The status of education for sustainable development and sustainability knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of UAE University students

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) students’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward education for sustainable development (ESD) and the environment. Several independent variables (i.e. students’ gender, nationality, college, academic level and grade point average [GPA]) were also considered. Design/methodology/approach This study was descriptive in nature, and the data were obtained using a cross-sectional survey. A total of 823 participants responded to an e-education for sustainable development survey. Several data analysis procedures were used, including descriptive analyses, analyses of variance and t-tests. Findings The study revealed that the UAEU students showed a high level of understanding, very strong positive attitudes and moderate positive behavior toward ESD and the environment. Findings associated with students’ gender, nationality, college, academic level and GPA were also reported and discussed. Research limitations/implications First, the participating students came from one public university. Although this university is a major university in the nation, further studies should include samples from other public and private institutions. Second, this study did not examine the correlation among the three main components: knowledge, attitude and behavior. Thus, similar to other previous studies, the correlations among these three components should be investigated. Third, this study used previous research findings in the areas of ESD, SD and environmental education (EE) because they all relate to each other and ESD is currently the active trend in the field. Originality value No previous ESD studies have been conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), although the country is working hard to support ESD and SD. Therefore, this study explored the current education levels with regard to SD and sustainability knowledge, attitudes and behavior of tertiary students in the UAE. In addition, previous studies have clearly recommended investigating the status of EE and ESD in younger generations, especially those with higher education levels, because they are the agents of change, and they will be affected by the environmental problems that are being created by present human activities.

Attitude as a Mediator between Sustainable Behaviour and Sustainable Knowledge: An Approximation through a Case Study in the Dominican Republic

“…The present research indicates the absence of an influence of knowledge on sustainable development and behaviour towards sustainable development, which contradicts other studies that supported this positive influence of knowledge on behaviour towards sustainable development (Vicente-Molina et al 2013). On the other hand, the positive influence of knowledge on sustainable development in relation to the attitude towards sustainable development, and of the latter on behaviour towards sustainable development, has been evidenced, refuting previous studies (Aziz et al 2012;Al-Naqbi and Alshannag 2018). Therefore, attitude towards sustainable development acts as a mediating variable between knowledge about sustainable development and behaviour towards sustainable development, resulting in a total mediation, following the results obtained in the previous analysis.…”

“…This process produces effects on the environment, culture, political systems, development and economic prosperity, as well as on the well-being of people who make up societies around the world (Baylis et al 2017). It has led some authors (Aziz et al 2012;Asan et al 2014;De Leeuw et al 2014;Tucker and Izadpanahi 2017;Al-Naqbi and Alshannag 2018) to ponder over the importance of measuring variables such as the behaviour, attitude and knowledge of students toward sustainable development.…”

Perceptions and Attitudes towards Sustainable Development among Malaysian Undergraduates

“…For the first part (A), the statements were based on studies of Tuncer (2008) and Al-Naqbi and Alshannag (2018). In this part of the questionnaire, the items were modified according to the needs of the study that evaluated the individual's perception on social, economic, and environmental sustainability issues.…”

“…Education of Sustainable Development (ESD) is one way of spreading the ideas and principles of SD to multiple individuals via education (Kopnina & Meijers, 2014). Al-Naqbi and Alshannag (2018) have stated that ESD is a platform for integrating the appropriate knowledge, skills, and values to infuse the fundamental concepts of SD among undergraduates. Furthermore, the authors also mention that higher education institutions are important places to develop the necessary perceptions and attitudes among future professionals toward SD, which ultimately helps pave the way for humanity to achieve the goals of SD.…”

Application of the Modified College Impact Model to Understand Chinese Engineering Undergraduates’ Sustainability Consciousness

“…The college impact model proposed by Terenzini and Reason [12] may be one of the most representative theoretical frameworks to explain the relationships among individual institutional factors influencing undergraduates' various skills and learning outcomes. It is necessary to study engineering undergraduates' sustainability consciousness by including sustainable agency beliefs in the college impact model because previous studies have recommended that engineering undergraduates be the agents of change, and they will be influenced by the sustainable problems that are rooted in current human activities [13,14]. Moreover, the moderation role of gender on the relationship between engineering students' college experiences and several learning outcomes (e.g., contextual awareness, design skills, and communication skills) have been tested in the United States [15,16].…”