What Do University Students Know about Sustainable Development Goals? A Realistic Approach to the Reception of this UN Program Amongst the Youth Population

Francisco Zamora-Polo, Jesús Sánchez-Martín, Mario Corrales-Serrano and Luis Espejo-Antúnez
Additional contact information
Francisco Zamora-Polo: Departamento de Ingeniería del Diseño, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Sevilla, 41011 Sevilla, Spain
Jesús Sánchez-Martín: Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales y Matemáticas, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Mario Corrales-Serrano: Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales, Lengua y Literatura, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Luis Espejo-Antúnez: Departamento de Terapeútica Médico-Quirúrgica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute a working agenda for the international community with the aim of ensuring a better world for future generations. In this context, the development of competences related to SDGs is a challenge for Higher Education Institutions. Although there are several studies that address the relationship between SDGs and university teaching, the students’ knowledge about this subject has not been set out yet. In order to evaluate students’ knowledge, a questionnaire was designed, validated, and administered to students from different degrees. Statistical analysis showed a high reliability for the constructs (Smallest Cronbach’s Alfa = 0.859). The results showed interesting insights, either with descriptive analysis or inferential ones. For example, a low knowledge, in a general way, of SDGs was identified in the whole sample; significant differences between the scores obtained in professional and personal implications of SDGs were also detected and several differences arose between Health and Education students, the latter being more professionally involved with SDGs than the rest of the students.

Keywords: SDG; higher education; competences; sustainability education; technology education; science education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (48)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/13/3533/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/13/3533/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:13:p:3533-:d:243425

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().