TY - JOUR

T1 - Is subjective knowledge the key to fostering sustainable behavior? Mixed evidence from an education intervention in Mexico

AU - Redman, Aaron

AU - Redman, Erin

PY - 2017/3

Y1 - 2017/3

N2 - Educational interventions are a promising way to shift individual behaviors towards Sustainability. Yet, as this research confirms, the standard fare of education, declarative knowledge, does not work. This study statistically analyzes the impact of an intervention designed and implemented in Mexico using the Educating for Sustainability (EfS) framework which focuses on imparting procedural and subjective knowledge about waste through innovative pedagogy. Using data from three different rounds of surveys we were able to confirm (1) the importance of subjective and procedural knowledge for Sustainable behavior in a new context; (2) the effectiveness of the EfS framework and (3) the importance of changing subjective knowledge for changing behavior. While the impact was significant in the short term, one year later most if not all of those gains had evaporated. Interventions targeted at subjective knowledge will work, but more research is needed on how to make behavior change for Sustainability durable.

AB - Educational interventions are a promising way to shift individual behaviors towards Sustainability. Yet, as this research confirms, the standard fare of education, declarative knowledge, does not work. This study statistically analyzes the impact of an intervention designed and implemented in Mexico using the Educating for Sustainability (EfS) framework which focuses on imparting procedural and subjective knowledge about waste through innovative pedagogy. Using data from three different rounds of surveys we were able to confirm (1) the importance of subjective and procedural knowledge for Sustainable behavior in a new context; (2) the effectiveness of the EfS framework and (3) the importance of changing subjective knowledge for changing behavior. While the impact was significant in the short term, one year later most if not all of those gains had evaporated. Interventions targeted at subjective knowledge will work, but more research is needed on how to make behavior change for Sustainability durable.

KW - Behavior change

KW - Educating for sustainability

KW - Environmental education

KW - Knowledge domains

KW - Sustainability science

KW - Waste

KW - Sustainability education

KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068401783&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/educsci7010004

DO - 10.3390/educsci7010004

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85068401783

VL - 7

JO - Education Sciences

JF - Education Sciences

SN - 2227-7102

IS - 1

M1 - 4

ER -