Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Student Sustainability Competencies
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Theoretical and Conceptual Context of the Study
2.1. The Frame-Model for Sustainability Competencies
2.2. Approaches for Measuring Sustainability Competencies
- Research Question 1: What is the present state of (lower secondary) student sustainability competencies in Germany (Baden-Wuerttemberg) after the implementation of ESD as a new guiding principle?
- Research Question 2: What kinds of subscales can be developed and used to capture sustainability competencies?
3. Method for the Development and Validation of the Instrument for Measuring Student Sustainability Competencies
3.1. Development of the Instrument and Pilot Study I
3.2. Pilot Studies II and III
3.3. Dimensions of the Paper-Pencil Questionnaire for Students
4. Results
4.1. Descriptive Statistics and Reliabilities of the Scales to Measure Sustainability Competency
4.2. Validity of the Measurement Tool
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions & Outlook
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
ESD | Education for Sustainable Development |
PISA | Program for International Student Assessment |
UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
SD | Sustainable Development |
SDGs | Sustainable Development Goals |
References
- UNCED. United Nations Conference on Environment & Development Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992, Agenda 21. 1992. Available online: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf (accessed on 2 February 2015).
- World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). Our Common Future, Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987. Available online: http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf (accessed on 2 February 2015).
- UNESCO. Issues and Trends in Education for Sustainable Development; UNESCO: Paris, France, 2018. [Google Scholar]
- Wiek, A.; Lang, D. Transformational sustainability research methodology. In Sustainability Science; Springer: Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2016; pp. 31–41. [Google Scholar]
- Frisk, E.; Larson, K.L. Educating for Sustainability: Competencies & Practices for Transformative Action. J. Sustain. Educ. 2011, 2, 1–20. [Google Scholar]
- Sipos, Y.; Battisti, B.; Grimm, K. Achieving transformative sustainability learning: Engaging head, hands and heart. Int. J. Sustain. High. Ed. 2008, 9, 68–86. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jickling, B.; Sterling, S. (Eds.) Post-Sustainability and Environmental Education: Remaking Education for the Future; Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, Switzerland, 2017. [Google Scholar]
- Jickling, B.; Wals, A.E.J. Globalization and environmental education: Looking beyond sustainable development. J. Curric. Stud. 2008, 1, 1–21. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Getzin, S.; Singer-Brodowski, M. Transformatives Lernen in einer Degrowth-Gesellschaft. J. Sci. Soc. Interfaces 2016, 1, 33–46. [Google Scholar]
- Wals, A.E.J. The End of ESD…the Beginning of Transformative Learning. Emphasizing the ‘E’ in ESD. Available online: http://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/353568 (accessed on 7 March 2019).
- Barrella, E.; Spratto, E.; Pappas, E.; Nagel, R. Developing and Validating an Individual Sustainability Instrument with Engineering Students to Motivate Intentional Change. Sustainability 2018, 10, 2885. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Counsell, D. Sustainable Development and Structure Plans in England and Wales: Operationalizing the Themes and Principles. J. Environ. Plan. Manag. 1999, 42, 45–61. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Capelo, A.; Conceição Santos, M.; Pedrosa, M.A. Chapter 5: Education for Sustainable Development Indicators, Competences and Science Education. In Contributions to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development; Goncalves, F.J., Pereira, R., Leal Filho, W., Eds.; Lang Peter GmbH Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften: Frankfurt, Germany, 2012; Volume 33, pp. 95–119. [Google Scholar]
- Rieß, W.; Mischo, C.; Waltner, E.-M. Ziele einer Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung in Schule und Hochschule: Auf dem Weg zu empirisch überprüfbaren Kompetenzen. GAIA Ecol. Perspect. Sci. Soc. 2018, 27, 298–305. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- UNESCO. International Implementation Scheme—The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014), Learning to Live Together Sustainably. 2005. Available online: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001486/148654e.pdf (accessed on 23 March 2018).
- UNESCO. UNESCO Roadmap for Implementing the Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development. 2014. Available online: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002305/230514e.pdf (accessed on 5 January 2017).
