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Article
Publication date: 24 April 2020

Elisabete Correia, Fátima Conde, Rosa Nunes and Clara Viseu

This paper aims to compare the environmental sustainability practices at the campus operations between two Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs) at different stages of…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to compare the environmental sustainability practices at the campus operations between two Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs) at different stages of the implementation of an Eco-School Programme. It also seeks to analyse the involvement of the students in the process of implementing these practices in their institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was carried out in two HEIs (a green and a non-green institution). Data were collected from a total of 832 students. Techniques of descriptive statistics and inferential statistical techniques such as the Mann-Whitney test, χ2 and Spearman correlation test, were applied.

Findings

The results obtained show that, from the students’ perspective, and in both institutions, there is still much to be done on the path towards sustainability, particularly in transport and landscaping. Significant differences were found only between some environmental sustainability practices at the campus level. However, students from the green institution are more participative in sustainability activities.

Practical implications

This study provides a picture of two HEIs’ sustainability behaviour from the students’ standpoint, which can be important for decision-makers in HEIs, in as much that students are one of the HEIs’ major stakeholder groups; furthermore, it enables them to better guide their efforts towards sustainability.

Originality/value

This paper focusses on the students’ perspective and their role in the sustainability initiatives undertaken by HEIs. It can be useful for future research that attempts to analyse the importance of HEIs’ stakeholder participation in sustainability.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 7 March 2022

Nichole Hugo

Children are not only capable of learning and adopting sustainable behaviours but also can be influencers and sustainability actioners to motivate others to make these behaviour…

Abstract

Children are not only capable of learning and adopting sustainable behaviours but also can be influencers and sustainability actioners to motivate others to make these behaviour changes in their communities and around the world. Their ability to reach wide public audiences is a result of globalised social media platforms and increased visibility through documentaries and TV shows. This not only allows them to reach out to their peers but also to influence people of multiple generations to incorporate sustainable practices into their daily routines. Schools systems are also understanding the importance of embedding lessons and extracurricular activities with sustainable themes, which allows students to use their creativity to explore these topics further. National and global organisations are encouraging children and youth to spread messages of sustainability through competitions, which gives them the opportunity to use resources from well-funded organisations to help spread their message. These multi-faceted opportunities give children a variety of ways to utilise their skills and creativity to reach a wide and diverse audience.

Details

Children in Sustainable and Responsible Tourism
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-657-6

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2006

Kate Edwards

The shared space of school grounds can provide a rich educational resource in addition to a safe environment for play, enjoyment and relaxation. The project described in this…

Abstract

The shared space of school grounds can provide a rich educational resource in addition to a safe environment for play, enjoyment and relaxation. The project described in this paper developed guidance for schools on grounds development and also provided direct support to three schools to enable them to improve their grounds and to work towards Eco Schools and Health Promoting Schools accreditation. The evaluation demonstrated a relationship between improved grounds and a reduction in negative playground incidents, improved co‐operation at break times, children having more pride in their school, children feeling happier at break time, increased sun awareness and the use of school grounds as a teaching resource. The project also achieved some influence at a more strategic level.

Details

Journal of Public Mental Health, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5729

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2016

Elaine L. Ritch and Douglas Brownlie

The purpose of this paper is to explore social dynamics around food and clothing provisioning for young families and how involvement in environmental concerns shapes those…

1931

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore social dynamics around food and clothing provisioning for young families and how involvement in environmental concerns shapes those dynamics and presents challenges and opportunities to in terms of evolving consumer tastes. Through collecting and analysing narratives of mothering, the authors explore the influence of children on decision making in household provisioning; in particular, how their education into sustainable concepts through the European initiative of eco-schools impacts provisioning.

Design/methodology/approach

The exploratory research design specifically sought the demographic profile identified in extant literature as engaging with sustainability issues to explore how they were interpreted into familial consumption. This resulted in 28 unstructured interviews exploring a range of related topics with a group of highly educated working mothers with a profession.

Findings

The study finds that family consumption behaviour is mediated by relations towards environmental concerns and taste positions taken by both parents and children. It illustrates how care for children’s safety, social resilience and health and well-being is habitus informed as well as being the subject of wider institutional logics including educational interventions such as school eco-status and participation in mother and child activity groups. However, tensions arose surrounding the children’s socialisation with peers and space was provided to help the children self-actualise.

