ESD implementation models that are applied in Adiwiyata school and ESD-based school in Indonesia and how the pupils’ Sustainable Consciousness are. Respondents involved in this studies are 27 pupils from both schools. Observation, interview and SC Likert-scale questionnaire with 51 statements were used as the instruments. The questionnaire consisted of environmental, social, and economic dimensions that considered pupils’ knowingness, attitude and behaviour. The results show that the ESD implementation model that refers to Burmeister & Eilks (2012) conducted by Adiwiyata and ESD schools consisted of 2 models. Model 2 with Adding Sustainable Science as Content in the Science and Technology Curriculum and model 4 with Science Education as a Part of ESD-Driven School Development. The pupils’ SC in the environmental dimensions of pupils in Adiwiyata schools have significant different with ESD-based schools. But, for the results of the pupils’ SC in the Economic and Social dimension have no significant different.

Country Differences in Determinants of Behavioral Intention towards Sustainable Apparel Products

Increased demands for sustainable apparel products require research to understand better how to encourage sustainable buying behavior effectively, especially in the understudied areas of cross-cultural research. This study, which includes respondents from the UK, US, and China (total n = 711) who completed an online survey, explores determinants of behavioral intention toward sustainable apparel products (SAP). This paper contributes to examine both consumer characteristics (shopping values, consciousness of sustainability, perceived consumer effectiveness, and environmental knowledge) and marketing perspective (evaluation criteria of SAP) determinants for encouraging sustainable apparel consumption behaviors. Significant country differences also emerged, indicating the positive impact on behavioral intention to sustainable apparel products across three countries. Results of structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated there were differences and similarities in the effect of consumers’ characteristic factors and marketing perspective factors on SAP behavioral intention among three countries. The results validate that differentiated marketing strategies in the sustainable apparel industry are required when targeting global consumers to boost sustainable apparel consumption and successfully help to remedy the crisis facing our planet and further generation.