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
Standard
In: Education Sciences, Vol. 7, No. 1, 4, 03.2017.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Bibtex
}
RIS
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 -