Assessing college students' sustainability literacy: the development, use, and analysis of an assessment tool

2017 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation discusses the development, use, and analysis of a knowledge-based multiple-choice sustainability literacy assessment tool used in Spring 2016 at Colorado State University (CSU). CSU is a leading institution of sustainability education and research, and a participant of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS). A component of STARS includes assessing college students' sustainability literacy. The study, and the sustainability literacy assessment tool described, were designed within the framework of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). Data sets were collected and analyzed from a sustainability literacy assessment given in Spring 2016. Findings from the study show students performed highest in environmental sustainability literacy and lowest in social sustainability literacy, two of three dimensions of the TBL. Additionally, four focus groups of students were held at CSU in Spring 2017. The focus groups informed the study of how students' defined the concept of sustainability and the three dimensions of the TBL. Findings from the focus groups indicated the design of the assessment tool did not garner meaningful results. The assessment tool was designed with knowledge-based multiple-choice questions, which did not accurately assess sustainability literacy, according to its definition. Recommendations for redesigning the assessment tool include designing questions that assess students' ability to apply systems-thinking and conduct critical thinking and problem-solving. Sustainability educators should seek to encourage transformational learning when teaching sustainability education. With the recommendations for assessment redesign, the researcher also includes suggestions of unique ways institutions of higher education can assess students' sustainability literacy

Mapping the Landscape of Sustainability Literacy Research in Vocational Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

Integrating sustainability literacy into vocational education is vital for preparing students to tackle 21st-century sustainability challenges. This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to map existing literature on sustainability literacy in vocational education, revealing trends, gaps, and themes. Using the Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA) approach, it combines bibliometrics with systematic literature review (SLR). The customized SLR process identifies relevant Scopus articles from 2018 to 2023 with specific keywords. The analysis identifies eight main topic clusters, including environmental literacy as a key theme. Other clusters cover sustainability literacy, education approaches, vocational training, higher education, and country-specific case studies. The study indicates growing interest in sustainability literacy, seen in the rising publications since 2017. The findings emphasize the need for targeted pedagogical strategies and a more cohesive research landscape to enhance sustainability literacy's impact in vocational education. This research serves two purposes it offers insights into current trends, and inform about the importance of sustainability literacy in vocational education and how it can be implemented. In conclusion, this analysis provides a comprehensive view of sustainability literacy research in vocational education, guiding researchers, policymakers, and educators to improve sustainability education and ready students for sustainability-focused industries

Assessing Sustainability Literacy

Presented for the US Society for Ecological Economic

Assessing the sustainability literacy of the Nigerian engineering community

Being the lifeblood of socioeconomic progress, engineering is implicated in the unprecedented challenge of sustainability. The global engineering community devised sustainable engineering as a conceptual departure from conventional engineering practices. However, the extent to which the sustainability worldview has permeated the Nigerian engineering community remains unanswered. This paper is an attempt to answer the question of how sustainability literate are the members of the Nigerian engineering community. The paper undertakes an assessment of the sustainability literacy of the community with the aid of a stakeholder survey and a devised sustainability literacy test. Three criteria that are used to gauge the stakeholders’ sustainability literacy are awareness of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, score on the sustainability literacy test, and self-assessment of sustainability knowledge. Survey participants were recruited mainly from two federally-run Nigerian higher education institutions, and engineering professional associations. The assessment reveals an unsatisfactory performance of the Nigerian engineering stakeholders on all three sustainability literacy criteria. The results show that the majority of the students (81%), educators (67%), and practitioners (64%) were unaware of the UNDESD. The paper therefore highlights the need to improve the sustainability literacy of the Nigerian engineering community, possibly through a sustainability education intervention

Sustainability literacy in higher education: an assessment of the American University in Cairo\u27s students

After the emergence of the concept of sustainable development and the realization that human exploitation is the main cause for environmental degradation, calls for a more educated public has been issued and the concepts of sustainability literacy and education for sustainable development were born. The purpose of this study is to assess the sustainability literacy of higher education Egyptian students currently enrolled in the American University in Cairo and find out the factors affecting their scores. The Sustainability Literacy Test developed by “The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative” was used to measure the sustainability literacy of students from four different schools at the University. It is divided into 11 modules with each tackling an issue under the umbrella of sustainable development. To find out the factors affecting the test’s scores, an accompanying questionnaire and interviews were conducted to get the feedback of both students and faculty respectively. Additionally, the effectiveness of one course that tackles sustainable development was measured by administering the sustainability literacy test pre and post the course and comparing between the results. The results show that the students have a low level of sustainability literacy in comparison to global results. Weak patterns were identified and students scored lowest at questions addressing environmental issues followed by social trends and human rights. They showed a significantly better understanding of the economic trends. According to the results of the questionnaire and the professors’ interviews, the two main factors behind higher scores are interest level and education. Students from majors in relation to sustainable development showed a better understanding of it than others who had no contact with it. The review of literature and the results suggest a reorientation of existing curricula to include sustainable development and using more innovative learning techniques are ways to improve sustainability literacy

The Sustainability Literacy of Students: A Comparative Study between Turkey and the UK

