Taking stock of sustainability in higher education: a review of the policy literature

Cheeseman, Adam; Wright, Tarah; Murray, Jaylene; McKenzie, Marcia

doi:10.1080/13504622.2019.1616164

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Despite its recognized global importance, a study [9] in which the authors analyzed more than two hundred articles dealing with the subject, shows that most of the research carried out so far is not empirical, but focuses on providing a series of orientations and guidelines to teach and learn the implications of sustainable development, rather than exploring the complexity of policy making or enactment. This finding is reaffirmed by recent research [10], which mentions that more research is needed to understand best practices and processes through which policies favoring sustainable development can be promoted.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Therefore, the scientific community seems to agree on the need to place greater emphasis on the development and promulgation of educational policies on sustainability and climate change in education [9], as well as the development of key competencies in sustainability [4]. Similarly, the findings of the other investigation [10] demonstrate the need for future research to focus on various aspects of the process of formulating and enacting policies that promote sustainability, as well as on the consequences of such policies in practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Productive, Structural and Dynamic Study of the Concept of Sustainability in the Educational Field

et al. 2019

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Sustainable education is currently booming in the teaching and learning processes, although it is not without complexity, due to its various dimensions and the evolution it has undergone to date. The objective of this research is to establish a mapping and scientific evolution of the term “sustainability” in education in the Web of Science database. To do so, a bibliometrical method has been applied, through the analysis of the performance of the scientific production and the evolution of the structure and dynamism of sustainability in education, by means of an analysis of co-words. The total number of references analyzed, after following a debugging process, was 9441. The results show the boom of sustainability in education in recent times, with a great impact on research related to attitudes and sustainability. It can be concluded that a large part of the studies analyzed are of a descriptive nature, with a decrease in the number of exploratory studies, which can give a holistic vision to the subject matter presented, especially regarding the development of the curriculum and the teaching-learning process.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Productive, Structural and Dynamic Study of the Concept of Sustainability in the Educational Field

et al. 2019

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“…From this perspective, the ACES project (Curriculum Greening of Higher Education) may be highlighted, directed at the diagnostic evaluation and reorientation of ecological subject matter in the university curriculum, and the design and application of strategies for the implementation of the concept of sustainability in higher education [19]. Nevertheless, the conclusions of the recent review of 91 scientific articles on sustainability policies in higher education of Cheeseman et al [20] underlined the need for a larger volume of investigations centered on understanding practice and processes to promote the concept of sustainability in the university setting. There is no doubt that the definition of pedagogy, topics, and areas of university action on sustainability continue to be a matter for debate [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-Environmental Problematic, End-Purposes, and Strategies Relating to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the Perspectives of Spanish Secondary Education Trainee Teachers

2020

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In this paper, representations of Spanish Secondary Education trainee teachers (n = 163) are analyzed with regard to the socio-environmental problematic, end-purposes, and strategies of education for sustainable development (ESD). Likewise, the study seeks to identify the potential influence of sociodemographic variables on those representations and, in particular, possible differences between either the perceptions or the beliefs of trainee teachers of Geography and History and those from other disciplines. The study can be classified as a non-experimental ex post facto investigation based on a questionnaire, yielding results that reflected the commitment of the students towards teaching through the implementation of strategies directed at conflict resolution for social transformation, and towards teaching the development of critical and creative thinking skills for social interventions. Likewise, the study reports the promotion of specific socio-educational actions leading to sustainable development. These results show the absence of differences in terms of the sex, age, institutional affiliation, background discipline or specialism, or previous training in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the students. Despite the identification of greater tendencies towards the conceptualized development of social awareness and active citizenship among trainee teachers of Geography and History, these results reflected the pertinence and the educational need for ESD in higher education from a holistic and transversal perspective.

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“…McWilliams and Siegel [8] opined that the demand for sustainability, as integral to corporate strategy, is likely to be driven by several stakeholder groups, including investors, consumers, employees, and the community. Analyzed in terms of costs and benefits, a case for sustainability can be based on a differentiation strategy and translated into a competitive advantage for an institution [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability and Stakeholder Awareness: A Case Study of a Scottish University

Raji

Hassan

2021

Sustainability

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This paper adopted a case study approach to investigate the sustainability practices of a Scottish university in order to understand if sustainability forms part of its central policy agenda. As such, the paper focuses on the levels of awareness and disclosure of their sustainable practices, measuring the impacts and effectiveness of those initiatives. This paper introduces signaling theory to explore the idea that appropriate communication via integrated thinking can close the gap between the organization and its stakeholders. We believe that the provision of this relevant information will lead to better communication between the organization and its stakeholders, supporting a signaling theory interpretation. Therefore, we are suggesting that integrated thinking is an internal process that organizations can follow to increase the level of disclosure as a communication tool with stakeholders. From the literature reviewed, four themes were identified (definition of university sustainability, sustainability awareness, disclosure framework within universities, and level of accountability). The research adopted a pragmatic view and conducted individual interviews with participants belonging to three stakeholder groups (members of the university’s senior management, the governing council, and the student union executive). Although this study focused on just one Scottish university, it should still provide some insight for the better understanding of the underpinning issues surrounding the sustainability accountability practices of Scottish universities in general. The research findings indicated that the university prioritized only two sustainability dimensions—economic and environmental—and that the university still perceived sustainability as a voluntary exercise. Additionally, it is evident that the university had no framework in place for measuring its sustainability delivery—and therefore had no established medium of communicating these activities to its stakeholders. Moreover, research findings showed that the social and educational context of sustainability was lacking at the university. The university has done little or nothing to educate its stakeholders on sustainability.

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Taking stock of sustainability in higher education: a review of the policy literature

Cited by 22 publications

References 66 publications

Productive, Structural and Dynamic Study of the Concept of Sustainability in the Educational Field

Productive, Structural and Dynamic Study of the Concept of Sustainability in the Educational Field

Socio-Environmental Problematic, End-Purposes, and Strategies Relating to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the Perspectives of Spanish Secondary Education Trainee Teachers

Sustainability and Stakeholder Awareness: A Case Study of a Scottish University

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