IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/sustdv/v31y2023i5p3896-3912.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Perceptions of the academic community on the performance of sustainable development initiatives in higher education

Author

Listed:
  • Walter Leal Filho
  • Claudio Ruy Portela de Vasconcelos
  • Paula Ferreira
  • M. Madalena Araújo
  • Alessandra Berenguer
  • Nadjacleia Almeida
  • Bárbara Fritzen Gomes
  • Joácio Morais Júnior
  • Ciliana Regina Colombo
  • Walleci Gabeu Lira
  • Thatiana Lira Alves Agostinho

Abstract

Since the UN Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm in 1972, higher education institutions (HEIs) have been adapting to assume their social role in supporting societies in promoting sustainable lifestyles. However, HEIs are complex institutions composed of several interdependent subsystems. Sustainable improvement requires holistic assessment measures to comply with established goals. To date, few studies have focused on comparing the different perceptions of sustainability in HEIs and considering the views of the academic community in shaping the efforts and better disseminating sustainable development initiatives. To fill this gap, this work aimed to implement a methodology that compares the perceptions of sustainability and the implemented actions among members of HEIs to show the discrepancies between perceptions and facts. Many studies report either the perception of members of the academic community or the technical assessment of the sustainable performance of the institution in isolation. The novelty of this work lies in developing a tool that allows the use of a similar scale to compare the perception of users of academic services with the valuation attributed by technicians responsible for implementing sustainable development initiatives at HEIs. Analysing of these results enables the identification of dimensions with discrepancies, guiding managers as they carry out actions to promote greater community engagement in implementing sustainability initiatives that boost the consolidation of these values in the institutional culture. Additionally, it is highlighted that the proposed methodology could be adapted for use in other types of institutions, maintaining the same benefits described here.

Suggested Citation

  • Walter Leal Filho & Claudio Ruy Portela de Vasconcelos & Paula Ferreira & M. Madalena Araújo & Alessandra Berenguer & Nadjacleia Almeida & Bárbara Fritzen Gomes & Joácio Morais Júnior & Ciliana Regina, 2023. "Perceptions of the academic community on the performance of sustainable development initiatives in higher education," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 3896-3912, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:31:y:2023:i:5:p:3896-3912
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.2633
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2633
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sd.2633?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. Shiel, Chris & Leal Filho, Walter & do Paço, Arminda & Brandli, Luciana, 2016. "Evaluating the engagement of universities in capacity building for sustainable development in local communities," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 123-134.
    3. Hussain Bakhsh Magsi & Tze San Ong & Jo Ann Ho & Ahmad Fahmi Sheikh Hassan, 2018. "Organizational Culture and Environmental Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Zaidi, Syed Anees Haider & Mirza, Faisal Mehmood & Hou, Fujun & Ashraf, Rana Umair, 2019. "Addressing the sustainable development through sustainable procurement: What factors resist the implementation of sustainable procurement in Pakistan?," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Juraj Cheben & Drahoslav Lancaric & Michal Munk & Peter Obdrzalek, 2020. "Determinants of Economic Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 22(54), pages 462-462, April.
    6. Green, Tom L., 2013. "Teaching (un)sustainability? University sustainability commitments and student experiences of introductory economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 135-142.
    7. Jiawen Wang & Minghui Yang & Petra Maresova, 2020. "Sustainable Development at Higher Education in China: A Comparative Study of Students’ Perception in Public and Private Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-19, March.
    8. Ida Kubiszewski & Kenneth Mulder & Diane Jarvis & Robert Costanza, 2022. "Toward better measurement of sustainable development and wellbeing: A small number of SDG indicators reliably predict life satisfaction," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 139-148, February.
    9. Vasiliki Kioupi & Nikolaos Voulvoulis, 2020. "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Assessing the Contribution of Higher Education Programmes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-17, August.
    10. Carla Farinha & Sandra Caeiro & Ulisses Azeiteiro, 2019. "Sustainability Strategies in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions: Commitments and Practices from Internal Insights," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-25, June.
    11. Sandra Caeiro & Leyla Angélica Sandoval Hamón & Rute Martins & Cecilia Elizabeth Bayas Aldaz, 2020. "Sustainability Assessment and Benchmarking in Higher Education Institutions—A Critical Reflection," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-30, January.
    12. Marian Buil-Fabregá & Matilde Martínez Casanovas & Noemí Ruiz-Munzón & Walter Leal Filho, 2019. "Flipped Classroom as an Active Learning Methodology in Sustainable Development Curricula," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-15, August.
    13. Ismaila R. Abubakar & Faez S. Al-Shihri & Sayed M. Ahmed, 2016. "Students’ Assessment of Campus Sustainability at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nicola Raimo & Giuseppe Nicolò & Vitiana L'Abate & Filippo Vitolla, 2024. "Analyzing the factors affecting university contributions to achieving the sustainable development goals in European Union countries," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(6), pages 6033-6044, December.

