The Sustainability Literacy of Students: A Comparative Study between Turkey and the UK
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Published
Aug 31, 2023
Abstract
In recent years, the sustainability literacy has become crucial for building more sustainable future. In this regard, a shift toward sustainability requires literate society on sustainability issues at global scale. Thus, the current study aims to detect the status of sustainability literacy of British and Turkish students. The study was conducted as a survey research with university students in the UK and Turkey within the context of a project that was supported by TUBITAK (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Organization) and entitled “Ecological literacy education”. The participants (n: 1023) of the study are students attending several departments of Plymouth University in the UK and Mugla Sitki Kocman University in Turkey. The data were collected by using the Scala of Sustainability Literacy and analyzed using appropriate statistical tests at SPSS 22. The findings show that the participants’ sustainability literacy varies significantly depending on their sustainability attitude (SA), sustainability behavior (SB), sustainability knowledge (SK). Besides, the results of t- test analysis indicate that the participants exhibit different tendencies depending on the variables nationality, gender and place. On the other hand, the results of One-way ANOVA-Test revealed that the participants’ sustainability literacy varies depending on the department attended.
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Keywords
Sustainability, Sustainability Literacy, Sustainability Education, Environmental Education
References
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Akademik Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 8(52):89-119.
Capra, F. (2003). The hidden connection: A science for sustainable living, 1. st.ed., London: Flamingo,the UK.
Chawla, L, (2006). Learning to love the natural world enough to protect it. Barn, 2:57-78.
Choe, J. H., Kim, C. H., & Ri, G. H. (2019).An Investigation on the environmental knowledge and attitudes of senior middle school students in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 1-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2019.1678276
Chu, H. E., Lee, E. A., Ko, H. R., Shin, D.H., Lee, M. N., Min, B. M., & Kang, K. H. (2007). Korean year 3 children’s environmental literacy: A prerequisite for a Korean environmental education curriculum. International Journal of Science Education, 29(6):731-746, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690600823532
Çimen, H., & Benzer, S. (2019). Fen Bilgisi ve Sınıf Öğretmen Adaylarının Sürdürülebilir Çevreye Yönelik Tutumlarının İncelenmesi. İnsan ve İnsan, 6(21):525-542. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29224/.475471
Cotton Deby, R.E., & Alcock, I. (2013). Commitment to environmental sustainability in the UK student population. Studies in Higher Education, 38(10):1457-1471. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.627423
Doğan, İ., & Purutçuoğlu, E. (2017). Sosyal Hizmet Uzmanlarının Çevresel Farkındalık Seviyeleri ile Çevreye Yönelik Tutumlarının Belirlenmesi. Türkiye Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 21(2):389-405 Available at: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tsadergisi/issue/31710/347501
Erdogan, M., & Ok, A (2011). An Assessment of Turkish Young Pupils’ Environmental Literacy: A Nationwide Survey. International Journal of Science Education, 33(17):2375-2406, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2010.550653
Erdogan, M. (2013). Environmental worldview in higher education: A case study of Turkish college students. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 3(106):1086-1095.
Esa, N. (2010). Environmental knowledge, attitude and practices of student teachers. Environmental Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 19(1):39-50.
Ewert, A., Place, G., & Sibthorp, J. (2005). Early-life outdoor experiences and an individual’s environmental attitudes. Leisure Sciences, 27(3):225-239.
Frank, T., Schlange, J., & Cort, T. (2020). Report of Results Global Survey on Sustainability and the SDGs; S&Z – Schlange, Zamostny & Co.GmbH: Hamburg, Germany.
Freymeyer, R. H., &Johnson, B. E. (2010). A cross-cultural investigation of factors influencing environmental actions. Sociological Spectrum, 30:184-195.
