Using system dynamics to develop education for sustainable development in higher education with the emphasis on the sustainability competencies of students

Elham Faham, Ahmad Rezvanfar, Seyed Hamid Movahed Mohammadi and Meisam Rajabi Nohooji

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2017, vol. 123, issue C, 307-326

Abstract: In response to growing concerns of the community about sustainability challenges and the intensification of the international calls to move towards a sustainable future, higher education should be involved in implementing the programs of education for sustainable development; because of this fact that University graduates are part of this solution as future leaders and inheritors of technology. In this study, the underlying research question is: What mechanisms are needed to develop education for sustainable development in higher education with the emphasis on the sustainability competencies of students? The research method was system dynamics. Therefore, we used a mix method research design. Tools of research included the literature review, questionnaire, interview, and observation. We developed a dynamic model to develop the education for sustainable development in higher education with the emphasis on the sustainability competencies of students. This model describes the research problem and predicts the behavior of model variables by simulating in the next 20years. This model included 18 reinforcing and six balancing feedback loops. After ensuring the validity of the model, mechanisms were elicited from the model. Finally, we evaluated these mechanisms for finding the impacts on improving the problem.

Keywords: Education for sustainable development; Higher education; System dynamics; Future; Mechanism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:123:y:2017:i:c:p:307-326

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2016.03.023

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