Toward quality education: Contributions of <scp>EdTech</scp> to the achievement of the fourth <scp>United Nations</scp> sustainable development goal

This study introduces the Sustainable Education Scale (SES), a novel instrument designed to elicit teachers' perspectives on sustainable education. Grounded in human rights education, sustainable development, social justice, and psychometrics, this survey model‐driven study systematically develops and validates the SES. Drawing on an in‐depth literature review, expert opinions, and pilot testing, the SES comprises 19 items across four sub‐dimensions: Equality in Education, Inclusiveness in Education, Quality in Education, and Democratic Education. Designing a survey based on the quantitative research model, the data was gathered from 573 participating teachers via the criterion sampling method. Demographic analysis indicates that 65.09% of the participating teachers are female (n = 373), while 3.90% are male (n = 200), and most of them have undergraduate degrees with 21 years or more of teaching experience. Construct validity and factor structure were identified through exploratory factor analysis with 273 teacher responses, whereas the validation of the identified structure was performed through CFA from a sample of 300 teachers. Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability coefficient were calculated to ensure the reliability of the scale. The SES scale emerged as valid and reliable data to reveal teachers' perspectives on sustainable education. It stands as an innovative tool for researchers, policymakers, and educators to examine, promote, and advance global goals for inclusive, equitable, and quality learning.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and validation of a sustainable education scale

Çam‐Tosun,

Söğüt

2024

“…Preprimary education, in particular, serves as the foundation for lifelong learning. The provision of high-quality and formal preprimary education is vital for children's development and the overall well-being of society (Costa et al, 2024;Yan et al, 2021). Moreover, it plays a significant role in reducing poverty and promoting social equality (Osuntuyi & Lean, 2023;Pennerstorfer & Pennerstorfer, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A framework for measuring the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 4.2 (Quality Preprimary Education) at the local scale: an empirical study in Nanjing, China

Luo,

Zhao,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Equalizing preprimary education is vital for promoting social welfare and aligns with the UN's 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4.2 which advocates equal and adequate access to quality preprimary education for all children. We developed an accessibility‐based analysis framework to assess the SDG 4.2 progress at local scale, providing improved policy recommendations for local governments by considering spatiality, equality, and adequacy across different spatial scales. The Huff–G2SFCA model was used at the grid scale to capture progress and spatial heterogeneity in preprimary education facilities and parental preferences. We used the Gini coefficient to measure the resource distribution equality at the subdistrict and district scales. The adequacy of resources across districts was evaluated using the supply–demand ratio. Our findings in Nanjing highlight challenges due to inadequate and unequal allocation of preprimary education resources, hindering SDG 4.2 advancement. Approximately 8% of children face difficulties accessing quality preprimary education, and a Gini coefficient of 0.52 indicating educational inequality. Despite positive progress in Nanjing's central urban area, suburban, and rural regions, especially the Gaochun and Lishui Districts, face significant challenges of preprimary education resource adequacy and equality in their pursuit of SDG 4.2.

Higher education and sustainable entrepreneurship: The state of the art and a look to the future

Leal Filho,

Kirby,

Sigahi

et al. 2024

The integration of sustainable entrepreneurship education in higher education is important as part of efforts to step towards equipping future leaders with the knowledge, skills and mindset needed to address global sustainability challenges through innovative and entrepreneurial solutions. This approach involves a multidisciplinary, holistic education model that combines the principles of sustainability with entrepreneurial practices. This paper, which entails a case studies approach, examines the current initiatives being undertaken by a sample of higher education institutions located in Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Europe, with the aim of fostering sustainable entrepreneurship. It concludes by proposing a series of measures with respect to sustainable entrepreneurship that higher education institutions may deploy, to address the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of the global sustainability challenges.