- Haan, G.D. Gestaltungskompetenz als Kompetenzkonzept für Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung. In Kompetenzen der Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung: Operationalisierung, Messung, Rahmenbedingungen, Befunde; Bormann, I., Haan, G.D., Eds.; VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften: Wiesbaden, Germany, 2008; pp. 23–42. [Google Scholar]
- Wiek, A.; Withycombe, L.; Redman, C.L. Key competencies in sustainability: A reference framework for academic program development. Sustain. Sci. 2011, 6, 203–218. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wiek, A.; Bernstein, M.; Foley, R.; Cohen, M.; Forrest, N.; Kuzdas, C.; Boyne, G.A.; Kay, B.; Withycombe, L. Operationalising competencies in higher education for sustainable development. In Routledge Handbook of Higher Education for Sustainable Development; Barth, M., Michelsen, G., Rieckmann, M., Thomas, I., Eds.; Routledge: New York, NY, USA, 2016; pp. 241–261. [Google Scholar]
- Rieckmann, M. Learning to transform the world: Key competencies in ESD. In Issues and Trends in Education for Sustainable Development; UNESCO: Paris, France, 2018; Chapter 2; pp. 39–59. [Google Scholar]
- Rieckmann, M. Schlüsselkompetenzen für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung: Konzepte und Perspektiven in der Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung. POLIS 2013, 4, 11–14. [Google Scholar]
- Rieckmann, M. Future-oriented higher education: Which key competencies should be fostered through university teaching and learning? Futures 2012, 44, 127–135. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cebrián, G.; Junyent, M. Competencies in Education for Sustainable Development: Exploring the Student Teachers’ Views. Sustainability 2015, 7, 2768–2786. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Michelsen, G. Policy, Politics and Polity in Higher Education for Sustainable Development. In Policy, Politics and Polity in Higher Education for Sustainable Development: Handbook of Higher Education for Sustainable Development; Barth, M., Michelsen, G., Rieckmann, M., Thomas, I., Eds.; Routledge: New York, NY, USA, 2016; pp. 40–55. [Google Scholar]
- Weinert, F.E. (Ed.) Leistungsmessungen in Schulen, 3rd ed.; Beltz: Weinheim, Germany, 2014. [Google Scholar]
- OECD. The Definition and Selction of Key Competencies, Executive Summary. 2005. Available online: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/35070367.pdf (accessed on 13 December 2018).
- Lambrechts, W.; Mulà, I.; Ceulemans, K.; Molderez, I.; Gaeremynck, V. The integration of competences for sustainable development in higher education: An analysis of bachelor programs in management. J. Clean. Prod. 2013, 48, 65–73. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fischer, D.; Barth, M. Key Competencies for and beyond Sustainable Consumption an Educational Contribution to the Debate. GAIA Ecol. Perspect. Sci. Soc. 2014, 23, 193–200. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Olsson, D.; Gericke, N.; Chang Rundgren, S.-N. The effect of implementation of education for sustainable development in Swedish compulsory schools–assessing pupils’ sustainability consciousness. Environ. Educ. Res. 2016, 22, 176–202. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Shephard, K. Higher education for sustainability: Seeking affective learning outcomes. Int. J. Sustain. High. Ed. 2008, 9, 87–98. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Warburton, K. Deep learning and education for sustainability. Int. J. Sustain. High. Educ. 2003, 4, 44–56. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- OECD. Preparing Our Youth for an Inclusive and Sustainable World. The OECD PISA Global Competence Framework. 2018. Available online: https://www.oecd.org/education/Global-competency-for-an-inclusive-world.pdf (accessed on 7 March 2019).
- UNESCO. Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives. 2017. Available online: https://www.unesco.de/fileadmin/medien/Dokumente/Bibliothek/unesco_education_for_sustainable_development_goals.pdf (accessed on 18 October 2017).
- UNESCO. Global Citizenship Education: Topics and Learning Objectives. 2015. Available online: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000232993 (accessed on 20 March 2019).
