TY - JOUR

T1 - Fostering students’ participation in the implementation of the sustainable development goals at higher education institutions

AU - Filho, Walter Leal

AU - Trevisan, Laís Viera

AU - Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta

AU - Ulmer, Nico

AU - Paço, Arminda

AU - Borsari, Bruno

AU - Sierra, Javier

AU - Salvia, Amanda

N1 - Funding Information: This paper is part of the "100 papers to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals" initiative. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.

PY - 2024/12

Y1 - 2024/12

N2 - Students are central actors at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Whereas much can be achieved by the active participation of students in sustainability affairs, it is unclear what is the current level of students’ knowledge and engagement regarding the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the world, as well as which initiatives are being undertaken by HEIs on this matter. In order to address this research gap, this study investigated the current status of students’ knowledge and participation in initiatives aimed at the implementation of the UN SDGs. A comprehensive research methodology was carried out by means of a bibliometric analysis, case studies, and a survey involving a sample of 602 students from 53 countries. For the bibliometric analysis, data were analysed with the support of the VOSviewer software, while quantitative data analysis was performed with the support of IBM SPSS Statistics. The study shows that the participation of students in SDGs activities is associated with the commitment level of the HEIs to the implementation of the SDGs. In addition, the fact that students have taken a course or have a discipline related to the SDGs, plays a significant role in the SDGs implementation process. Moreover, the findings reveal that graduate students are more familiar with the SDGs than their undergraduate peers. The analysed HEIs case studies also demonstrate the commitment to sustainable development (SD) through different initiatives being pursued at different levels and scopes. Based on the results, the study provides recommendations on a set of specific measures that may be implemented to increase HEIs students’ interest and engagement in SD.

AB - Students are central actors at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Whereas much can be achieved by the active participation of students in sustainability affairs, it is unclear what is the current level of students’ knowledge and engagement regarding the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the world, as well as which initiatives are being undertaken by HEIs on this matter. In order to address this research gap, this study investigated the current status of students’ knowledge and participation in initiatives aimed at the implementation of the UN SDGs. A comprehensive research methodology was carried out by means of a bibliometric analysis, case studies, and a survey involving a sample of 602 students from 53 countries. For the bibliometric analysis, data were analysed with the support of the VOSviewer software, while quantitative data analysis was performed with the support of IBM SPSS Statistics. The study shows that the participation of students in SDGs activities is associated with the commitment level of the HEIs to the implementation of the SDGs. In addition, the fact that students have taken a course or have a discipline related to the SDGs, plays a significant role in the SDGs implementation process. Moreover, the findings reveal that graduate students are more familiar with the SDGs than their undergraduate peers. The analysed HEIs case studies also demonstrate the commitment to sustainable development (SD) through different initiatives being pursued at different levels and scopes. Based on the results, the study provides recommendations on a set of specific measures that may be implemented to increase HEIs students’ interest and engagement in SD.

KW - Bibliometric analysis

KW - Case studies

KW - Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

KW - Students

KW - Survey

KW - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

KW - Sustainability Governance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186634721&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s43621-024-00204-7

DO - 10.1007/s43621-024-00204-7

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85186634721

VL - 5

JO - Discover Sustainability

JF - Discover Sustainability

SN - 2662-9984

IS - 1

M1 - 22

ER -