NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1024324
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0307-5079
EISSN: N/A
Commitment to Environmental Sustainability in the UK Student Population
Cotton, Debby R. E.; Alcock, Ian
Studies in Higher Education, v38 n10 p1457-1471 2013
Sustainability is an increasingly important issue in higher education, both in the UK and internationally. Although environmental sustainability is the most frequently identified of the three pillars of sustainability (social and economic sustainability being less widely understood), there has been little previous research which has quantitatively explored the relationship between university attendance and commitment to environmental sustainability. This article presents the results of an analysis of data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), which compared young adults at UK universities with other respondents of a similar age in order to explore this relationship. Commitment to environmental sustainability was measured on a scale developed from seven questionnaire items used in BHPS Wave 18, and the relationship between university attendance and subsequent scale scores was examined. Results show that university attendance has a significant positive association with commitment to environmental sustainability over other adult transition pathways, including participation in other forms of full-time education, when gender and social class are taken into account and when prior educational attainment is held constant. Thus, we argue that UK universities may have a desirable impact on environmental commitment, and we explore possible explanations for our findings.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: British Household Panel Survey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A