- Rieckmann, M. Kompetenzentwicklungsprozesse in der Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung erfassen–Überblick über ein heterogenes Forschungsfeld. In Emirische Forschung zur Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung–Themen, Methoden und Trends; Barth, M., Rieckmann, M., Eds.; Verlag Barbara Budrich: Leverkusen, Germany, 2016; pp. 89–109. [Google Scholar]
- Ploum, L.; Blok, V.; Lans, T.; Omta, O. Toward a Validated Competence Framework for Sustainable Entrepreneurship. Organ. Environ. 2018, 31, 113–132. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Lambrechts, W.; van Petegem, P. The interrelations between competences for sustainable development and research competences. Int. J. Sustain. High. Ed. 2016, 17, 776–795. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Pieper, A. Einführung in Die Ethik, 6th ed.; Francke: Tübingen, Germany, 2007. [Google Scholar]
- Rieß, W. Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung: Theoretische Analysen und Empirische Studien; Waxmann: Münster, Germany, 2010. [Google Scholar]
- Krettenauer, T. Pro-Environmental Behavior and Adolescent Moral Development. J. Res. Adolesc. 2017, 27, 581–593. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Abelson, R.P. Computer simulation of “hot” cognition. In Computer Simulation of Personality; Tomkins, S., Messick, S., Eds.; Wiley: New York, NY, USA, 1963; pp. 277–298. [Google Scholar]
- Feriver, Ş.; Olgan, R.; Teksöz, G.; Barth, M. Systems Thinking Skills of Preschool Children in Early Childhood Education Contexts from Turkey and Germany. Sustainability 2019, 11, 1478. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rieß, W.; Mischo, C. Promoting Systems Thinking through Biology Lessons. Int. J. Sci. Educ. 2010, 32, 705–725. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Schuler, S.; Fanta, D.; Rosenkraenzer, F.; Riess, W. Systems thinking within the scope of education for sustainable development (ESD)—A heuristic competence model as a basis for (science) teacher education. J. Geogr. High. Educ. 2017, 42, 192–204. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Schommer-Aikins, M. An evolving theoretical framework for an epistemological belief system. In Personal Epistemology; Hofer, B.K., Pintrich, P.R., Eds.; Routledge: New York, NY, USA, 2012; pp. 103–118. [Google Scholar]
- Hofer, B.K.; Pintrich, P.R. The development of epistemological theories: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning. Rev. Educ. Res. 1997, 67, 88–140. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hefter, M.; Renkl, A.; Riess, W.; Schmid, S.; Fries, S.; Berthold, K. Effects of a training intervention to foster precursors of evaluativist epistemological understanding and intellectual values. Learn. Instr. 2015, 38, 11–22. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bandura, A. Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control; Freeman: New York, USA, 1997. [Google Scholar]
- Mischel, W. The Marshmallow Test: Understanding Self-Control and How to Master It; Corgi Books: London, UK, 2015. [Google Scholar]
- Moschner, B.; Dickhäuser, O. Handbuch Pädagogische Psychologie: Selbstkonzept, 4th ed.; Beltz PVU: Weinheim, Germany, 2010. [Google Scholar]
- Heckhausen, H.; Gollwitzer, P.M. Thought contents and cognitive functioning in motivational versus volitional states of mind. Motiv. Emot. 1987, 11, 101–120. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Schommer, M.; Hofer, B.; Pintrich, P. An evolving theoretical framework for an epistemological belief system. In Personal Epistemology: The Psychology of Beliefs about Knowledge and Knowing; Routledge: New York, USA, 2002. [Google Scholar]
- Mischo, C. Reaktionen auf Unfaire Argumente: Kognitive, Emotionale und Konative Aspekte; Pabst Science Publishers: Lengerich, Germany, 2000. [Google Scholar]
- Böhm, M.; Eggert, S.; Barkmann, J.; Bögeholz, S. Evaluating Sustainable Development solutions quantitatively: Competence modelling for GCE and ESD. Citizensh. Soc. Econ. Educ. 2016, 15, 190–211. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- McBeth, W.; Hungerford, H.R.; Marcinkowski, T.; Volk, T.L.; Cifranick, K. National Environmental Literacy Assessment, Phase Two: Measuring the Effectiveness of North American Environmental Education Programs with Respect to the Parameters of Environmental Literacy, Final Research Report. 2011. Available online: https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/NELA_Phase_Two_Report_020711.pdf (accessed on 19 April 2018).
- Pauw, J.; Gericke, N.; Olsson, D.; Berglund, T. The Effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development. Sustainability 2015, 7, 15693–15717. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Roczen, N.; Kaiser, F.G.; Bogner, F.X.; Wilson, M. A Competence Model for Environmental Education. Environ. Behav. 2014, 46, 972–992. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sakschewski, M.; Eggert, S.; Schneider, S.; Bögeholz, S. Students’ socioscientific reasoning and decision-making on energy-related issues—Development of a measurement instrument. Int. J. Sci. Educ. 2014, 36, 2291–2313. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hollweg, K.S.; Taylor, J.R.; Bybee, R.W.; Marcinkowski, T.; McBeth, W.; Zoido, P. Developing a Framework for Assessing Environmental Literacy. 2011. Available online: https://naaee.org/sites/default/files/devframewkassessenvlitonlineed.pdf (accessed on 29 June 2017).
