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Quality Education for All: A Fuzzy Set Analysis of Sustainable Development Goal Compliance

Author

Listed:
  • Luísa Carvalho

    (Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Praça do Município, 11, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
    CARE—Research Center on Health and Social Sciences, 7300-555 Portalegre, Portugal
    Centre for Research in Education and Psychology of the University of Evora (CIEP-UE), Colégio Pedro da Fonseca, Universidade de Évora, Apartado 94, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal)

  • Dora Almeida

    (Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Praça do Município, 11, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
    VALORIZA—Research Center for Endogenous Resource Valorization, 7300-555 Portalegre, Portugal
    CEFAGE, IIFA—Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics, Universidade de Évora, Largo dos Colegiais 2, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal)

  • Ana Loures

    (Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Praça do Município, 11, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
    VALORIZA—Research Center for Endogenous Resource Valorization, 7300-555 Portalegre, Portugal)

  • Paulo Ferreira

    (Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Praça do Município, 11, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
    VALORIZA—Research Center for Endogenous Resource Valorization, 7300-555 Portalegre, Portugal
    CEFAGE, IIFA—Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics, Universidade de Évora, Largo dos Colegiais 2, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal)

  • Fernando Rebola

    (Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Praça do Município, 11, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
    CARE—Research Center on Health and Social Sciences, 7300-555 Portalegre, Portugal)

Abstract

The relationship between education and societal development is unquestionable. Education contributes to achieving both societies’ and individuals’ social and economic goals. Quality education is recognized as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which, jointly with other behaviors and attitudes, could impact the development of societies in other fields like health and well-being, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and even peace and stability—all of them also listed as SDGs. However, the capacity, or not, to reach higher levels of compliance with quality in education (SDG 4) varies from country to country, according to the 2023 Sustainable Development Report results. Thus, the present study aims to identify the sufficient conditions for achieving higher levels of quality education (SDG 4) globally and to analyze how these conditions vary across different world regions. Applying a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis and using data from the 2023 Sustainable Development Report, we focus our analysis on four SDG 4 indicators—early education, primary education, lower secondary education, and literacy rate—across 117 countries, in order to assess the conditions for attaining higher levels of quality education. The results reveal there are specific and identifiable conditions that are sufficient for achieving higher levels of quality education on a global scale, with significant regional variations. These insights contribute to understanding the complex dynamics of educational quality and could be used as guidance for policymakers and educators aiming to improve educational outcomes worldwide.

Suggested Citation

  • Luísa Carvalho & Dora Almeida & Ana Loures & Paulo Ferreira & Fernando Rebola, 2024. "Quality Education for All: A Fuzzy Set Analysis of Sustainable Development Goal Compliance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-15, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:12:p:5218-:d:1418070
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Funda H. Sezgin & Gökçe Tekin Turhan & Gamze Sart & Marina Danilina, 2023. "Impact of Financial Development and Remittances on Educational Attainment within the Context of Sustainable Development: A Panel Evidence from Emerging Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-14, August.
    5. Shuang Yang, 2021. "The Long-Run Effects of Early Childhood Education and Care—An Empirical Analysis Based on the China Family Panel Studies Survey," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(5), pages 2021-2044, October.
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    1. Galina Chernyshova & Evgeniy Taran & Anna Firsova & Alla Vavilina, 2025. "Monitoring of Sustainable Development Trends: Text Mining in Regional Media," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-17, April.

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