    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. Sharifah Nurlaili Farhana Syed Azhar & Noor Adelyna Mohammed Akib & Suzyrman Sibly & Saidatulakmal Mohd, 2022. "Students’ Attitude and Perception towards Sustainability: The Case of Universiti Sains Malaysia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Carolina Feliciana Machado & João Paulo Davim, 2022. "Higher Education for Sustainability: A Bibliometric Approach—What, Where and Who Is Doing Research in This Subject?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-15, April.
    3. 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.
    4. Łukasz Sułkowski & Katarzyna Kolasińska-Morawska & Robert Seliga & Piotr Buła & Paweł Morawski, 2021. "Sustainability Culture of Polish Universities in Professionalization of Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-22, December.
    5. Amila Omazic & Bernd Markus Zunk, 2021. "Semi-Systematic Literature Review on Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-45, July.
    6. Sandra Caeiro & Ulisses M. Azeiteiro, 2020. "Sustainability Assessment in Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-4, April.
    7. Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel & Antwi Boasiako, Ama, 2024. "Beyond the Classroom: Quality Assurance in Developing Nations," MPRA Paper 122486, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 13 Oct 2024.
    8. 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.
    9. Idiano D'Adamo & Massimo Gastaldi & Ilhan Ozturk, 2023. "The sustainable development of mobility in the green transition: Renewable energy, local industrial chain, and battery recycling," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 840-852, April.
    10. Olufunke P. Adebayo & Rowland E. Worlu & Chinonye L. Moses & Olaleke O. Ogunnaike, 2020. "An Integrated Organisational Culture for Sustainable Environmental Performance in the Nigerian Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-15, October.
    11. Lovely S. Mores & Jeongwoo Lee & Woongkyoo Bae, 2019. "University-Community Partnerships: A Local Planning Co-Production Study on Calabarzon, Philippines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-16, March.
    12. Ismaila Rimi Abubakar & Yusuf A. Aina & Habib M. Alshuwaikhat, 2020. "Sustainable Development at Saudi Arabian Universities: An Overview of Institutional Frameworks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-15, September.
    13. 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.
    14. Fernando Caixeta & André M. Carvalho & Pedro Saraiva & Fausto Freire, 2022. "Sustainability-Focused Excellence: A Novel Model Integrating the Water–Energy–Food Nexus for Agro-Industrial Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-20, August.
    15. Carla Farinha & Sandra Caeiro & Ulisses Azeiteiro, 2019. "Sustainability Strategies in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions: Commitments and Practices from Internal Insights," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-25, June.
    16. Md. Abdur Rahman Forhad & Gazi Mahabubul Alam & Mamunur Rashid & Afruza Haque & Md. Sawgat Khan, 2022. "Sustainable Development in Higher Engineering Education: A Comparative Study between Private and Public Polytechnics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, July.
    17. Jam Shahzaib Khan & Rozana Zakaria & Siti Mazzuana Shamsudin & Nur Izie Adiana Abidin & Shaza Rina Sahamir & Darul Nafis Abbas & Eeydzah Aminudin, 2019. "Evolution to Emergence of Green Buildings: A Review," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-20, January.
    18. Aroub Alnasser & Nsreen Musallat, 2022. "Food Sustainability Knowledge among Saudis: Towards the Goals of Saudi Vision 2030," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.
    19. Maria-Silvia Fota & Nicoleta-Elena Cristea & Alexandru Ureche & Nadia Albu, 2024. "Accountants' Competencies for Sustainability Reporting: An Exploratory Study," Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 23(2), pages 446-460, June.
    20. Rosa María Brito & Columba Rodríguez & José Luis Aparicio, 2018. "Sustainability in Teaching: An Evaluation of University Teachers and Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-16, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:wly:sustdv:v:31:y:2023:i:5:p:3896-3912. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719 .

    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.