Goulgouti, A., Plakitsi, K., & Stylos, G. (2019). Environmental literacy: Evaluating knowledge, affect, and behavior of pre-service teachers in Greece. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 15(1):02202. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/6287
Hollweg, K. S., Taylor, J. R., Bybee, R. W., Marcinkowski, T. J., McBeth, W. C., & Zoido, P. (2001). Developing a framework for assessing environmental literacy. Washington, DC: North American Association for Environmental Education. Available at: http://www.naaee.net
Janmaimool, P., & Khajohnmanee, S. (2019). Roles of environmental system knowledge in promoting university students’ environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behaviors. Sustainability 11:4270. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164270
Knapp, C.E. (2010). A review of place- and community based education in schools. The Journal of Environmental Education, 42(1):65-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00958961003760613
Korfiatis, J.K.; Hovards, T. and Pantis J.D. (2004). Determinants of Environmental Behavior in Societies in Transition: Evidence from five European Countries. Population and Environment, 25(6).
Lin, E., & Shi, Q. (2014). Exploring Individual and School-Related Factors and Environmental Literacy: Comparing U.S. And Canada Using Pisa 2006. International Journal of Science and Mathematichs Education, 12:73-97.
Louv, R. (2010). Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, New York, the US.
Marcinkowski, T. (1991). The relationship between environmental literacy and responsible environmental behaviour in environmental education, in: Methods and Techniques for Evaluating Environmental Education: M. Maldague (Ed.), Paris: UNESCO.
McBeth, W., & Volk, T.L. (2009). The national environmental literacy project: a baseline study of middle grade students in the United States. The Journal of Environmental Education, 41(1):55-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0095896090321003
Michael D., Kaplowitz, M.D., & Levine, R. (2005). How environmental knowledge measures up at a big ten university. Environmental Education Research, 11(2):143-160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462042000338324
Nawrotzki, R. J. (2012). The politics of environmental concern a cross-national analysis. Organization and Environment, 25:286-307. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026612456535
Oreg, S., & Katz-Gerro, T. (2006). Predicting proenvironmental behavior crossnationally: Values, the theory of planned behavior and value-belief-norm theory. Environment and Behavior, 38, 462-483. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916505286012
Orr, W. D. (1992). Ecological Literacy: Education and Transition to A Postmodern World, 1.st ed., New York: State University of New York, the US.
Özdemir O. (2019). Ortaöğretim Öğrencilerinin Sürdürülebilirlik Profili. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 47:331-347. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9779/pauefd.413227
Ozdemir, O. (2021). A scale development of the sustainability literacy. Education, Sustainability & Society (ESS), 4(2):66-72.
Parkin, S., Johnson, A., Buckland, H., & White, E. (2004). Learning and Skills for Sustainable Development: Developing A Sustainability Literate Society, London: HEPS, the UK.
Palmer, J. A., Suggate, J., Bajd, B., Hart, P., Ho, R., Ofwono-Orecho, J.K.W., Peries, M. V., & Staden, C. (1998). An overview of significant influences and formative experiences on the development of adults’ environmental awareness in nine countries. Environmental Education Research, 4(4):445-465.
Pirani, E., & Secondi, L. (2015). Eco-friendly attitudes: what European citizens say and what they do. International Journal of Environmental Research, 67-84.
Pisano, I., & Lubell, M. (2017). Environmental behavior in cross-national perspective: A multilevel analysis of 30 countries. Environment and Behavior, 49(1):31-58.
Roth, C. E. (1992). Environmental literacy: its roots, evolution and directions in the 1990s. ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education.
Schultz, P. W., & Zelezny, L. (1999). Values as predictors of environmental attitudes: evidence for consistency across 14 countries. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19:255-265
Simmons, B. (2001). Education reform, setting standards, and environmental education. In. Essential Readings In Environmental Education, H.R. Hungerford, W.J. Bluhm, T.L. Volk, and J.M. Ramsey, Stipes Publishing L.L.C, , Champaign, pp. 65–72.
Sousa, S. Correia, E., Leite, J.and Viseu , H.(2021). Environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior of higher education students: A case study in Portugal. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 30(4):348-365.