- Michelsen, G.; Grunenberg, H.; Mader, C. Greenpeace Nachhaltigkeitsbarometer: Was Bewegt Die Jugend? VAS: Bad Homburg, Germany, 2012. [Google Scholar]
- Michelsen, G.; Grunenberg, H.; Mader, C.; Barth, M. Greenpeace Nachhaltigkeitsbarometer 2015: Nachhaltigkeit Bewegt Die Jüngere Generation; VAS: Bad Homburg, Germany, 2015. [Google Scholar]
- Shepherd, D.A.; Kuskova, V.; Patzelt, H. Measuring the values that underlie sustainable development: The development of a valid scale. J. Econ. Psychol. 2009, 30, 246–256. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bogner, F.X.; Wiseman, M. Outdoor Ecology Education and Pupils’ Environmental Perception in Preservation and Utilization. Sci. Educ. Int. 2004, 15, 27–48. [Google Scholar]
- Wiseman, M.; Bogner, F.X. A higher-order model of ecological values and its relationship to personality. Personal. Individ. Differ. 2003, 34, 783–794. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bogner, F.X.; Wiseman, M. Adolescents’ attitudes towards nature and environment: Quantifying the 2-MEV model. Environmentalist 2006, 26, 247–254. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bogner, F.X. Environmental Values (2-MEV) and Appreciation of Nature. Sustainability 2018, 10, 350. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kaiser, F.G.; Wölfing, S.; Fuhrer, U. Environmental attitude and ecological behaviour. J. Environ. Psychol. 1999, 19, 1–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Brügger, A.; Kaiser, F.G.; Roczen, N. One for All? Connectedness to Nature, Inclusion of Nature, Environmental Identity, and Implicit Association with Nature. Eur. Psychol. 2011, 16, 324–333. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Stern, P.C.; Kalof, L.; Dietz, T.; Guagnano, G.A. Values, Beliefs, and Proenvironmental Action: Attitude Formation toward Emergent Attitude Objects. J. Appl. Soc. Psychol. 1995, 18, 1611–1636. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Schultz, P.W. The structure of Environmental Concern: Concern for self, other people, and the biosphere. J. Environ. Psychol. 2001, 21, 327–339. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Spinola, H. Environmental literacy comparison between students taught in Eco-schools and ordinary schools in the Madeira Island region of Portugal. Sci. Educ. Int. 2015, 26, 395–416. [Google Scholar]
- Dunlap, R.; van Liere, K.; Mertig, A.; Jones, R.E. New Trends in Measuring Environmental Attitudes: Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale. J. Soc. Issues 2000, 56, 425–442. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Byrka, K.; Hartig, T.; Kaiser, F.G. Environmental attitude as a mediator of the relationship between psychological restoration in nature and self-reported ecological behavior. Psychol. Rep. 2010, 107, 847–859. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Kaiser, F. A General Measure of Ecological Behavior. J. Appl. Soc. Psychol. 1998, 28, 395–422. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Frick, J.; Kaiser, F.G.; Wilson, M. Environmental knowledge and conservation behavior: Exploring prevalence and structure in a representative sample. Personal. Individ. Differ. 2004, 37, 1597–1613. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kaiser, F.G.; Brügger, A.; Hartig, T.; Bogner, F.X.; Gutscher, H. Appreciation of nature and appreciation of environmental protection: How stable are these attitudes and which comes first? Eur. Rev. Appl. Psychol. 2014, 64, 269–277. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kaiser, F.G.; Fuhrer, U. Ecological Behavior’s Dependency on Different Forms of Knowledge. J. Environ. Psychol. 2003, 52, 598–613. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fanta, D.; Bräutigam, J.; Greiff, S.; Rieß, W. Entwicklung und Validierung eines Messinstrumentes zur Erfassung von systemischem Denken bei Lehramtsstudierenden in ökologischen Kontexten. Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften 2017, 10, 183–202. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mehren, R.; Rempfler, A.; Buchholz, J.; Hartig, J.; Ulrich-Riedhammer, E.M. System competence modelling: Theoretical foundation and empirical validation of a model involving natural, social and human-environment systems. J. Res. Sci. Teach. 2018, 55, 685–711. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bräutigam, J.I. Systemisches Denken im Kontext einer Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung, Konstruktion und Validierung eines Messinstruments zur Evaluation einer Unterrichtseinheit. Dissertationsschrift, Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg. 2014. Available online: https://d-nb.info/1127149997/34 (accessed on 23 March 2018).
