Enhancing Sustainable Development Competence in Undergraduates: Key Determinants in the Context of “Dual-Carbon” Targets

Shuyu Qi, Penglong Jiang and Mi Zhou ()
Additional contact information
Shuyu Qi: The Capital Research and Development Center for Engineering Education, Institute of Higher Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Penglong Jiang: The Capital Research and Development Center for Engineering Education, Institute of Higher Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Mi Zhou: The Capital Research and Development Center for Engineering Education, Institute of Higher Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: Sustainable development is vital for achieving balanced progress across the economic, environmental, and health domains, and it is closely tied to the global drive for addressing climate change and environmental challenges. In this context, reaching the “Dual-Carbon” targets—carbon peaking and carbon neutrality—have become critical priorities both domestically and internationally. As a result, the cultivation of Dual-Carbon professionals is essential for driving sustainable development. This paper investigates the sustainable development capacity of Dual-Carbon professionals through an empirical study of 613 undergraduates in China utilizing Astin’s I-E-O theoretical model. This research examines the impact of course experience, self-efficacy, and learning engagement on sustainable development capacity. The results demonstrate that the course experience has a significant positive direct effect on sustainable development capacity. Moreover, self-efficacy mediates the relationship between the course experience and sustainable development capacity, while both self-efficacy and learning engagement serve as chain mediators. Based on these findings, this paper offers practical strategies to enhance the sustainable development capacity of Dual-Carbon undergraduates, providing valuable insights for the education and training of future Dual-Carbon professionals.

Keywords: undergraduates; sustainable development; I-E-O model; “dual-carbon” targets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/21/9208/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/21/9208/ (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:16:y:2024:i:21:p:9208-:d:1505176

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 ().