Reflections, experiential learning, and guest speakers help shift university students' paradigms and action competence

The current socio-ecological crisis of climate change is deeply connected to the relationship between humans and the non-human world. Many people see human and nature as interconnected, that there should be a balance in growth between the two, and reject that nature exists for solely human consumption. On the other hand, many others, particularly in western society, hold anthropocentric worldview; resources are unlimited, science and technology can control nature, and unlimited economic growth is a primary goal. To combat this crisis and change the environmental effects of current practices (such as overexploitation of natural resources), a paradigm shift must occur towards sustainable development (SD). One method for shifting this paradigm is to support sustainable education in higher education aimed at empowering students to build a sustainable future. To facilitate sustainable education, universities may have to adopt new learning approaches, as well as develop action competence, or students' capability to engage with individual and societal sustainability challenges. This study assessed the impact of teaching elements in a sustainable education course on two key outcomes: the transition to a sustainability paradigm and the development of action competence.

This study was conducted at Lincoln University in New Zealand and was a case study surveying the graduate-level course “Aspects of sustainability: an international perspective” in the fall of 2014. Out of eight students in the course, six opted to participate in the study. The course content focused on four main components: problems relating to sustainability, the underlying systemic causes of these problems, existing tools and strategies for achieving sustainability, and examples of successful sustainability initiatives. The course combined traditional pedagogy with action competence and collaborative/reflective learning by including lectures, videos, in-class exercises, a debate, and a final project on the topic of the students' choosing. Students were given the opportunity to identify topics they wanted to cover more deeply during the second half of the course. The participating students completed a pre- and post-course questionnaire and provided feedback at the end of each lesson, both of which were analyzed for common themes. The questionnaire was designed to determine students' understanding of, interest in, and attitude towards sustainability. It included the Revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale to measure students' position in relation to an ecocentric worldview. Researchers also observed classroom activities and discussions to collect further data.

Based on the written feedback and questionnaires, the researchers found that the course's influence in promoting a paradigm shift and development of action competence differed between students. All students had an increase in scores related to their knowledge of the socioeconomics of sustainability, and four students had increased action confidence scores. Students shifted their answers from the pre- to the post-course questionnaire, but the changes were different for each student. Such as, one student's NEP score decreased, which the authors attributed to critical reflection on the students' part because they gained a new understanding of the social justice dimension of sustainability that affected their NEP responses. The student's written feedback also showed varied responses, from a lack of critical thinking to students' thinking about a sustainable world changing drastically. Students also gained knowledge about the sustainability problems they focused on in class. Overall, the researchers found that this course did contribute to a change in students' thoughts regarding a paradigm shift, as well as developed action competence.

This study did have limitations. The small sample size limited the research to a case-study style evaluation, which provided useful data, but a statistical quantitative analysis could not be performed. Also, the study only evaluated one graduate-level course, and took place only in New Zealand, which limits it generalizability. Finally, the researchers did note that the written feedback lacked critical reflection of the students' learning. While the information it included was helpful, this may not be the most effective evaluative tool for this type of study.

The researchers presented some recommendations for university courses to shift student paradigms. They found the process of critical reflection important for students to consider socio-environmental problems and their own values, such as through class discussions or weekly written reflections. To increase students' confidence and motivation to act sustainability, students' mentioned learning about people's first-hand experiences in sustainability initiatives such as through guest speakers, and learning about practical ways to implement actions, to be effective. Experiential learning experiences were also recommended for sustainability education, such as trips to sustainable buildings. This case study also included an action project at the end of the semester, which the researchers found important to building action competence through bringing awareness to local sustainability issues, the necessity of teamwork, and deepening understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability issues.