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Investigating Students’ Sustainability Awareness and the Curriculum of Technology Education in Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Muhammad Noman Malik

    (Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan)

  • Huma Hayat Khan

    (Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan)

  • Abdoulmohammad Gholamzadeh Chofreh

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz 61349-37333, Iran)

  • Feybi Ariani Goni

    (Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

  • Jiří Jaromír Klemeš

    (Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory—SPIL, NETME Centre, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology—VUT Brno, Technická 2896/2, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Youseef Alotaibi

    (Department of Computer Sciences, Jamoum University College, Umm Al-Qura University, P.O.Box 715, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Various fields of manufacturing, management, and business, including technology education, software development, and information communication technology (ICT), have espoused sustainability concepts. Including sustainability concepts in technology, education can help students learn how to implement the dimensions of sustainability (economic, social, and environmental). Lack of awareness and education regarding sustainability among students can impact their competence to incorporate sustainability into technology development. Thus, the development of student competence across the curriculum of technology education for sustainability is crucial. This research aims to explore student competence development in technology education (IT, computer science, and software development) through investigating their awareness of sustainability, and to investigate how much sustainability is infused across the technology education curriculum. The case study for this research is taken from a very populous and developing country—Pakistan. First, an in-depth survey of higher education students is conducted to investigate their awareness level of sustainability. Second, qualitative document analysis is conducted, where the standard curriculum for technology education is taken and analyzed for its provision towards sustainability. A total of 159 students from various public-sector universities of Pakistan reported their awareness towards sustainability. The results show that 71% of them are unaware of the term sustainability in their respective fields, only 17% students know the basic definition of sustainability, and 12% of students have just an idea of how sustainability is related to technology education. It is also observed that the current curriculum of technology education does not sufficiently cover specific subjects or topics that can help students understand the concepts of sustainability. This study highlights the gaps in the offered curriculum for building the desired competence of students in technology education.

Suggested Citation

  • Muhammad Noman Malik & Huma Hayat Khan & Abdoulmohammad Gholamzadeh Chofreh & Feybi Ariani Goni & Jiří Jaromír Klemeš & Youseef Alotaibi, 2019. "Investigating Students’ Sustainability Awareness and the Curriculum of Technology Education in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:9:p:2651-:d:229482
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Eva-Maria Waltner & Werner Rieß & Christoph Mischo, 2019. "Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Student Sustainability Competencies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, March.
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    4. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    5. Abdoulmohammad Gholamzadeh Chofreh & Feybi Ariani Goni, 2017. "Review of Frameworks for Sustainability Implementation," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(3), pages 180-188, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hira Noman & Naeem Ahmed Mahoto & Sania Bhatti & Hamad Ali Abosaq & Mana Saleh Al Reshan & Asadullah Shaikh, 2022. "An Exploratory Study of Software Sustainability at Early Stages of Software Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-23, July.
    2. Muhammad Saifullah Khalid Malik & Zhanyong Qi & Mussarat Iqbal & Samina Zamir & Balqees Fatima Malik, 2023. "Education for sustainable development: Secondary school teacher's awareness and perception of integration," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1515-1525, June.
    3. Yuan Ma & Jingzhi Men & Wei Cui, 2020. "Does Environmental Education Matter? Evidence from Provincial Higher Education Institutions in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-13, August.
    4. Preeta Hinduja & Razia Fakir Mohammad & Sohni Siddiqui & Shahnaz Noor & Altaf Hussain, 2023. "Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan: A Systematic Review of Progress and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
    5. Aida Guerra & Dan Jiang & Xiangyun Du, 2022. "Student Agency for Sustainability in a Systemic PBL Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-19, October.
    6. Huma H. Khan & Muhammad N. Malik & Raheel Zafar & Feybi A. Goni & Abdoulmohammad G. Chofreh & Jiří J. Klemeš & Youseef Alotaibi, 2020. "Challenges for sustainable smart city development: A conceptual framework," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1507-1518, September.

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