Keywords
sustainable development
collaps
new ecological paradigm
How to Cite
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of teaching programmes on perceptions of sustainable development among students. The researchers argue that existing educational programmes must provide a comprehensive approach to mitigating collapse risk. To address this issue, the study developed a teaching programme to be delivered by experienced educators and experts, consisting of lectures, seminars, exercises, research projects, and related activities. The programme aimed to raise awareness of sustainable development and deepen understanding of the complexity of the subject. The results showed that the teaching programme increased students' appreciation of the importance of complexity and the non-linear impacts of Black Swans in the sustainability discourse without changing their adherence to the New Ecological Paradigm. The study highlights the need for education to enable students to deal with problems characterised by complexity, uncertainty, and low probability, as well as high-impact events that pose a non-linear threat to sustainable development.
References
Adger, W. N. (2006). Vulnerability. Global Environmental Change, 16(3), 268-281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2006.02.006
Adhikari, D. R., & Shah, B. B. (2021). The state of the art in the incorporation of sustainable development goals in Nepalese Universities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 22(6), 1373-1401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-11-2020-0460
Alcántara-Rubio, L., Valderrama-Hernández, R., Solís-Espallargas, C., & Ruiz-Morales, J. (2022). The implementation of the SDGs in universities: a systematic review. Environmental Education Research, 28(11), 1585-1615. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2063798
Allen, J. H., Beaudoin, F., Lloyd-Pool, E., & Sherman, J. (2014). Pathways to sustainability careers: building capacity to solve complex problems. Sustainability: The Journal of Record, 7(1), 47-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/SUS.2014.9817
Alsaati, T., El-Nakla, S., & El-Nakla, D. (2020). Level of Sustainability Awareness among University Students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Sustainability, 12(8), 3159. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083159
Alvesson, M., & Spicer, A. (2012). A stupidity‐based theory of organisations. Journal of Management Studies, 49(7), 1194-1220. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01072.x
Alvesson, M., & Spicer, A. (2016). The stupidity paradox: The power and pitfalls of functional stupidity at work. London: Profile Books.
Anderson, M. (2012). New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale. Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability, 6, 260-262.
Annan-Diab, F., & Molinari, C. (2017). Interdisciplinarity: Practical approach to advancing education for sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals. The International Journal of Management Education, 15(2), 73-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2017.03.006
Banerjee, S. B., Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Khandker, S. R. (2008). The miracle of microfinance? Evidence from a randomised evaluation. The American Economic Review, 98(2), 440-447. https://doi.org/10.3386/w18950
Bartelmus, P. (1994). Environmental accounting in theory and practice. Washington D.C.: World Bank Publications.
Beck, H. (2018). Mózg się myli. Łódź: Wydawnictwo Feeria Science. (in Polish).
Berchin, I. I., Sima, M., Lima, M. A., Biesel, S., Santos, L. P., Ferreira, R. V., Guerra, J. B., & Ceci, F. (2018). The importance of international conferences on sustainable development as higher education institutions' strategies to promote sustainability: A case study in Brazil. Journal of Cleaner Production, 171, 756-772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.042
Blanco-Portela, N., Benayas, J., Pertierra, L. R., & Lozano, R. (2017). Towards the integration of sustainability in Higher Education Institutions: A review of drivers of and barriers to organisational change and their comparison against those of companies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 166, 563-578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.252
Bousquet, A., & Curtis, S. (2011). Beyond models and metaphors: complexity theory, systems thinking and international relations. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 24(01), 43-62. https://doi.org/10.1080/09557571.2011.558054
Braess, D. (1968). Über ein Paradoxon aus der Verkehrsplanung. Unternehmensforschung, 12, 258-268. https://homepage.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Dietrich.Braess/paradox.pdf
Butler, N. (2016). Functional stupidity: A critique. Ephemera: Theory and Politics in Organization, 16(2), 115-123.