Sterling, S. (2004). An analysis of the development of sustainability: Evolution, Interpretation and transformative potential. In the sustainability curriculum, 1. st.ed.; J.Blewitt., C. Cullingford,, Routledge , the UK., pp. 43-62.
Sterling, S. (2012). The future fit framework – an introductory guide to teaching and learning or sustainability in HE. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 7(1):134-135.
Stibbe, A., & Launa, H. (2014). Introduction. In Handbook of sustainability literacy, 1.ed.; A. Stibbe, Green Books Ltd., the UK., pp.44.
Strife, S., & Downey, L. (2009). Childhood development and access to nature. Organization and Environment, 22(1):99-122.
Teksoz, T.G., Boone, J.W., Yilmaz Tuzun, O., & Oztekin. C. (2014). An evaluation of the environmental literacy of preservice teachers in turkey through rasch analysis. Environmental Education Research, 20(2):202-227. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2013.76860
Teksöz G., Şahin, E., Ertepinar H. (2010). Environmental literacy, pre-service teachers, and a sustainable future. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 39:307-320.
Tiftikçi, H. İ. (2014). Türkçe Adı: Farklı Bölümlerde Öğrenim Görmekte Olan Son Sınıf Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Yenilenebilir Enerji Kaynakları Hakkındaki Farkındalıkları. G.Ü. Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitusü YL. Tezi
UNESCO (2017). Education for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s): Learning Objectives. Paris, Available at: http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en
Winter, J. and Cotton, D.E. (2012). Making the hidden curriculum visible: sustainability literacy in higher education. Environmental Education Research, 18(6):783-796. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2012.670207
Veisi, H., Lacy, M., Mafakheri, S., & Razaghi, F. (2019), Assessing environmental literacy of university students: A case study of Shahid Beheshti University in Iran. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 18(1):25-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2018.1431163
Volk. T., & McBeth, W. (1997). Environmental literacy in the United States: What should be…What is… Getting from here to there. A report founded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and submitted to the Environmental Education and Training Partnership, NAAEE, Washington DC: US, EPA
Wells, N. M., & Lekies, K. S. (2006). Nature and the life course: Pathways from childhood nature experiences to adult environmentalism. Children, Youth and Environment, 16(1):24.
Zelezny, L.C.; Chua P., & Aldrich, C. (2000). Elaborating on gender differences in environmentalism. Journal of Social Issues, 56:443-445.
Aytekin, P., Yüksel, H., Durgun, G., &Taştepe, Ö. (2021). Çevre Davranışı: İzmir Demokrasi Üniversitesi Öğrencileri Üzerine Bir Araştırma.
Akademik Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 8(52):89-119.
Capra, F. (2003). The hidden connection: A science for sustainable living, 1. st.ed., London: Flamingo,the UK.
Chawla, L, (2006). Learning to love the natural world enough to protect it. Barn, 2:57-78.
Choe, J. H., Kim, C. H., & Ri, G. H. (2019).An Investigation on the environmental knowledge and attitudes of senior middle school students in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 1-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2019.1678276
Chu, H. E., Lee, E. A., Ko, H. R., Shin, D.H., Lee, M. N., Min, B. M., & Kang, K. H. (2007). Korean year 3 children’s environmental literacy: A prerequisite for a Korean environmental education curriculum. International Journal of Science Education, 29(6):731-746, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690600823532
Çimen, H., & Benzer, S. (2019). Fen Bilgisi ve Sınıf Öğretmen Adaylarının Sürdürülebilir Çevreye Yönelik Tutumlarının İncelenmesi. İnsan ve İnsan, 6(21):525-542. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29224/.475471
Cotton Deby, R.E., & Alcock, I. (2013). Commitment to environmental sustainability in the UK student population. Studies in Higher Education, 38(10):1457-1471. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.627423
Doğan, İ., & Purutçuoğlu, E. (2017). Sosyal Hizmet Uzmanlarının Çevresel Farkındalık Seviyeleri ile Çevreye Yönelik Tutumlarının Belirlenmesi. Türkiye Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 21(2):389-405 Available at: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tsadergisi/issue/31710/347501
Erdogan, M., & Ok, A (2011). An Assessment of Turkish Young Pupils’ Environmental Literacy: A Nationwide Survey. International Journal of Science Education, 33(17):2375-2406, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2010.550653
Erdogan, M. (2013). Environmental worldview in higher education: A case study of Turkish college students. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 3(106):1086-1095.
