University Teachers’ Conceptions of the University and the Place of Sustainability

Elisa Chaleta, Margarida Saraiva, Luís Sebastião, Marília Cid, António M. Diniz, Fátima Leal, Paulo Quaresma and Luís Rato
Additional contact information
Elisa Chaleta: Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Évora, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal
Margarida Saraiva: Management Department, School of Social Sciences, University of Évora, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal
Luís Sebastião: CIEP—Center for Research in Education and Psychology, University of Évora, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal
Marília Cid: CIEP—Center for Research in Education and Psychology, University of Évora, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal
António M. Diniz: Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Évora, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal
Fátima Leal: CIEP—Center for Research in Education and Psychology, University of Évora, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal
Paulo Quaresma: Department of Informatics, School of School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal
Luís Rato: Department of Informatics, School of School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora, 7000-803 Évora, Portugal

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-10

Abstract: In this phenomenographic qualitative research, the aim is to learn about the conceptions of university professors about the university. The study was carried out with 20 university professors: 10 from the School of Social Sciences and 10 from the School of Science and Technology of University of Évora with an average age of 54 years and over 20 years of professional activity. The data were collected through open questionnaires and then submitted to thematic and categorical content analysis. The conceptions of the university appear, in the voice of the teachers, centered on two main aspects. The first and more mentioned concerns the conception of the university as a space of production and diffusion of scientific knowledge, which refers to quality factors of higher education. The second brings out the conception of the university as a space of relationship with society together with underlying concerns for human development, cooperation, and the design of a more sustainable world.

Keywords: conceptions; university teachers; university; quality; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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