International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

Editorial

Iain Patton

Toward diversifying higher education sustainability competency scholarship: findings and implications from a bibliometric analysis

Jessica Ostrow Michel, Peter Siciliano, Michaela Zint, Sarah Collins

One of the rapidly growing bodies of literature on sustainability in higher education focuses on the competencies students should master to bring about the necessary…

English language teacher trainers’ capacity building in sustainable development goals through MOOCs

Özlem Canaran, İlknur Bayram

This study makes an enquiry of the existing sustainable development goals (SDGs) knowledge of English language teacher trainers (ELTTs), who remain an overlooked stakeholder in…

Sustainability in education through collaborative learning using social media: an exploratory study with moderating role of “knowledge creator” and “knowledge seeker”

Ranjan Chaudhuri, Sheshadri Chatterjee, Demetris Vrontis, Diego Begalli

This study aims to examine the impact of social media (SM) on the interactivity among teachers, among students and between students and teachers for sustainable academic…

To know, feel and do: an instructional practice of higher education for sustainable development

Tien-Chi Huang, Shin-Jia Ho, Wen-Hui Zheng, Yu Shu

The importance of multidimensional and engaging instruction for sustainable development goals (SDGs) in higher education cannot be overstated. Such instructions should motivate…

A comprehensive review of environmental, sustainability and climate change curriculum in Taiwan’s higher education institutions

John Chung-En Liu, Ting-Yu Kan

This study aims to evaluate the current situation of education for sustainable development, climate change education and environmental education in a nationwide context…

The influence of sustainability education on students’ entrepreneurial intentions

Hasnan Baber, Mina Fanea-Ivanovici, Paul Sarango-Lalangui

This study aims to examine the influence of sustainability education in 15 Indian universities and the mediating role of the theory of planned behavior in predicting students’…

Recognizing the impact of value-belief-norm theory on pro-environmental behaviors of higher education students: considering aspects for social-marketing applications

Eiman Negm

This study aims to examine how higher education can mold pro-environmental actions among students with educational social-marketing leads; it probes into the direct influence of…

Influences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the impact factor of a sample of environment/sustainability-related journals

Walter Leal Filho, Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis, Amanda Lange Salvia, Bárbara Maria Fritzen Gomes, Claudio Ruy Portela de Vasconcelos, Clarissa Ferreira Albrecht

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in academic routines. These changes have also contributed to an increase in the number of papers submitted to journals, citations and…

The representation of sustainability among university teachers: knowing the present to change the future

Ion Yarritu, Nahia Idoiaga Mondragon, Inge Axpe Saez, Cristina Arriaga

The educational community – particularly higher education – should contribute to the new generation’s understanding of what sustainability entails. To do this, teachers must be…

Collaboratively crafting learning standards for tertiary education for environment and sustainability

Bonnie McBain, Liam Phelan, Anna Ferguson, Paul Brown, Valerie Brown, Iain Hay, Richard Horsfield, Ros Taplin, Daniella Tilbury

The aim of this paper is to outline the collaborative approach used to craft national learning standards for tertiary programs in the field of environment and sustainability in…

Promoting sustainable consumption among university students: a systematic literature review

Yuri Enrique Herrera Burstein, Niria Marleny Goñi Avila

This study aims to identify and analyze research that promotes sustainable consumption among university students, understand what areas of consumption were addressed, how…

Towards post-COVID-19 responsible academic air travel

Sherry Hsueh-Yu Tseng, James Higham, Craig Lee

This study aims to shape the future of academic air travel practices by identifying the challenges between existing air travel-related policies and practicing responsible air…

Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption behaviors: influencers and moderators

Ali Kara, Maung K. Min

The purpose of this study is to explore Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers’ sustainable consumption behaviors at a university campus by examining various antecedent and moderating…

Pre-University engagement and education for sustainable development in Aruba: The Academic Foundation Year

Mollie Chapman, Maarten B. Eppinga, Tobia de Scisciolo, Eric N. Mijts

Universities of Small Island States (SIS) have the potential to fulfill a crucial role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but also face barriers to local…

Students’ perspectives of sustainable development goals in a Japanese higher education institute

Thomas E. Jones, Lindsay Mack, Oscar A. Gómez

As UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) are integrated across Asia-Pacific Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), the purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study is to…

The orchestration of a sustainable development agenda in the European Higher Education Area

Iryna Kushnir, Elizabeth Agbor Eta, Marcellus Forh Mbah, Charlotte-Rose Kennedy

This paper aims to ask how the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has orchestrated a sustainable development (SD) agenda in its international policy since 2020.