Esa, N. (2010). Environmental knowledge, attitude and practices of student teachers. Environmental Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 19(1):39-50.
Ewert, A., Place, G., & Sibthorp, J. (2005). Early-life outdoor experiences and an individual’s environmental attitudes. Leisure Sciences, 27(3):225-239.
Frank, T., Schlange, J., & Cort, T. (2020). Report of Results Global Survey on Sustainability and the SDGs; S&Z – Schlange, Zamostny & Co.GmbH: Hamburg, Germany.
Freymeyer, R. H., &Johnson, B. E. (2010). A cross-cultural investigation of factors influencing environmental actions. Sociological Spectrum, 30:184-195.
Goulgouti, A., Plakitsi, K., & Stylos, G. (2019). Environmental literacy: Evaluating knowledge, affect, and behavior of pre-service teachers in Greece. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 15(1):02202. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/6287
Hollweg, K. S., Taylor, J. R., Bybee, R. W., Marcinkowski, T. J., McBeth, W. C., & Zoido, P. (2001). Developing a framework for assessing environmental literacy. Washington, DC: North American Association for Environmental Education. Available at: http://www.naaee.net
Janmaimool, P., & Khajohnmanee, S. (2019). Roles of environmental system knowledge in promoting university students’ environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behaviors. Sustainability 11:4270. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164270
Knapp, C.E. (2010). A review of place- and community based education in schools. The Journal of Environmental Education, 42(1):65-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00958961003760613
Korfiatis, J.K.; Hovards, T. and Pantis J.D. (2004). Determinants of Environmental Behavior in Societies in Transition: Evidence from five European Countries. Population and Environment, 25(6).
Lin, E., & Shi, Q. (2014). Exploring Individual and School-Related Factors and Environmental Literacy: Comparing U.S. And Canada Using Pisa 2006. International Journal of Science and Mathematichs Education, 12:73-97.
Louv, R. (2010). Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, New York, the US.
Marcinkowski, T. (1991). The relationship between environmental literacy and responsible environmental behaviour in environmental education, in: Methods and Techniques for Evaluating Environmental Education: M. Maldague (Ed.), Paris: UNESCO.
McBeth, W., & Volk, T.L. (2009). The national environmental literacy project: a baseline study of middle grade students in the United States. The Journal of Environmental Education, 41(1):55-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0095896090321003
Michael D., Kaplowitz, M.D., & Levine, R. (2005). How environmental knowledge measures up at a big ten university. Environmental Education Research, 11(2):143-160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462042000338324
Nawrotzki, R. J. (2012). The politics of environmental concern a cross-national analysis. Organization and Environment, 25:286-307. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026612456535
Oreg, S., & Katz-Gerro, T. (2006). Predicting proenvironmental behavior crossnationally: Values, the theory of planned behavior and value-belief-norm theory. Environment and Behavior, 38, 462-483. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916505286012
Orr, W. D. (1992). Ecological Literacy: Education and Transition to A Postmodern World, 1.st ed., New York: State University of New York, the US.
Özdemir O. (2019). Ortaöğretim Öğrencilerinin Sürdürülebilirlik Profili. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 47:331-347. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9779/pauefd.413227
Ozdemir, O. (2021). A scale development of the sustainability literacy. Education, Sustainability & Society (ESS), 4(2):66-72.
Parkin, S., Johnson, A., Buckland, H., & White, E. (2004). Learning and Skills for Sustainable Development: Developing A Sustainability Literate Society, London: HEPS, the UK.
