Supporting the Sustainability Journey of Tertiary International Students in Australia

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a pilot Education for Sustainability (EfS) program implemented in 2011 for international students in a multicampus distributed learning environment at an Australian university. It outlines the context of the pilot EfS program and reports survey findings of the environmental attitudes and sustainability worldviews of international students. The pilot EfS program entailed in-class presentations to students in a variety of Business and IT programs at diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Students were introduced to sustainability concepts and the role of graduate skills in their future professional practice. Students were also encouraged to adopt personal sustainability behaviours and assisted to connect their individual courses/programs to sustainability outcomes. Surveys consisting of open-ended questions and the Revised NEP (New Environmental Paradigm) questionnaire were conducted in a range of settings in order to develop an understanding of the sustainability attitudes and knowledge of international students. These were conducted in participating and non-participating EfS classes and also in classes with and without sustainability topics in the curriculum. The findings report the impact of these sustainability interventions on students' environmental views and attitudes. Finally, these findings are contextualised in suggested routes for scaffolding the learning journey of international students towards sustainability.This article reports the findings of a pilot EfS program implemented in 2011 for international students in a multi-campus distributed learning environment at an Australian university. The study focused on international students from developing economies (in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe) studying business and IT programs. The program was developed within the context of environmental views conditioned by a range of contextual influences: the societal/system context, that is, the structural and behavioural dimensions of students' home societies and their local business context; the university context, particularly the institution's progress towards sustainability across functional areas of curriculum, campus, community and consulting/research; the EfS learning context and pedagogy; and, the cultural/personal context, reflected in personal and cultural norms and attitudes.

The personal context of student learning for sustainability: Results of a multi-university research study

“…Instead, it revealed a convergence characterised by an increased sensitivity to environmental damage and a growing confidence in human ingenuity to overcome environmental limits or constraints. The finding concurred with the earlier pilot study (Sidiropoulos et al, 2013) and confirmed other research reporting a growing 'anthropocentric environmentalist' or 'utilitarian' view in students around the world (Bechtel et al, 2006;Corral-Verdugo et al, 2008;Dervisoglu, 2010;Erdogan, 2013;Erdoğan, 2009;Kuo and Jackson, 2014;Teisl et al, 2011), and particularly in developing/transitional economies.…”

“…Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses showed significant differences in pre-test as well as post-test NEP responses that varied by discipline of study and demographic factors, principally gender. In some studies, students held a weaker pro-ecological stance after completing regular courses (Harraway et al, 2012); other research revealed little or no changes in attitudes after sustainability education (Dagiliūtė and Liobikienė, 2015;Jowett et al, 2013;Mintz and Tal, 2013;Rideout, 2014;Yavetz et al, 2009); some reported a mixture of responses (Dagiliūtė and Niaura, 2014;Felgendreher and Löfgren, 2017;Fisher and McAdams, 2015;Sidiropoulos et al, 2013) while a few reported improved self-efficacy and self-reported behaviours (Mullenbach and Green, 2016;Sidiropoulos, 2014). More recent studies addressed several aspects of students' attitudes and behaviour, again with mixed results.…”

“…This study builds on a Pilot Education for Sustainability study conducted in Australia in 2011, where tertiary educators investigated the influence of an introductory sustainability seminar and regular curricular interventions on students' pre-post knowledge and views about sustainability. Results showed students held different initial sustainability perspectives and responded differently to the same treatment (intervention) based on their gender, age, home region (culture) and level of study (Sidiropoulos et al, 2013). Findings were presented at the 2012 Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) conference and a subsequent call was made across various channels inviting HEIs to participate in a wider study.…”

How Does Sustainability Become Professionally Relevant? Exploring the Role of Sustainability Conceptions in First Year Students

“…These include academic affiliation (major subject) [25,26], sex [26,27], age or year of studies [22,25], as well as formal and informal educational experiences [25,28]. Moreover, researchers argue that increasing students' understanding of sustainability concepts increases their PPR [21,29,30].…”

University Life and Australian Homes: Three Case Studies of International Muslim Students in Brisbane

“…An obvious reason for pursuing tertiary education overseas is to learn and to experience cultural diversity at a university, which may not be available from the students' countries of origin [8]. University life in a foreign country provides an opportunity for an international student to live independently, and manage his/her own finance, lifestyle, personality and environment [4] [7] [9]. Studying abroad offers opportunities of promoting creative cognition and creative thinking through campus intercultural societies [10] [11].…”