Research limitations/implications

The exploratory goal of the study limited the scope of its empirical work to a small group of participants sharing consumer characteristics and geographical location.

Practical implications

The research provides ideas for retailers, brands and marketers to better position their product offering as it relates to growing family concerns for ecological issues and sustainable consumption, as well as what motivates sustainable behaviours, from both the child and mothers perspective.

Social implications

The research identifies the immersion of sustainability into family households when there are no financial implications, influenced through campaigns, schools and society. This provides examples of what motivates sustainable behaviours for retailers and marketers to develop strategies that can be capitalised on.

Originality/value

The originality of the research emerges through examining how children influence sustainability within households and decision making, moving beyond health implications to educate children to be responsible consumers through play and authentic experiences.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 44 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 January 2012

Rajib Shaw and Phong Tran

According to the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2007), 11 out of the last 12 years have…

Abstract

According to the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2007), 11 out of the last 12 years have been the hottest on record since 1850. It is also estimated that the average global surface temperature from 1850–1899 to 2001–2005 has increased by 0.76°C. Global sea level increased at an average rate of 1.8mm per year over the period 1961–2003 and, over the 20th century, sea levels rose by 0.17m. Since the middle of 20th century, human activities have contributed to global warming, a phenomenon that is expected to continue at an increasingly faster rate in the 21st century if there is no effort to address it.

Details

Environment Disaster Linkages
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-866-4

Book part
Publication date: 25 November 2019

Jason McGrath and John Fischetti

The digital technological revolution offers new ways for classrooms to operate and challenges the concept of whether brick and mortar schools should exist at all. At the same…

Abstract

The digital technological revolution offers new ways for classrooms to operate and challenges the concept of whether brick and mortar schools should exist at all. At the same time, the changes to society as we move from a knowledge-based economy to an intelligent and innovation-based economy challenges us to reassess the purpose of education. This chapter investigates an overarching counterfactual question, “What if compulsory schooling was invented in the twenty-first century”? We used a foresight methodology, based on “anticipation,” to conceptualize possible models for a future system of compulsory schooling arising from an analysis of contemporary catalysts for remodeling. While anticipation does not predict the future, the concept is that when a current system and a model of a system interplay, they impact each other to change both the present as well as possible futures. The design principles of cities, such as Freiburg (Germany), Poundbury (England), and Christie Walk (Australia), which have been developed around the idea of ecologically sustainable and decentralized cities, are focused on approaches to living that can provide a springboard for exploring the impact of changing employment, economic, technological, and social change on future schooling models. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has opened up a new field of study to investigate neuroscience, which can inform teaching practice. Postmodern and indigenous ways of thinking provide different insights about how schooling might be reconceptualized. Alternative models of future schooling are conceptualized about (i) the role of the learner and teacher, (ii) design of a school, and (iii) the purpose of compulsory schooling. For each area of remodeling, deviations to current practices as well as paradigm shifts are framed as part of scenario building. Related questions include: how schooling might be different if it had been created today for the first time? How might it better meet the needs of contemporary society? What aspects of schooling now might be lost if it was only invented in the twenty-first century? What are possible side effects from any change ideas as part of research practice? A vital aspect of this chapter is to explore the concept of learning as a general concept versus the more specific concept of schooling. We are at the precipice of a new vision of schooling based on a counterfactual way of thinking about the future of schooling as we have known it in the West.

Details

The Educational Intelligent Economy: Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and the Internet of Things in Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78754-853-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2016

Manfred Fehr and Viviane Suzana Costa Santos Andrade

The purpose of this paper is to seek to develop environmental scores to complement already existing academic scores in order to evaluate and compare school performance in the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to seek to develop environmental scores to complement already existing academic scores in order to evaluate and compare school performance in the context of sustainable societies.

Design/methodology/approach

In a case study on one particular Brazilian school, the authors propose three indexes to grade school performance: academic achievement, sustainable design and environmental behavior.

Findings

The behavior refers to water and energy consumption, environmental education activities, waste production and sorting, noise level, food scraps and traffic density.

Research limitations/implications

The adoption of the scoreboard induces all members of the school community, students, teachers and service personnel, to participate in the measurements and in targeting.

Practical implications

All measured parameters are reduced to dimensionless fractions of ideal values in order to provide a basis for objective targeting within the school and for comparisons within the school universe.

