Is subjective knowledge the key to fostering sustainable behavior? Mixed evidence from an education intervention in Mexico
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Authors
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.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 4 |
Journal | Education Sciences |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 1 |
Number of pages | 38 |
ISSN | 2227-7102 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 03.2017 |
- SDG 4 - Quality Education
- SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
Sustainable Development Goals
- Computer Science (miscellaneous)
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Public Administration
- Computer Science Applications
- Education
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Behavior change, Educating for sustainability, Environmental education, Knowledge domains, Sustainability science, Waste
- Sustainability education
- Sustainability sciences, Communication