Palmer, J. A., Suggate, J., Bajd, B., Hart, P., Ho, R., Ofwono-Orecho, J.K.W., Peries, M. V., & Staden, C. (1998). An overview of significant influences and formative experiences on the development of adults’ environmental awareness in nine countries. Environmental Education Research, 4(4):445-465.
Pirani, E., & Secondi, L. (2015). Eco-friendly attitudes: what European citizens say and what they do. International Journal of Environmental Research, 67-84.
Pisano, I., & Lubell, M. (2017). Environmental behavior in cross-national perspective: A multilevel analysis of 30 countries. Environment and Behavior, 49(1):31-58.
Roth, C. E. (1992). Environmental literacy: its roots, evolution and directions in the 1990s. ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education.
Schultz, P. W., & Zelezny, L. (1999). Values as predictors of environmental attitudes: evidence for consistency across 14 countries. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19:255-265
Simmons, B. (2001). Education reform, setting standards, and environmental education. In. Essential Readings In Environmental Education, H.R. Hungerford, W.J. Bluhm, T.L. Volk, and J.M. Ramsey, Stipes Publishing L.L.C, , Champaign, pp. 65–72.
Sousa, S. Correia, E., Leite, J.and Viseu , H.(2021). Environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior of higher education students: A case study in Portugal. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 30(4):348-365.
Sterling, S. (2004). An analysis of the development of sustainability: Evolution, Interpretation and transformative potential. In the sustainability curriculum, 1. st.ed.; J.Blewitt., C. Cullingford,, Routledge , the UK., pp. 43-62.
Sterling, S. (2012). The future fit framework – an introductory guide to teaching and learning or sustainability in HE. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 7(1):134-135.
Stibbe, A., & Launa, H. (2014). Introduction. In Handbook of sustainability literacy, 1.ed.; A. Stibbe, Green Books Ltd., the UK., pp.44.
Strife, S., & Downey, L. (2009). Childhood development and access to nature. Organization and Environment, 22(1):99-122.
Teksoz, T.G., Boone, J.W., Yilmaz Tuzun, O., & Oztekin. C. (2014). An evaluation of the environmental literacy of preservice teachers in turkey through rasch analysis. Environmental Education Research, 20(2):202-227. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2013.76860
Teksöz G., Şahin, E., Ertepinar H. (2010). Environmental literacy, pre-service teachers, and a sustainable future. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 39:307-320.
Tiftikçi, H. İ. (2014). Türkçe Adı: Farklı Bölümlerde Öğrenim Görmekte Olan Son Sınıf Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Yenilenebilir Enerji Kaynakları Hakkındaki Farkındalıkları. G.Ü. Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitusü YL. Tezi
UNESCO (2017). Education for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s): Learning Objectives. Paris, Available at: http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en
Winter, J. and Cotton, D.E. (2012). Making the hidden curriculum visible: sustainability literacy in higher education. Environmental Education Research, 18(6):783-796. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2012.670207
Veisi, H., Lacy, M., Mafakheri, S., & Razaghi, F. (2019), Assessing environmental literacy of university students: A case study of Shahid Beheshti University in Iran. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 18(1):25-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2018.1431163
Volk. T., & McBeth, W. (1997). Environmental literacy in the United States: What should be…What is… Getting from here to there. A report founded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and submitted to the Environmental Education and Training Partnership, NAAEE, Washington DC: US, EPA
Wells, N. M., & Lekies, K. S. (2006). Nature and the life course: Pathways from childhood nature experiences to adult environmentalism. Children, Youth and Environment, 16(1):24.
Zelezny, L.C.; Chua P., & Aldrich, C. (2000). Elaborating on gender differences in environmentalism. Journal of Social Issues, 56:443-445.
How to Cite
Ozdemir, O. (2023). The Sustainability Literacy of Students: A Comparative Study between Turkey and the UK . Science Insights Education Frontiers, 17(2), 2693–2713. https://doi.org/10.15354/sief.23.or375
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