Carey, G., Malbon, E., Carey, N., Joyce, A., Crammond, B., & Carey, A. (2015). Systems science and systems thinking for public health: a systematic review of the field. BMJ open, 5(12). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009002
Carroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organisational stakeholders. Business Horizons, 34(4), 39-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/0007-6813(91)90005-G
Carroll, A. B., & Shabana, K. M. (2010). The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 85-105. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2009.00275.x
Coy, A. E., Farrell, A. K., Gilson, K. P., Davis, J. L., & Le, B. (2013). Commitment to the environment and student support for “green” campus initiatives. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 3, 49-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13412-012-0100-1
de la Poza, E., Merello, P., Barberá, A., & Celani, A. (2021). Universities’ Reporting on SDGs: Using THE Impact Rankings to Model and Measure Their Contribution to Sustainability. Sustainability, 13(4), 2038. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042038
Dunlap, R. E. (2008). The New Environmental Paradigm Scale: From marginality to worldwide use. Journal of Environmental Education, 40(1), 3-18. https://doi.org/10.3200/JOEE.40.1.3-18
Dunlap, R. E., & van Liere, K. D. (1978). The “New Environmental Paradigm”. The Journal of Environmental Education, 9(4), 10-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.1978.10801875
Dunlap, R. E., van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). New Trends in Measuring Environmental Attitudes: Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 425-442. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00176
Dyllick, T., & Hockerts, K. (2002). Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability. Business Strategy and the Environment, 11(2), 130-141. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.323
Edwards, W. (1982). Conservatism in human information processing. In D. Kahneman, P. Slowic & A. Tversky (Eds), Judgement under Uncertainty: heuristics and Biases (pp. 359-369). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ehrensal, K. N. (1999). Critical management studies and American business school culture: How to avoid getting tenure in one accessible publication. Proceedings of the 1st International Critical Management Studies Conference, Manchester, UK. https://www.academia.edu/5610134/Critical_Management_Studies_and_American_Business_School_Culture_Or_How_NOT_to_get_Tenure_in_One_Easy_Publication_paper_presented_at_the_1999_Critical_Management_Studies_Conference_Manchester_UK_
Elkington, J., & Rowlands, I. H. (1999). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st-century business. Alternatives Journal, 25(4), 42.
Elmassah, S., Biltagy, M., & Gamal, D. (2022). Framing the role of higher education in sustainable development: a case study analysis. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 23(2), 320-355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2020-0164
Fagerberg, J., McKee, K., & Paulsen, R. (2020). The unreflective practitioner: a pilot study on functional stupidity and social work. European Journal of Social Work, 23(6), 992-1004. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2020.1818058
Findler, F., Schoenherr, N., Lozano, R., Reider, D., & Martinuzzi, A. (2019). The impacts of higher education institutions on sustainable development: A review and conceptualisation. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 20(1), 23-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-07-2017-0114
Fua, J. L., Rahma, Nurlila, R. U., & Wekke, I. S. (2018). Strategy of Islamic Education in Developing Character Building of Environmental Students in Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 175. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/175/1/012149
Funtowicz, S. O., & Ravetz, J. R. (1993). Science for the post-normal age. Futures, 25(7), 739-755. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-3287(93)90022-L
Gainey, B. S. (2020). Building resilience for stronger communities. Proceedings of the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference, Orlando, 3, 37-40. https://doi.org/10.30658/icrcc.2020
Gillham, P. F. (2008). Participation in the Environmental Movement. International Sociology, 23(1), 67-93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580907084386
Gros, C. (2013). Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems: A Primer. Cham: Springer.
Ha, M. (2016). Exploring cognitive biases limiting rational problem solving and debiasing methods using science education. Journal of the Korean Association for Science Education, 36(6), 935-946. https://doi.org/10.14697/jkase.2016.36.6.0935
Hamón, L. A. S., Martinho, A. P., Ramos, M. R., & Aldaz, C. E. B. (2020). Do Spanish students become more sustainable after implementing sustainable practices by universities? Sustainability, 12(18), 7502. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187502
Hansen, B., Stiling, P., & Uy, W. F. (2021). Innovations and challenges in SDG integration and reporting in higher education: a case study from the University of South Florida. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 22(5), 1002-1021. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-08-2020-0310
Harraway, J., Broughton-Ansin, F., Deaker, L., Jowett, T., & Shephard, K. (2012). Exploring the revised new ecological paradigm scale (NEP) to monitor the development of students’ ecological worldviews. The Journal of Environmental Education, 43(3), 177-191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2011.634450
Hawcroft, L. J., & Milfont, T. L. (2010). The use (and abuse) of the new environmental paradigm scale over the past 30 years: a meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 143-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.10.003
Hawken, P. (1993). The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability. New York: Harper Business.
Heinrich, S., & Kupers, R. (2018). Complexity as a Big Idea for Secondary Education: Evaluating a Complex Systems Curriculum. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 36(4), 100-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/sres.2547
Jackson, M. C. (2019). Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity. John Wiley & Sons.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking fast and slow. London: Penguin Books.