In recent years, the sustainability literacy has become crucial for building more sustainable future.  In this regard, a shift toward sustainability requires literate society on sustainability issues at global scale. Thus, the current study aims to detect the status of sustainability literacy of British and Turkish students. The study was conducted as a survey research with university students in the UK and Turkey within the context of a project that was supported by TUBITAK (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Organization) and entitled “Ecological literacy education”. The participants (n: 1023) of the study are students attending several departments of Plymouth University in the UK and Mugla Sitki Kocman University in Turkey. The data were collected by using the Scala of Sustainability Literacy and analyzed using appropriate statistical tests at SPSS 22. The findings show that the participants’ sustainability literacy varies significantly depending on their sustainability attitude (SA), sustainability behavior (SB), sustainability knowledge (SK). Besides, the results of t- test analysis indicate that the participants exhibit different tendencies depending on the variables nationality, gender and place. On the other hand, the results of One-way ANOVA-Test revealed that the participants’ sustainability literacy varies depending on the department attended

Aligning Public Participation to Stakeholders’ Sustainability Literacy—A Case Study on Sustainable Urban Development in Phoenix, Arizona

abstract: n public planning processes for sustainable urban development, planners and experts often face the challenge of engaging a public that is not familiar with sustainability principles or does not subscribe to sustainability values. Although there are calls to build the public’s sustainability literacy through social learning, such efforts require sufficient time and other resources that are not always available. Alternatively, public participation processes may be realigned with the sustainability literacy the participants possess, and their capacity can modestly be built during the engagement. Asking what tools might successfully align public participation with participants’ sustainability literacy, this article describes and evaluates a public participation process in Phoenix, Arizona, in which researchers, in collaboration with city planners, facilitated sustainability conversations as part of an urban development process. The tool employed for Visually Enhanced Sustainability Conversation (VESC) was specifically designed to better align public participation with stakeholders’ sustainability literacy. We tested and evaluated VESC through interviews with participants, city planners, and members of the research team, as well as an analysis of project reports. We found that the use of VESC successfully facilitated discussions on pertinent sustainability issues and embedded sustainability objectives into the project reports. We close with recommendations for strengthening tools like VESC for future public engagements

Aligning Public Participation to Stakeholders’ Sustainability Literacy—A Case Study on Sustainable Urban Development in Phoenix, Arizona

In public planning processes for sustainable urban development, planners and experts often face the challenge of engaging a public that is not familiar with sustainability principles or does not subscribe to sustainability values. Although there are calls to build the public’s sustainability literacy through social learning, such efforts require sufficient time and other resources that are not always available. Alternatively, public participation processes may be realigned with the sustainability literacy the participants possess, and their capacity can modestly be built during the engagement. Asking what tools might successfully align public participation with participants’ sustainability literacy, this article describes and evaluates a public participation process in Phoenix, Arizona, in which researchers, in collaboration with city planners, facilitated sustainability conversations as part of an urban development process. The tool employed for Visually Enhanced Sustainability Conversation (VESC) was specifically designed to better align public participation with stakeholders’ sustainability literacy. We tested and evaluated VESC through interviews with participants, city planners, and members of the research team, as well as an analysis of project reports. We found that the use of VESC successfully facilitated discussions on pertinent sustainability issues and embedded sustainability objectives into the project reports. We close with recommendations for strengthening tools like VESC for future public engagements

Sustainability Literacy: Two Perspectives

Sustainability Literacy: Two Perspectives. In this chapter two authors, Paul Vare and John Blewitt, offer differing perspectives on the value, usefulness and dangers of the term ‘sustainability literacy’

ANALISIS KEBUTUHAN PENGEMBANGAN GAME EDUKASI ONLINE UNTUK MENINGKATKAN SUSTAINABILITY LITERACY PADA TEMA PERUBAHAN IKLIM

PBB telah menjadikan Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) sebagai kebijakan publik yang paling mendesak.  Pendidikan tinggi harus mempersiapkan lulusannya menuju SDGs yang memiliki Sustainability literacy. Namun, banyak mahasiswa kurang memiliki kesadaran dan pemahaman tentang SDGs dan Sustainability literacy.  Sehinnga penting untuk merumuskan akan pembelajaran inovatif untuk keberlanjutan, seperti Game edukasi. Penggunaan media game edukasi sebagai media pembelajaran mampu membuat individu dapat terlibat aktif dalam memecahkan masalah dan membuat keputusan, serta melaksanakan tugas kognitif yang membantu memperkuat keterampilan berpikir. Dalam hal ini, lingkungan belajar yang menggunakan media game edukasi dapat dianggap sebagai pilihan yang tepat untuk membantu membangun Sustainability Literacy. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah melakukan analisis mengenai kebutuhan akan game edukasi yang diperlukan sebagai tahap awal dari Research and Development (R&D). Penelitian ini termasuk dalam penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Angket digunakan sebagai instrumen untuk pengumpulan data. Subjek yang terlibat adalah 120 mahasiswa prodi S1 Pendidikan Guru Sekolah Dasar. Dalam penelitian yang telah dilaksanakan, dilakukan analisis deskriptif terhadap data yang diperoleh. Berdasarkan hasil analisis, disimpulkan bahwa terdapat fasilitas yang mendukung penggunaan game edukasi dan mahasiswa memerlukan game edukasi online yang mudah digunakan dengan navigasi yang sederhanda  dan dilengkapi dengan unsur interaktif, desain visual dan animasi yang menarik, memuat tantangan, serta mendukung pembelajaran kolaboratif atau diskusi kelompok agar dapat memahami konsep perubahan iklim secara lebih baik. Selain itu, game tersebut juga diharapkan dapat meningkatkan Sustainability Literacy