IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i20p13149-d941415.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Sustainability Aspects among Higher Education Students in Qatar

Author

Listed:
  • Shaikha R. Al-Nuaimi

    (Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar)

  • Sami G. Al-Ghamdi

    (Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar)

Abstract

Sustainable development necessitates that societies design activities to meet human needs while protecting the planet’s life-support systems in consideration of depleting natural resources and concern for the state of the resources and climate. Sustainable development emphasizes the conservation and enhancement of natural resources by modifying how they are utilized, highlighting the role of nations in meeting their basic needs for employment, food, energy, and water. Higher education institutions (HEI), such as universities, should be able to produce a workforce that satisfies the demand for competent stakeholders and contributes to the successful implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and sustainability principles into their institutional strategy and organizational culture. This research evaluates the sustainability consciousness of higher education students and the effect of ESD on higher education students in Qatar. The study employs the sustainability consciousness questionnaire (SCQ) to assess HEI students’ sustainable development knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors while considering educational system characteristics such as curriculum, community, and the campus. The questionnaire was distributed among students from different fields and universities in Qatar. Results were analyzed using statistical tools to show that over 80% grasp sustainability-related knowledge. This value gradually decreases in attitudes and behaviors based on evaluating the pro-sustainability student responses. Further, over 60% of the surveyed students indicate external factors excluding the educational system characteristics to have the most profound effect on providing and developing the student’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards sustainable development. Understanding the current state of sustainability education in HEI can lead to an improved preparation of the global youth with the necessary skills to meet the sustainability challenges and to be involved in establishing and sustaining long-term progress that can aid in achieving SDG goals and drive sustainability action.