- Eggert, S. Bewertungskompetenz für den Biologieunterricht–Vom Modell zur Empirischen Überprüfung. Dissertation Thesis, Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany, 2008. Available online: https://ediss.uni-goettingen.de/bitstream/handle/11858/00-1735-0000-0006-AD10-8/eggert.pdf?sequence=1 (accessed on 20 March 2019).
- Gruehn, S.; Schnabel, K. Schulleistungen im moralisch-wertebildenden Lernbereich: Das Beispiel Lebensgestaltung-Ethik-Religionskunde (LER) in Brandenburg. In Leistungsmessungen in Schulen, 3rd ed.; Weinert, F.E., Ed.; Beltz: Weinheim, Germany, 2014. [Google Scholar]
- Hostenbach, J.; Fischer, H.E.; Kauertz, A.; Mayer, J.; Sumfleth, E.; Walpuski, M. Modellierung von Bewertungskompetenz in den Naturwissenschaften zur Evaluation der Nationalen Bildungsstandards.: Modeling the evaluation and judgement competence in science to evaluate national educational standard. Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften 2011, 17, 261–288. [Google Scholar]
- Bögeholz, S.; Eggert, S.; Ziese, C.; Hasselhorn, M. Modeling and Fostering Decision-Making Competencies Regarding Challenging Issues of Sustainable Development. In Competence Assessment in Education: Research, Models and Instruments; Leutner, D., Fleischer, J., Grünkorn, J., Klieme, E., Eds.; Springer: Cham, Switzerland, 2017; pp. 263–284. [Google Scholar]
- Rieß, W.; Hörsch, C.; Jakob, T. Förderung systemischen Denkens als Aufgabe einer Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (BNE). In Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung: Aktuelle Theoretische Konzepte und Beispiele Praktischer Umsetzung; Pütz, N., Schweer, M.K.W., Logemann, N., Eds.; PL Academic Research: Frankfurt, Germany, 2013; Volume 11, pp. 103–126. [Google Scholar]
- Kaiser, F.G.; Oerke, B.; Bogner, F.X. Behavior-based environmental attitude: Development of an instrument for adolescents. J. Environ. Psychol. 2007, 27, 242–251. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Grob, A. A structural model of environmental attitudes and behaviour. J. Environ. Psychol. 1995, 15, 209–220. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fang, W.-T.; Lien, C.-Y.; Huang, Y.-W.; Han, G.; Shyu, G.-S.; Chou, J.-Y.; Ng, E. Environmental Literacy on Ecotourism: A Study on Student Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavioral Intentions in China and Taiwan. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1886. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Oerke, B. Natur- und Umweltschutzbewusstsein: Dimensionalität und Validität beim Messen von Einstellungen und Verhalten. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Bayreut, Bayreuth, Germany, 2007. [Google Scholar]
- Pooley, J.A.; O’Connor, M. Environmental Education and Attitudes: Emotions and Beliefs Are What is Needed. Environ. Behav. 2000, 30, 711–723. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tiemann, R.; Körbs, C. Die Fragebogenmethode, ein Klassiker der empirischen didaktischen Forschung. Kapitel 23. In Methoden in der Naturwissenschaftsdidaktischen Forschung; Krüger, D., Parchmann, I., Schecker, H., Eds.; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2014; pp. 283–295. [Google Scholar]
- Moosbrugger, H.; Kelava, A. (Eds.) Testtheorien und Fragebogenkonstruktion, 2nd ed.; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2012. [Google Scholar]
- Bortz, J.; Döring, N. Forschungsmethoden und Evaluation in den Sozial- und Humanwissenschaften, 3rd ed.; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2003. [Google Scholar]
- Bogner, K.; Landrock, U. Antworttendenzen in Standardisierten Umfragen; SDM-Survey Guidelines; GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: Mannheim, Germany, 2015. [Google Scholar]
- Field, A.P.; Miles, J.; Field, Z. Discovering Statistics Using R; Sage: London, UK; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2012. [Google Scholar]
- Schmitt, N. Uses and abuses of coefficient alpha. Psychol. Assess. 1996, 8, 350–353. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- American Educational Research Association; American Psychological Association; National Council on Measurement in Education (Eds.) Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing; American Educational Research Association: Washington, DC, USA, 2014. [Google Scholar]