The carbon footprint at quality and environmental university consortium – QualEnv

Paulo Guilherme Fuchs, Manoel Honorato Filho, Liziane Araújo da Silva, Ana Regina Aguiar Dutra, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra

Universities and their actions affect the environment directly and significantly. Therefore, the carbon footprint (CF) needs to be implemented in these institutions for mitigating…

Exploring the interconnected nature of the sustainable development goals: the 2030 SDGs Game as a pedagogical tool for interdisciplinary education

Valeria Andreoni, Alice Richard

The purpose of this paper is to present the 2030 SDGs Game as a pedagogical tool for the promotion of interdisciplinary education. Based on the simulation of possible world…

How sustainable is the governance for sustainability in higher education? Insights from an Italian case study

Alessandra Sacchi, Monica Molino, Egidio Dansero, Alessia Antonella Rossi, Chiara Ghislieri

Higher education (HE) institutions can play a fundamental role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, universities often face various obstacles to sustainability…

A quantitative assessment model for students’ sustainability: evidence from a Peruvian university

B.F. Giannetti, Feni Agostinho, C.M.V.B. Almeida, Marcos José Alves Pinto Jr, Maritza Chirinos Marroquín, Medardo Delgado Paredes

The study of sustainability within universities is recognized as essential for debates and research; in the long term, the “sustainable university” concepts can contribute to…

The context and concept of higher education for sustainable development: the case of Nepal

Dev Raj Adhikari, Prakash Shrestha

The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the context and concept of higher education for sustainable development (HESD) in Nepalese higher educational institutions…

Odd couples: reconciling academic and operational cultures for whole-institution sustainability governance at universities

John Robinson, Andi Darell Alhakim, Grace Ma, Monisha Alam, Fernanda da Rocha Brando, Manfred Braune, Michelle Brown, Nicolas Côté, Denise Crocce Romano Espinosa, Ana Karen Garza, David Gorman, Maarten Hajer, John Madden, Rob Melnick, John Metras, Julie Newman, Rutu Patel, Rob Raven, Kenneth Sergienko, Victoria Smith, Hoor Tariq, Lysanne van der Lem, Christina Nga Jing Wong, Arnim Wiek

This study aims to explore barriers and pathways to a whole-institution governance of sustainability within the working structures of universities.

Integrating education for sustainable development in physical education: fostering critical and systemic thinking

Salvador Baena-Morales, Gladys Merma-Molina, Alberto Ferriz-Valero

The aim of this personal vision research is to analyse the characteristics of physical education subject to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the…

Teaching sustainability in higher education by integrating mathematical concepts

Matilde Lafuente-Lechuga, Javier Cifuentes-Faura, Úrsula Faura-Martínez

This paper aims to identify the current situation of higher education institutions in Spain regarding the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals in the classroom, and…

Environmental values and education in Spanish universities: a questionnaire validation

Clara Margaça, José Carlos Sánchez-García, Brizeida Hernández Sánchez, Susana Lucas Mangas

To protect the environment and society, research on responsible behavior and personal values has increased. Values have been identified as important for understanding and…

Enquiry-based skills education for sustainable development in a UK geography module as a catalyst for organisational change

Dawn Theresa Nicholson, Valeria Ruiz Vargas, Gail Skelly

Higher education institutions have a significant role in preparing future generations for the world of work and sustainable development. This paper aims to present a curriculum…

A 5 pillars approach to the sustainable development goals performance and reporting in Portuguese higher education institutions. Proposal for an applied framework

Sónia Monteiro, Verónica Ribeiro, Cristiana Molho

The implementation and reporting of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is one of the emerging challenges for higher education institutions (HEIs), but the lack of…

Using community-based social marketing to identify promising behavioral targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions among college students

Elizabeth C. Ross, Patricia A. Aloise-Young, Hannah Curcio

The purpose of this paper is to recommend behavioral targets for future interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at college campuses and to advise interventionists on how…

The role of sustainable development in the academic curriculum and prospective employment: a survey of information technology students in Bulgaria

Denitza Anguelova Charkova, Elena Somova

The information technology (IT) sector is a powerful factor in present-day society, and its role in pro-sustainability policies is crucial. This study aims to gain insight into IT…

