IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i14p8431-d859705.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Teacher Views on Teaching Sustainability in Higher Education Institutes in Australia

Author

Listed:
  • Zawar Shah

    (Department of Information Technology, Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia)

  • Shannon Kennedy-Clark

    (Department of Information Technology, Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia)

  • Yancong Xie

    (Department of Information Technology, Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia)

  • Md Shamsur Rahim

    (Department of Information Technology, Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia)

  • Mehregan Mahdavi

    (Department of Information Technology, Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia)

  • Andrew Levula

    (Department of Information Technology, Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
    School of Business, Excelsia College, 69-71 Waterloo Road, Macquarie Park, Sydney, NSW 2113, Australia)

Abstract

Higher education for sustainable development (HESD) plays a key role in achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research study specifically examined HESD in terms of eLearning initiatives in Australian private higher education providers from the perspective of teachers. A qualitative structured interview method was adopted wherein 10 teachers were interviewed in order to gain an understanding of their general knowledge of HESD, their attitudes and experience towards HESD, their teaching practices related to HESD, and their understandings of strategy as well as planning initiatives for their institution. The main findings suggest that (1) teachers in private higher education providers tend to have a limited knowledge of sustainability concepts and limited experience in teaching sustainability; (2) eLearning can be a valuable approach in teaching sustainability, but this approach presents teachers with challenges such as student engagement; and (3) private higher education providers require proper resources and governance frameworks in order for any sustainability initiative to be successful. This research highlights the resourcing aspect of private higher education providers in training staff, developing learning materials, and developing practical guidelines to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Suggested Citation