- Mowday, R.T.; Steers, R.M.; Porter, L.W. The Measurment of Organizational Commitment. J. Vocat. Beav. 1979, 14, 224–227. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Leeming, F.C.; Dwyer, W.O.; Bracken, B.A. Children’s Environmental Attitude and Knowledge Scale: Construction and Validation. J. Environ. Educ. 1995, 26, 22–31. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Liefländer, A.K.; Fröhlich, G.; Bogner, F.X.; Schultz, P.W. Promoting connectedness with nature through environmental education. Environ. Educ. Res. 2013, 19, 370–384. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tuncer, G.; Ertepinar, H.; Tekkaya, C.; Sungur, S. Environmental attitudes of young people in Turkey: Effects of school type and gender. Environ. Educ. Res. 2005, 11, 215–233. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Olsson, D.; Gericke, N. The effect of gender on students’ sustainability consciousness: A nationwide Swedish study. J. Environ. Educ. 2017, 48, 357–370. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Scott, B.A.; Amel, E.L.; Koger, S.M.; Manning, C.M. Psychology for Sustainability, 4th ed.; Routledge: New York, NY, USA; London, UK, 2016. [Google Scholar]
- Boeve-de Pauw, J.; Jacobs, K.; van Petegem, P. Gender Differences in Environmental Values. Environ. Behav. 2012, 46, 373–397. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- OECD. Green at Fifteen? How 15-Year-Olds Perform in Environmental Science and Geoscience in PISA 2006. 2009. Available online: https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/42467312.pdf (accessed on 19 April 2018).
- Kagawa, F. Dissonance in students’ perceptions of sustainable development and sustainability. Int. J. Sustain. High. Ed. 2007, 8, 317–338. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kollmuss, A.; Agyeman, J. Mind the Gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environ. Educ. Res. 2010, 8, 239–260. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Terlau, W.; Hirsch, D. Sustainable Consumption and the Attitude-Behaviour-Gap Phenomenon - Causes and Measurements towards a Sustainable Development. Int. J. Foodsyst. Dyn. 2015, 6, 159–174. [Google Scholar]
- Kumar Chaudhary, A.; Lamm, A.; Warner, L. Using Cognitive Dissonance to Theoretically Explain Water Conservation Intentions. J. Agric. Educ. 2018, 59, 194–210. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Metin, I.; Metin Camgoz, S. The Advances in the History of Cognitive Dissonance Theory. Int. J. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2011, 1, 131–136. [Google Scholar]
- Salgado, J.F. Bandwidth-Fidelity Dilemma. In Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences; Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K., Eds.; Springer International Publishing: New York, NY, USA, 2017; pp. 1–4. [Google Scholar]
- Wals, A.E.J.; Benavot, A. Can we meet the sustainability challenges? The role of education and lifelong learning. Eur. J. Educ. 2017, 52, 404–413. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Evans, J. There Are No Jobs on a Dead Planet—OECD Observer. Available online: http://oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/5294/There_are_no_jobs_on_a_dead_planet.html (accessed on 8 January 2019).
- Burford, G.; Tamás, P.; Harder, M. Can We Improve Indicator Design for Complex Sustainable Development Goals? A Comparison of a Values-Based and Conventional Approach. Sustainability 2016, 8, 861. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Waltner, E.-M.; Rieß, W.; Brock, A. Development of an ESD Indicator for Teacher Training and the National Monitoring for ESD Implementation in Germany. Sustainability 2018, 10, 2508. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Arima, A.; Konaré, A.O.; Lindberg, C.; Rockefeller, S. Draft International Implementation Scheme, United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005–2014. 2004. Available online: http://www.env-edu.gr/Documents/files/Basika%20Keimena/DESD.pdf (accessed on 4 June 2017).