Social implications

The scoreboard is transferable to the school universe in the quest for benchmaking environmental performance.

Originality/value

As a “bottom-up” management procedure, the study develops the ideal reference values suitable to the particular school in an effort to overcome their absence in the municipal context and to induce their application in that context.

Article
Publication date: 17 September 2020

Carmen Coronado, Carla Freijomil-Vázquez, Sara Fernández-Basanta, Elena Andina-Díaz and María-Jesús Movilla-Fernández

Higher education institutions have a significant impact in preparing future generations for the creation of a sustainable society. By formulating appropriate curricula, the…

Abstract

Purpose

Higher education institutions have a significant impact in preparing future generations for the creation of a sustainable society. By formulating appropriate curricula, the university can shape student personality with sustainability concerns. This study aims to present the results of a teaching approach on environmental sustainability using the photovoice methodology. A guided visit to the sewage treatment plant of A Coruña was included as a teaching activity in the “Microbiology and Parasitology” classes of the podiatry degree at University of A Coruña. The teaching objectives were to reinforce contents through observation and to introduce citizen awareness on sustainability and responsible water use in a cross-sectional manner.

Design/methodology/approach

In this case study, different steps of photovoice as a qualitative participatory action methodology were developed. A total of 43 university students willingly participated with their photographs. Qualitative data were collected from the students’ photovoice visit reports and a subsequent discussion group. Thematic content analysis was performed manually.

Findings

This study explored the impact of an environmental sustainability teaching activity on the university student community. Six main categories emerged from the qualitative analysis: savings/waste of water, misuse of the water closet, disposing of used oil, solid waste/trash, reuse of clean water and reuse/reduction of the use of plastics. The cross-sectional findings on the needs of education and awareness of sustainability in the community and companies are presented.

Originality/value

The findings provide evidence of the ability of photovoice method as a pedagogical tool to promote reflection and change in the university community and to introduce sustainability cross-sectional content in green campus curricula. This photovoice experiment is simple and feasible to implement and has a very low economic cost, as long as there are qualified educators.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 21 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 November 2018

Kongkiti Phusavat, Achmad Nizar Hidayanto, Pekka Kess and Jussi Kantola

This study aims to develop a pedagogy which would help a school become a workplace for learning and professional development. Essentially, this objective addresses the following…

1297

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop a pedagogy which would help a school become a workplace for learning and professional development. Essentially, this objective addresses the following critical question. How can a school become an attractive workplace where learning and professional development of teachers positively contribute to better teaching and learning for the students?

Design/methodology/approach

The research is considered as a case study. The pilot project or experiment has taken place at Mattayom Suwitserianusorn School which is part of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Design Thinking and Finnish practices have been explicitly integrated into peer-learning community (PLC). Design Thinking, through the use of empathy, helps highlight the interrelationships among motivation, emotion and cognition of students. Follow-up meetings provide insights into teacher’s professional development and impacts on student’s learning. The verification is based on award and recognition gathered over the past years for students and the school.

Findings

PLC helps improve a school as a place for learning and professional development. The significance of integrating Design Thinking is extensively discussed. The project shows how co-teaching can be applied, given a proper selection of a problem. Higher motivation and better behavior among students are noticeable. The pilot project reinforces the importance of PLC in the current pedagogical development as it helps transform a school into workplace learning for both teachers and students. Blending Design Thinking helps strengthen the sustainability of PLC, as a lesson plan should be revised according to the students’ background and needs.

Research limitations/implications

The study responds to the call by several international studies for better pedagogical development and in-service training for teachers’ continuous learning and professional development. More vigorous comparisons with other schools will be needed to help verify the study’s findings. This is due to the need to have a longitudinal study of PLC’s impacts.

Practical implications

For teachers, an understanding of their common interests and the recognition on the need to learn from one another is important. For students, an understanding of their psychology and emotional intelligence through the use of Design Thinking is highlighted. Motivation, emotion and cognition of students are interrelated and can help transform a school into learning space.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the transformation of a school as a workplace for learning and professional development which is based on the aforementioned pedagogical development. Also, Design Thinking helps strengthen PLC as an alternative pedagogical practices.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 31 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 13 September 2011

415

Abstract

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 41 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

1 – 10 of 52