Generating students’ loyalty towards the sustainable university during the later COVID-19 pandemic

Dan-Cristian Dabija, Veronica Campian, Liana Stanca, Adriana Tiron-Tudor

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought tremendous changes in society. Universities were among the few organisations with some previous knowledge of online education, being able to…

An evaluation of the environmental values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors of sport management students in higher education institutions

Jamee Pelcher, Sylvia Trendafilova, Jeffrey Alexander Graham

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental values, beliefs, norms and behaviors of students in higher education institutions across North America, more…

Student perceptions and interests in sustainability: differences among student groups and impact on student sustainability program participation

Megan Lee, Tyra Byers, Alyssa Powell

This study aims to examine factors that impact participation of diverse university students in an academic sustainability certificate and Office of Sustainability internships at…

Is the grass always greener? Access to campus green spaces can boost students’ sense of belonging

Chloe A. Thompson, Madeleine Pownall, Richard Harris, Pam Blundell-Birtill

An important facet of student’s sense of belonging is students’ relationships with, and time spent in, the university campus. The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion…

Community college discourses of sustainability in an academic and professional corpus

Minghui Hou, David Franklin Ayers

The purpose of this study is to identify discourses of sustainability of community colleges and how they related to sustainability imaginaries.

Growing a digital iceberg for a polar bear: effects of a gamified mobile app on university students’ pro-environmental behaviours

Ștefan Boncu, Octav-Sorin Candel, Oara Prundeanu, Nicoleta Laura Popa

Pro-environmental education incorporates digital technologies to enhance the level of pro-environmental behaviours (PEB) in young adults. Guided by gamified learning and…

A step toward nurturing infrastructure sustainability and rating systems through construction management curricula

Rubaya Rahat, Piyush Pradhananga, Mohamed ElZomor

With the increasing demand for sustainable developments, higher education should focus on teaching both sustainable buildings and infrastructure systems. This study aims to…

Business schools’ transformation towards sustainability: empirical insights from UN PRME signatories

Jasmin Godemann, Bich-Ngoc Nguyen, Christian Herzig

This paper aims to present the progress of the implementation of sustainability in business schools in line with the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education…

A transformative online approach to sustainable development in management education: the case of a Brazilian business school

Laís Viera Trevisan, Luis Felipe Machado do Nascimento, Walter Leal Filho, Eugênio Ávila Pedrozo

The purpose of this study is to present an innovative and transformative online approach to sustainable development in management education.

Establishment and implementation of behavioral observation scale for avoiding food waste for hospitality students

Wen-Hwa Ko, Yi-Ling Hong

The purpose of this study was constructed a behavioral observation scale for avoiding food waste from the point of view of Chinese cuisine, used as an evaluation tool to examine…

Awareness and perception of the environmental sustainability of the UAE University campus: a case study of sustainability course

Mohammed Albattah, Lindita Bande

This study aims to investigate the entry-level student’s awareness of environmental sustainability focussing on the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) campus and measure the…

Implementing and performing sustainability strategies at campus operations: the case of Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina

Osni Cristiano Reisch, Josiane Lima, Thiago Coelho Soares, Alessandra Yula Tutida, Gisele Mazon, Maurício Andrade de Lima, Carlos Rogério Montenegro de Lima, Ana Regina Aguiar Dutra, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra

This study aims to analyze the alignment between sustainable performance and sustainability planning in higher education, proposing a strategic map that integrates planning with…

What is the role of economics and business studies in the development of attitudes in favour of sustainability?

Javier Cifuentes-Faura, Pedro Noguera-Méndez

This paper aims to find out what attitudes Economics and Business students have towards sustainability and what they expect from their education in relation to the achievement of…

Visual images of sustainability in higher education: the hidden curriculum of climate change on campus

Debby Cotton, Jennie Winter, Joseph A. Allison, Rachel Mullee

Perceptions of climate change are strongly influenced by visual cues and images. Many universities have made significant steps towards decarbonisation, yet these often remain…

An analysis of students’ attitudes and behaviors toward on-campus sustainable dining initiatives

Alexia F. Franzidis, Steven M. Zinder, Olivia Backston

The purpose of this paper is to examine students’ attitudes toward sustainable dining. It aims to identify the level of importance that students place on specific on-campus…