  • Zawar Shah & Shannon Kennedy-Clark & Yancong Xie & Md Shamsur Rahim & Mehregan Mahdavi & Andrew Levula, 2022. "Teacher Views on Teaching Sustainability in Higher Education Institutes in Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-18, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:14:p:8431-:d:859705
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/14/8431/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/14/8431/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leire Agirreazkuenaga, 2019. "Embedding Sustainable Development Goals in Education. Teachers’ Perspective about Education for Sustainability in the Basque Autonomous Community," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Samson Maekele Tsegay & Muhammad Azeem Ashraf & Shahnaz Perveen & Mulugeta Zemuy Zegergish, 2022. "Online Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic: Teachers’ Experiences from a Chinese University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, January.
    3. NGUYEN Thi To Khuyen & NGUYEN Van Bien & Pei-Ling Lin & Jing Lin & Chun-Yen Chang, 2020. "Measuring Teachers’ Perceptions to Sustain STEM Education Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-15, February.
    4. Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen & Thi Huy Nguyen & Thanh Khiet Tran, 2020. "STEM Education in Secondary Schools: Teachers’ Perspective towards Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-16, October.
    5. Leejin Choi & Sunjoo Chung, 2021. "Navigating Online Language Teaching in Uncertain Times: Challenges and Strategies of EFL Educators in Creating a Sustainable Technology-Mediated Language Learning Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-14, July.
    6. Hanadi Mohamed AbdelSalam & Maura A. E. Pilotti & Omar J. El-Moussa, 2021. "Sustainable Math Education of Female Students during a Pandemic: Online versus Face-to-Face Instruction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-12, November.
    7. Siti Nur Diyana Mahmud & Hazrati Husnin & Tuan Mastura Tuan Soh, 2020. "Teaching Presence in Online Gamified Education for Sustainability Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-17, May.
    8. Mochamad Arief Budihardjo & Bimastyaji Surya Ramadan & Soraya Annisa Putri & Indah Fajarini Sri Wahyuningrum & Fadel Iqbal Muhammad, 2021. "Towards Sustainability in Higher-Education Institutions: Analysis of Contributing Factors and Appropriate Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-14, June.
    9. Ciprian Obrad, 2020. "Constraints and Consequences of Online Teaching," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-23, August.
    10. Nikita Martyushev & Anna Shutaleva & Elena Malushko & Zhanna Nikonova & Irina Savchenko, 2021. "Online Communication Tools in Teaching Foreign Languages for Education Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-17, October.
    11. Johanna Andrea Navarro-Espinosa & Manuel Vaquero-Abellán & Alberto-Jesús Perea-Moreno & Gerardo Pedrós-Pérez & Pilar Aparicio-Martínez & Mª Pilar Martínez-Jiménez, 2021. "The Higher Education Sustainability before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Spanish and Ecuadorian Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-22, June.
    12. Eva-Maria Waltner & Katja Scharenberg & Christian Hörsch & Werner Rieß, 2020. "What Teachers Think and Know about Education for Sustainable Development and How They Implement it in Class," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-15, February.
    13. Grijalvo, Mercedes & Segura, Alejandro & Núñez, Yilsy, 2022. "Computer-based business games in higher education: A proposal of a gamified learning framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    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. Noor Hamwy & Jennifer Bruder & Abdellatif Sellami & Michael H. Romanowski, 2023. "Challenges to Teachers Implementing Sustainable Development Goals Frameworks in Qatar," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Fahimul Hoque & Ruhizan M. Yasin & Kamaruzzaman Sopian, 2022. "Revisiting Education for Sustainable Development: Methods to Inspire Secondary School Students toward Renewable Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-18, July.
    3. Esneider Gutierrez-Rivera & Manuela Escobar-Sierra & Jorge-Andrés Polanco, 2023. "Characterizing Organizational Sustainability in Catholic Schools: A Cross-National Study Applying Text Mining," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, October.
    4. Juliana Fosua Gyasi & Lanqin Zheng & Yidan Zhou, 2021. "Perusing the Past to Propel the Future: A Systematic Review of STEM Learning Activity Based on Activity Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-27, August.
    5. Tabea Bork-Hüffer & Vanessa Kulcar & Ferdinand Brielmair & Andrea Markl & Daniel Marian Immer & Barbara Juen & Maria Hildegard Walter & Katja Kaufmann, 2021. "University Students’ Perception, Evaluation, and Spaces of Distance Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria: What Can We Learn for Post-Pandemic Educational Futures?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-25, July.
    6. Hsien-Sheng Hsiao & Jyun-Chen Chen & Jhen-Han Chen & Yu-Ting Zeng & Guang-Han Chung, 2022. "An Assessment of Junior High School Students’ Knowledge, Creativity, and Hands-On Performance Using PBL via Cognitive–Affective Interaction Model to Achieve STEAM," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, May.
    7. Maria Elena Latino & Marta Menegoli & Fulvio Signore & Maria Chiara De Lorenzi, 2023. "The Potential of Gamification for Social Sustainability: Meaning and Purposes in Agri-Food Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-18, June.
    8. Janna Niens & Lisa Richter-Beuschel & Tobias C. Stubbe & Susanne Bögeholz, 2021. "Procedural Knowledge of Primary School Teachers in Madagascar for Teaching and Learning towards Land-Use- and Health-Related Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-36, August.
    9. Mochamad Arief Budihardjo & Natasya Ghinna Humaira & Soraya Annisa Putri & Bimastyaji Surya Ramadan & Syafrudin Syafrudin & Eflita Yohana, 2021. "Sustainable Solid Waste Management Strategies for Higher Education Institutions: Diponegoro University, Indonesia Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-15, November.
    10. Maura A. E. Pilotti & Omar J. El-Moussa & Hanadi M. Abdelsalam, 2022. "Measuring the Impact of the Pandemic on Female and Male Students’ Learning in a Society in Transition: A Must for Sustainable Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-13, March.
    11. Leire Agirreazkuenaga, 2020. "Education for Agenda 2030: What Direction do We Want to Take Going Forward?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, March.
    12. Mohd Shafie Rosli & Nor Shela Saleh & Azlah Md. Ali & Suaibah Abu Bakar, 2022. "Self-Determination Theory and Online Learning in University: Advancements, Future Direction and Research Gaps," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-21, November.
    13. Xiangfei Ma & Inna Gryshova & Iryna Koshkalda & Anastasiia Suska & Rymma Gryshova & Alona Riasnianska & Olga Tupchii, 2022. "Necessity of Post-War Renewal of University Teachers’ Potential in Terms of Sustainable Development in Ukraine," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, October.
    14. Jamali, Seyedh Mahboobeh & Nader, Ale Ebrahim & Jamali, Fatemeh, 2021. "The Role of STEM Education in Improving the Quality of Education: A Bibliometric Study," MPRA Paper 114214, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 02 May 2022.
    15. Yongli Tian & Yuchang Jin & Yadi Zhao & Yifan Du & Sicen Shen & Junxiu An, 2024. "Analysis of Knowledge Graph: Hotspots and Future Trends in Environmental Education Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-18, March.
    16. Lui-Kwan Ng & Chung-Kwan Lo, 2022. "Flipped Classroom and Gamification Approach: Its Impact on Performance and Academic Commitment on Sustainable Learning in Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-23, April.
    17. José Molina & Nguyen Viet Hai & Ping-Han Cheng & Chun-Yen Chang, 2021. "SDG’s Quality Education Approach: Comparative Analysis of Natural Sciences Curriculum Guidelines between Taiwan and Colombia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, March.
    18. Corneliu C. Simuț & Laurențiu Petrila & Felix-Angel Popescu & Ionuț Mihai Oprea, 2021. "Challenges and Opportunities for Telecommuting in the School System: Building a Sustainable Online Education in the Context of the SARS-Cov-2 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-21, September.
    19. Olawunmi Eniola, 2023. "Work-From-Home Engagement during COVID-19: Implications for Human Resource Management," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 17(3), pages 134-134, February.
    20. Delfín Ortega-Sánchez & Almudena Alonso-Centeno & Miguel Corbí, 2020. "Socio-Environmental Problematic, End-Purposes, and Strategies Relating to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the Perspectives of Spanish Secondary Education Trainee Teachers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-10, July.

    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:14:p:8431-:d:859705. 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.