Questionnaire Dimension | Sample | Item Type | |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Socio-demographic | Age, gender, chosen subject specification | Mixed |
2. | Basic cross-curricular and subject- specific sustainability related knowledge | If someone wants to live sustainably, she/he/* should... Please mark only one response option (the most appropriate). □... always donate money for aid and conservation projects in poorer countries. □... if possible, eat local farming products, invest money profitably and fight for worldwide peace. □... eat as vegan as much as possible to protect local animal species, to create a fairer life for animals and humans. □... respect nature, advocate for justice, and make sure everyone has enough to live on. | Single-choice items with four response options (one right answer, three distractors) 1 |
3. | Affective-motivational beliefs towards sustainability | When I hear of cars that consume a lot of fuel, I get angry. | Ordinal scale (4-point Likert, from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) |
4. | Self-reported sustainability-related behavior intentions | When I buy chocolate with my pocket money, I buy organic or fair-trade chocolate. | Ordinal scale (4-point Likert, from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) |
5. | Intentional subject-specific sustainability knowledge applied class 5–6 (age group 9–14) | recycling, smart phone production/use, decline in insect numbers | Single-choice items with different response formats (true/false –fast response items) |
class 7–8 (age group 11–16) | sustainable products labels/consumption, organic agriculture, renewable energy | ||
6. | Dilemma situations | Imagine the following situation: You are the boss of a big company and you can make all decisions for this company. Your company has earned a lot of money this year. You decide: (Please mark only one response option.) □ I install a new solar system and an electric power charging station for my employees’ e-cars. □ I build a new sports area so that my staff will feel well and stay healthy. □ I hire a consultant who helps me with future decisions to make the production more environmentally friendly and improve the working conditions for the employees, and I implement this program. □ I pay myself a big salary so I have money to go on holidays with my family. | Single-choice items with four response options on an ordinal ranking 2 |
Scale | Number of Items | Cronbach’s α | |
---|---|---|---|
I. | Sustainability related knowledge | 5 | 0.70 |
class 5–6 (age group 9–14) | 6 | ||
class 7–8 (age group 11–16) | 5 | ||
II. | Affective-motivational beliefs towards sustainability | 16 | 0.84 |
III. | Sustainability behavioral intentions | 13 | 0.71 |
IV. | Intentional sustainability knowledge applied class 5–6 (age group 9–14) | 4 | 0.67 |
3 | |||
IV. | Intentional sustainability knowledge applied class 7–8 (age group 11–16) | 4 | 0.55 |
3 |
Scale | Mean Score (Standard Deviation) n = Number of Cases | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | |
Sustainability related knowledge | 6.88 | 7.83 | 8.97 | 10.19 |
(2.91) | (3.26) | (3.22) | (2.98) | |
436 | 396 | 393 | 397 | |
Affective-motivational beliefs towards sustainability | 3.32 | 3.25 | 3.26 | 3.21 |
(0.46) | (0.45) | (0.42) | (0.41) | |
429 | 391 | 391 | 394 | |
Sustainability-related behavior | 2.97 | 2.85 | 2.78 | 2.73 |
(0.47) | (0.45) | (0.45) | (0.42) | |
429 | 392 | 390 | 394 | |
Intentional sustainability knowledge applied | 4.49 | 4.61 | 4.85 | 5.03 |
(1.15) | (1.21) | (1.17) | (1.16) | |
429 | 391 | 390 | 394 |
Scale | Mean Score (Standard Deviation) n = Number of Cases | |
---|---|---|
Male | Female | |
Sustainability related knowledge | 8.21 | 8.66 |
(3.41) | (3.18) | |
784 | 799 | |
Affective-motivational beliefs towards sustainability | 3.18 | 3.34 |
(0.47) | (0.38) | |
774 | 796 | |
Sustainability-related behavior | 2.78 | 2.89 |
(0.46) | (0.44) | |
775 | 795 | |
Intentional sustainability knowledge applied classes 5–6 | 4.36 | 4.73 |
(1.19) | (1.13) | |
393 | 413 | |
Intentional sustainability knowledge applied classes 7–8 | 4.75 | 5.12 |
(1.15) | (1.16) | |
381 | 382 |
Variable | Correlation (n = Number of Cases) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Subject German | Subject Mathematics | Subject Biology | |
Sustainability related knowledge | −0.31 ** (1600) | −0.27 ** (1601) | −0.25 ** (1599) |
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Waltner, E.-M.; Rieß, W.; Mischo, C. Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Student Sustainability Competencies. Sustainability 2019, 11, 1717. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061717
Waltner E-M, Rieß W, Mischo C. Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Student Sustainability Competencies. Sustainability. 2019; 11(6):1717. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061717
Chicago/Turabian StyleWaltner, Eva-Maria, Werner Rieß, and Christoph Mischo. 2019. "Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Student Sustainability Competencies" Sustainability 11, no. 6: 1717. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061717