Key insights from climate communication – and how they can inspire sustainability in higher education

Maike Sippel

To combat climate change and safeguard a liveable future, humanity needs fundamental and rapid social change. The purpose of this paper is to show, why and how climate…

Lost in translation? Tanzanian students’ views on sustainability and language, and the implications for the pledge to leave no one behind

Nico Ulmer, Ntiokam Divine, Kerstin Wydra

Less than eight years remain to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Numerous authors underlined the importance of language in achieving the SDGs; however, its role…

Waste governance and campus sustainability: formal and informal waste systems at football tailgates in Michigan

Noleen R. Chikowore, John M. Kerr

Football tailgating is a focus of campus sustainability in the United States because it produces large amounts of waste. In states where recyclables can be redeemed for cash, this…

Internationalisation, sustainability and the contested environmental impacts of international student mobility

David McCollum, Hebe Nicholson

This paper aims to stimulate the nascent research agenda on the environmental sustainability of the ongoing mushrooming of international student mobility (ISM). The higher…

Environmental behavior of university students

Macarena Torroba Diaz, Anna Bajo-Sanjuan, Ángela María Callejón Gil, Ana Rosales-Pérez, Lidia López Marfil

This study aims to build a model for the analysis of the environmental behavior of university students.

Proposed mapping and evaluation model of sustainable development goals in graduate programs in environmental sciences in Brazil

José Carmino Gomes Junior, Sandra Dalila Corbari, Cláudia Terezinha Kniess, Gérsica Moraes Nogueira da Silva, Simone Caroline Piontkewicz, Maiara de Souza Melo, Amanda Silveira Carbone, Oklinger Mantovaneli Jr, Maria do Carmo Martins Sobral, Arlindo Philippi Junior, Felipe Fernandez, Ana Regina de Aguiar Dutra, Robert Samuel Birch, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, Carlos Alberto Cioce Sampaio

This paper aim to propose a methodological mapping approach for the evaluation of dissertations and theses of graduate programs in the area of environmental sciences in Brazil in…

To what extent can collaborative platforms in urban planning education enhance transformative learning outside of academia?

Ratka Čolić, Danijela Milovanović Rodić, Josefine Fokdal

This paper aims to explore the effects of collaborative innovation (CI) in urban planning practice by investigating the influence of a platform for collaboration between academia…

The Anthropocene and the sustainable development goals: key elements in geography higher education?

Carlos Martínez-Hernández, Carmen Mínguez

The current “Anthropocene” epoch has witnessed an imbalanced global change, but it is an opportunity to design a better and sustainable future. Sustainability criteria need to be…

Ensuring sustainability in internationalisation efforts at higher education institutions

Walter Leal Filho, Laís Viera Trevisan, Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis, Subarna Sivapalan, Zujaja Wahaj, Olena Liakh

Higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world are engaged in internationalisation efforts. Yet internationalisation per se is associated with significant pressures on the…

Campus sustainability plans: past, present and future

Robert F. Eby, Nandhini Rangarajan

This study aims to describe the different elements included in campus sustainability plans (CSPs) in colleges and universities across the USA.

Carbon emissions measurement as intra-action: incentives to disclose air emissions at a Canadian university

Marcela Porporato, Tameka Samuels-Jones

The purpose of this paper is to use the case of York University in Canada to analyze the connection between University Social Responsibility and voluntary disclosure. The authors…

Proposal for a model integrating sustainability and social innovation in higher education institutions

Mariana Alvarenga, Ana Regina Aguiar Dutra, Felipe Fernandez, Ricardo Lemos Thomé, Ivone Junges, Nei Nunes, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra

This study aims to propose an integrated model involving concepts of sustainability and social innovation (SI) in higher education institutions (HEIs).

The effect of social innovation education on sustainability learning outcomes: the roles of intrinsic learning motivation and prosocial motivation

Hongxin Wang, Xin Jiang, Wenqing Wu, Yuchen Tang

The purpose of this study is to reveal the influence mechanism of social innovation education (SIE) on sustainability learning outcomes and analyze the roles of intrinsic learning…

Empowering undergraduate students to take action: an empathetic mindset toward education for sustainable development

Chi-I Lin, Yuh-Yuh Li

This study aims to investigate the potential of an empathetic mindset aimed at empowering undergraduate students to work toward sustainable development (SD), addressing both…