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Abstract:
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The importance of sustainability will continue to grow as world population and
the demand for finite resources increase. It is important to educate college students on
the changing world around them, and how to live within the limits set by the Earth. In
order for education on sustainability to evolve it is necessary to study methods of
teaching and their effectiveness on the student population.
Survey research was conducted during the spring 2008 Global Consumer Culture
Course to determine if classroom exposure had an effect on making student attitudes and
behaviors more sustainably oriented. Using a pre and post test method, it was determined
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that there were not statistically significant differences in attitude. However, students
became more sustainably oriented in relation to behavior. This indicates that education
should focus on teaching students about sustainable behaviors, such as recycling and
energy conservation, instead of focusing on changing student attitudes. The research
provides educators with the knowledge that teaching students about sustainability can
elicit a change in projected behaviors. |
