IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i13p5299-d378567.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mapping Master Students’ Processes of Problem Solving and Learning in Groups in Sustainability Education

Author

Listed:
  • Anette Oxenswärdh

    (Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Ulrika Persson-Fischier

    (Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden)

Abstract

Sustainability challenges in tourism are widely discussed. There is a huge need for education in the field of destination development. Students require appropriate problem-solving skills. This article examines the master’s course in destination development at Uppsala University, Campus Gotland, with the aim of increasing students’ skills in solving sustainability problems. The course took place in the spring semester of 2020 with the main goal of improving students’ skills in formulating and solving sustainable challenges in groups. This was achieved by activating the heterogeneity of the group, seeking relevant information and facts, and organising and carrying out the task with a design-thinking methodology. Students were provided with real problems or challenges by tourist companies, authorities and other interest groups on the island of Gotland. The purpose of this study is to describe the group of students as well as joint learning processes and knowledge needed in the work towards sustainable solutions. The major implication of the study is that the course gave the students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of both the barriers and benefits of working with heterogeneous groups. Furthermore, the study revealed a number of factors that all organisations would need to take into account in order to improve the effectiveness of their work towards sustainable solutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Anette Oxenswärdh & Ulrika Persson-Fischier, 2020. "Mapping Master Students’ Processes of Problem Solving and Learning in Groups in Sustainability Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:13:p:5299-:d:378567
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/13/5299/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/13/5299/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrew C. Corbett, 2005. "Experiential Learning within the Process of Opportunity Identification and Exploitation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 29(4), pages 473-491, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Theres Konrad & Arnim Wiek & Matthias Barth, 2021. "Learning to Collaborate from Diverse Interactions in Project-Based Sustainability Courses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-15, September.
    2. Lorenz Probst, 2022. "Higher Education for Sustainability: A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence 2013–2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-24, March.
    3. Yafeng Zheng & Haogang Bao & Jun Shen & Xuesong Zhai, 2020. "Investigating Sequence Patterns of Collaborative Problem-Solving Behavior in Online Collaborative Discussion Activity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-17, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ayamga, Matthew & Annosi, Maria Carmela & Kassahun, Ayalew & Dolfsma, Wilfred & Tekinerdogan, Bedir, 2024. "Adaptive organizational responses to varied types of failures: Empirical insights from technology providers in Ghana," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    2. Jeffery S. McMullen & Dimo Dimov, 2013. "Time and the Entrepreneurial Journey: The Problems and Promise of Studying Entrepreneurship as a Process," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(8), pages 1481-1512, December.
    3. Thomas Ã…stebro & Kevyn Yong, 2016. "Invention Quality and Entrepreneurial Earnings: The Role of Prior Employment Variety," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(2), pages 381-400, March.
    4. Saba Khalid & Jorma Larimo, 2012. "Firm Specific Advantage in Developed Markets Dynamic Capability Perspective," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 233-250, April.
    5. Tim R. Holcomb & R. Duane Ireland & R. Michael Holmes Jr. & Michael A. Hitt, 2009. "Architecture of Entrepreneurial Learning: Exploring the Link among Heuristics, Knowledge, and Action," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 33(1), pages 167-192, January.
    6. Anastasiia Laskovaia & Galina Shirokova & Michael H. Morris, 2017. "National culture, effectuation, and new venture performance: global evidence from student entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 687-709, October.
    7. Dimo Dimov, 2007. "Beyond the Single-Person, Single-Insight Attribution in Understanding Entrepreneurial Opportunities," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(5), pages 713-731, September.
    8. Leon Schjoedt, 2021. "Exploring differences between novice and repeat entrepreneurs: does stress mediate the effects of work-and-family conflict on entrepreneurs’ satisfaction?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1251-1272, April.
    9. Abecassis-Moedas, Celine & Sguera, Francesco & Ettlie, John E., 2016. "Observe, innovate, succeed: A learning perspective on innovation and the performance of entrepreneurial chefs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2840-2848.
    10. Dan Cohen & Dan K. Hsu & Rachel S. Shinnar, 2021. "Identifying innovative opportunities in the entrepreneurship classroom: a new approach and empirical test," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1931-1955, December.
    11. Yinglu Huang & Jiarui Zhang & Xiaolei Sang & Haifeng Ou, 2022. "Insight into Practical Teaching in Rural Planning in Colleges Based on the “Rural Innovation Workshop”," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 109-128, February.
    12. Jonathan Marks & Samuel Dawa & Shungu Kanyemba, 2020. "Transnational Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Absorptive Capacity Theory of Knowledge Spillover Entrepreneurship Perspective," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 6(1), pages 114-139, January.
    13. Régis Y. Chenavaz & Alexandra Couston & Stéphanie Heichelbech & Isabelle Pignatel & Stanko Dimitrov, 2023. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Entrepreneurial Ventures: A Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-30, May.
    14. Conrad Wiedeler & Nadine Kammerlander, 2021. "Learning the ropes of entrepreneurship: understanding internal corporate venturing for family firms from an entrepreneurial learning perspective," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 669-703, April.
    15. Micheels, Eric T. & Nolan, James F., 2016. "Examining the effects of absorptive capacity and social capital on the adoption of agricultural innovations: A Canadian Prairie case study," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 127-138.
    16. Simon Parker, 2014. "Who become serial and portfolio entrepreneurs?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 887-898, December.
    17. Covin, Jeffrey G. & Garrett, Robert P. & Kuratko, Donald F. & Shepherd, Dean A., 2015. "Value proposition evolution and the performance of internal corporate ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 749-774.
    18. Wood, Matthew S. & McKelvie, Alexander & Haynie, J. Michael, 2014. "Making it personal: Opportunity individuation and the shaping of opportunity beliefs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 252-272.
    19. Susan Mueller & Thierry Volery & Björn von Siemens, 2012. "What Do Entrepreneurs Actually Do? An Observational Study of Entrepreneurs’ Everyday Behavior in the Start–Up and Growth Stages," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(5), pages 995-1017, September.
    20. Gottschalk, Sandra & Greene, Francis J. & Höwer, Daniel & Müller, Bettina, 2014. "If you don't succeed, should you try again? The role of entrepreneurial experience in venture survival," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-009, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:13:p:5299-:d:378567. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.