Suggested Citation

  • Shaikha R. Al-Nuaimi & Sami G. Al-Ghamdi, 2022. "Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Sustainability Aspects among Higher Education Students in Qatar," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:20:p:13149-:d:941415
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/20/13149/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/20/13149/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edwin E. Akins & Elizabeth Giddens & David Glassmeyer & Amy Gruss & Maria Kalamas Hedden & Vanessa Slinger-Friedman & Matthew Weand, 2019. "Sustainability Education and Organizational Change: A Critical Case Study of Barriers and Change Drivers at a Higher Education Institution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-17, January.
    2. Shaikha R. Al-Nuaimi & Sami G. Al-Ghamdi, 2022. "Sustainable Consumption and Education for Sustainability in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Bill Hopwood & Mary Mellor & Geoff O'Brien, 2005. "Sustainable development: mapping different approaches," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(1), pages 38-52.
    4. Wakkee, Ingrid & van der Sijde, Peter & Vaupell, Christiaan & Ghuman, Karminder, 2019. "The university's role in sustainable development: Activating entrepreneurial scholars as agents of change," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 195-205.
    5. Corinne Ruesch Schweizer & Antonietta Di Giulio & Patricia Burkhardt-Holm, 2019. "Scientific Support for Redesigning a Higher-Education Curriculum on Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-18, October.
    6. Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Niklas Gericke & Daniel Olsson & Teresa Berglund, 2015. "The Effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-25, November.
    7. Norka Blanco-Portela & Luis R-Pertierra & Javier Benayas & Rodrigo Lozano, 2018. "Sustainability Leaders’ Perceptions on the Drivers for and the Barriers to the Integration of Sustainability in Latin American Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, August.
    8. José María Marcos-Merino & Isaac Corbacho-Cuello & Míriam Hernández-Barco, 2020. "Analysis of Sustainability Knowingness, Attitudes and Behavior of a Spanish Pre-Service Primary Teachers Sample," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-22, September.
    9. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    10. Verena Radinger-Peer & Gesa Pflitsch, 2017. "The role of higher education institutions in regional transition paths towards sustainability," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 37(2), pages 161-187, October.
    11. Niklas Gericke & Jelle Boeve‐de Pauw & Teresa Berglund & Daniel Olsson, 2019. "The Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire: The theoretical development and empirical validation of an evaluation instrument for stakeholders working with sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 35-49, January.
    12. Helen Kopnina, 2014. "Revisiting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): Examining Anthropocentric Bias Through the Transition of Environmental Education to ESD," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 73-83, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Chaofan Chen & Qi An & Lijuan Zheng & Chenghua Guan, 2022. "Sustainability Literacy: Assessment of Knowingness, Attitude and Behavior Regarding Sustainable Development among Students in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, April.
    2. Atif Saleem & Philip Saagyum Dare, 2023. "Unmasking the Action-Oriented ESD Approach to Acting Environmentally Friendly," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-22, January.
    3. Eleni Sinakou & Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Peter Van Petegem, 2019. "Exploring the concept of sustainable development within education for sustainable development: implications for ESD research and practice," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-10, February.
    4. José María Marcos-Merino & Isaac Corbacho-Cuello & Míriam Hernández-Barco, 2020. "Analysis of Sustainability Knowingness, Attitudes and Behavior of a Spanish Pre-Service Primary Teachers Sample," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-22, September.
    5. Małgorzata Dzimińska & Justyna Fijałkowska & Łukasz Sułkowski, 2020. "A Conceptual Model Proposal: Universities as Culture Change Agents for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-23, June.
    6. Nicola Andreij Rieg & Birgitta Gatersleben & Ian Christie, 2021. "Organizational Change Management for Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Quantitative Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Hametner, Markus, 2022. "Economics without ecology: How the SDGs fail to align socioeconomic development with environmental sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    8. Chiara Mio & Silvia Panfilo & Benedetta Blundo, 2020. "Sustainable development goals and the strategic role of business: A systematic literature review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3220-3245, December.
    9. Elżbieta Izabela Szczepankiewicz & Jan Fazlagić & Windham Loopesko, 2021. "A Conceptual Model for Developing Climate Education in Sustainability Management Education System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-26, January.
    10. Valeria Andreoni & Valeria Ruiz Vargas, 2020. "Tracking the Interlinkages across SDGs: The Case of Hill Centered Education Network in Bogota, Colombia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-13, September.
    11. Claudia Melis & Per-Arvid Wold & Anna Maria Billing & Kathrine Bjørgen & Børge Moe, 2020. "Kindergarten Children’s Perception about the Ecological Roles of Living Organisms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-15, November.
    12. Mehdi Jabbari & Majid Shafiepour Motlagh & Khosro Ashrafi & Ghahreman Abdoli, 2020. "Differentiating countries based on the sustainable development proximities using the SDG indicators," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(7), pages 6405-6423, October.
    13. Katharina Spraul & Julia Thaler, 2020. "Partnering for good? An analysis of how to achieve sustainability-related outcomes in public–private partnerships," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 13(2), pages 485-511, July.
    14. Wakkee, Ingrid & van der Sijde, Peter & Vaupell, Christiaan & Ghuman, Karminder, 2019. "The university's role in sustainable development: Activating entrepreneurial scholars as agents of change," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 195-205.
    15. Mikuła, Aneta, 2020. "Level Of Sustainable Development Of Counties In Poland," Roczniki (Annals), Polish Association of Agricultural Economists and Agribusiness - Stowarzyszenie Ekonomistow Rolnictwa e Agrobiznesu (SERiA), vol. 2020(1).
    16. Michaela Maurer & Franz Xaver Bogner, 2019. "How freshmen perceive Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, January.
    17. Daniela De Filippo & Javier Benayas & Karem Peña & Flor Sánchez, 2020. "Communication on Sustainability in Spanish Universities: Analysis of Websites, Scientific Papers and Impact in Social Media," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-21, October.
    18. Szopik-Depczyńska, Katarzyna & Cheba, Katarzyna & Bąk, Iwona & Kiba-Janiak, Maja & Saniuk, Sebastian & Dembińska, Izabela & Ioppolo, Giuseppe, 2017. "The application of relative taxonomy to the study of disproportions in the area of sustainable development of the European Union," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 481-491.
    19. Cristian Mejia & Yuya Kajikawa, 2021. "The Academic Landscapes of Manufacturing Enterprise Performance and Environmental Sustainability: A Study of Commonalities and Differences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-16, March.
    20. Bali Swain, Ranjula & Ranganathan, Shyam, 2021. "Modeling interlinkages between sustainable development goals using network analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).

    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:14:y:2022:i:20:p:13149-:d:941415. 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.