The Green School Partnership Project in Taiwan (GPPT) is an initiative promoted by the Taiwanese government and the Ministry of Education to make Taiwan a more sustainable country. The GPPT uses a whole-school approach to promote sustainability. This study investigated the effects of the GPPT on the overall sustainability consciousness (SC) of students attending GPPT schools. SC refers to a composite of knowingness, attitudes, and self-reported behaviors related to the environmental, social, and economic components of sustainable development.
Students in grades 6, 9, and 12 from comparable GPPT and non-GPPT schools completed the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ). In addition to assessing students' sustainability knowingness, attitudes and behaviors, the SCQ also addresses critical aspects of education relating to students' awareness of sustainable development and their preparedness for future action on sustainability issues. Data analyzed for this study included SCQ responses of 1741 students: 802 from GPPT schools; 939 from non-GPPT schools.
Results showed no noticeable differences in SC between students in the two groups (GPPT and non-GPPT). This indicates that “the investment in the GPPT does not pay off in terms of sustainability knowingness, attitudes and self-reported intended sustainability behaviors among the students.” This lack of effect of GPPT schools on SC isn't entirely surprising, as similar results were found in studies of “green schools” from Western countries. Findings from this study also showed significant differences between girls and boys, with girls showing consistently higher SC scores, especially in self-reported intended behaviors with respect to sustainability. This gender effect on sustainability behaviors increased with increasing grades in the school system. Finally, the results showed an “adolescent dip” in student overall SC, especially for sustainability behaviors. This dip was characterized by a decrease in students' SC between the sixth and ninth grades, and a rebound for the twelfth grade. These results, too, are consistent with other studies.
The limited effect of GPPT on the SC of students may relate to ESD teaching. It's possible that students in GPPT schools lack ESD teaching, or that the teaching in GPPT did not differ from the teaching in non-GPPT schools. Some research indicates that ESD when taught in terms of holism and pluralism has a positive effect on students' sustainability knowingness and sustainability behaviors. Holism and pluralism, when applied to pedagogy, acknowledges different views, values and perspectives and recognizes the relationships between environmental, social and economic issues. Some research also indicates that pro-social behavior and pro-environmental behavior are two facets of the same thing. This would suggest that “students' sustainability behavior will be affected if they experience pluralistic teaching in which pro-social behavior is encouraged.”
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