Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions

• Main Authors: César Tapia-Fonllem, Blanca Fraijo-Sing, Víctor Corral-Verdugo, Anais Ortiz Valdez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2017-01-01
• Series: SAGE Open
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016676295

The role that higher education plays in the promotion of sustainable development outstands in the declarations on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), besides being a research priority in higher education. However, few studies exist that evaluate sustainable lifestyles among university students. The aim of this study was to analyze the mission and vision, processes and actions undertaken to promote sustainability in higher education institutions, and to compare the pro-sustainability orientation (PSO) reported by 360 students coursing first or last semesters at college. The study was intended to evaluate the influence that four higher education institutions in Sonora, Mexico, have on students’ PSO. Results of the study indicate that a coherent PSO factor emerges from the interrelations among pro-environmental dispositional and behavioral variables reported by students. However, university programs and actions do not produce statistically significant differences between freshmen and senior students. Possible reasons explaining the lack of positive influence of those universities on students’ PSO are discussed.