The Psychological Mechanisms of Education for Sustainable Development: Environmental Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, and Social Norms as Mediators of Pro-Environmental Behavior Among University Students

Jianyang Zhang and Aochen Cao ()
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Jianyang Zhang: Faculty of Arts, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Aochen Cao: School of Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing 102206, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been widely promoted as a key strategy for fostering pro-environmental behavior, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying its effectiveness remain inadequately understood. This study investigates how ESD participation influences pro-environmental behavior through the mediating roles of environmental attitudes, environmental self-efficacy, and social norm perceptions. Using structural equation modeling with data from 500 university students, we tested a comprehensive model integrating these psychological pathways. Environmental attitudes, mediating 56% of the effects, emerged as the strongest factor, followed by social norm perceptions (27%) and environmental self-efficacy (17%). These findings demonstrate full mediation through these psychological mechanisms, suggesting that ESD’s effectiveness depends on its ability to transform students’ environmental attitudes, strengthen their self-efficacy beliefs, and foster supportive social norms. These results contribute to both the theoretical understanding and practical implementation of ESD by highlighting the relative importance of different psychological pathways and suggesting targeted strategies for enhancing educational interventions. This study provides evidence-based insights for educators and policymakers seeking to design more effective sustainability education programs in higher education settings.

Keywords: education for sustainable development (ESD); pro-environmental behavior; environmental attitudes; self-efficacy; social norms; structural equation modeling; psychological mechanisms; higher education; new environmental paradigm (NEP); mediation analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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