Kauffman, S. (1993). The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kilbourne, W. E., Beckmann, S. C., & Thelen, E. (2002). The role of the dominant social paradigm in environmental attitudes: a multinational examination. Journal of Business Research, 55(3), 193-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(00)00141-7
Kohl, K., Hopkins, C., Barth, M., Michelsen, G., Dlouhá, J., Razak, D. A., & Toman, I. (2022). A whole-institution approach towards sustainability: a crucial aspect of higher education’s individual and collective engagement with the SDGs and beyond. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 23(2), 218-236. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-10-2020-0398
Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally, and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behaviour? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145401
Kopnina, H. (2012). People are not plants, but both need to grow: Qualitative analysis of the new ecological paradigm scale for children. The Environmentalist, 32(4), 394-404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10669-012-9401-x
Lakhan, V. C., & LaValle, P. D. (2002). Use of Loglinear Models to Assess Factors Influencing Concern for the Natural Environment. Environmental Management, 30, 77-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-002-2473-5
Lambrechts, W., & van Petegem, P. (2016). The interrelations between competencies for sustainable development and research competencies. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 17(6), 776-795. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-03-2015-0060
Lambrechts, W., van Liedekerke, L., & van Petegem, P. (2018). Higher education for sustainable development in Flanders: balancing normative and transformative approaches. Environmental Education Research, 24(9), 1284-1300. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1378622
Leal, F. W. (2017). Implementing Sustainability in the Curriculum of Universities. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Leal, F. W., Shiel, C., do Paço, A., & Brandli, L. (2015). Putting sustainable development in practice: Campus greening as a tool for institutional sustainability efforts. In J.P. Davim (Ed.), Sustainability in higher education (pp. 1-19). Chandos Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100367-1.00001-9
Leal, F. W., Vargas, V. R., Salvia, A. L., Brandli, L. L., Pallant, E., Klavins, M., & Vaccari, M. (2019). The role of higher education institutions in sustainability initiatives at the local level. Journal of Cleaner Production, 233, 1004-1015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.06.059
Levin, K., Cashore, B., Bernstein, S., & Auld, G. (2012). Overcoming the tragedy of super wicked problems: constraining our future selves to ameliorate global climate change. Policy Sciences, 45(2), 123-152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-012-9151-0
Littledyke, M. (2008). Science education for environmental awareness: approaches to integrating cognitive and affective domains. Environmental Education Research, 14(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620701843301
Loock, M., & Phillips, D. M. (2020). A Firm’s Financial Reputation vs. Sustainability Reputation: Do Consumers Care? Sustainability, 12(24), 10519. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410519
Loreau, M., Naeem, S., & Inchausti, P. (2002). Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: current knowledge and future challenges. Science, 294(5543), 804-808. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1064088
Lozano, R., Merrill, M. Y., Sammalisto, K., Ceulemans, K., & Lozano, F. J. (2017). Connecting competencies and pedagogical approaches for sustainable development in higher education: A literature review and framework proposal. Sustainability, 9(10), 1889. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101889
Lundmark, C. (2007). The new ecological paradigm revisited: anchoring the NEP scale in environmental ethics. Environmental Education Research, 13(3), 329-347. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620701430448
Mandelbrot, M., & Hudson, R. L. (2008). The (mis)behaviour of markets. London: Profile Books.
McKenzie-Mohr, D., & Smith, W. (2000). Fostering sustainable behaviour through community-based social marketing. American Psychologist, 55(5), 531-537. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.531
Meadows, D. H. (1998). Indicators and Information Systems for Sustainable Development. Hartland: The Sustainability Institute. https://donellameadows.org/wp-content/userfiles/IndicatorsInformation.pdf
Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in Systems: A Primer. Chelsea Green Publishing.
Menon, S., & Suresh, M. K. (2020). Synergising education, research, campus operations, and community engagements towards sustainability in higher education: a literature review. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 21(5), 1015-1051. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-03-2020-0089
Morsing, M., & Schultz, M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility communication: stakeholder information, response and involvement strategies. Business Ethics, 15(4), 323-338. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2006.00460.x
Ng, E. S., & Burke, R. J. (2010). Predictor of business students’ attitudes toward sustainable business practices. Journal of Business Ethics, 95, 603-615. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0442-0
Noe, F. P., & Snow, R. (1990). The new environmental paradigm and further scale analysis. The Journal of Environmental Education, 21(4), 20-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.1990.9941934
Ntanos, S., Kyriakopoulos, G., Skordoulis, M., Chalikias, M., & Arabatzis, G. (2019). An Application of the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale in a Greek Context. Energies, 12(2), 239. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en12020239
Olsson, D., Gericke, N., & Boeve-de Pauw, J. (2022). The effectiveness of education for sustainable development revisited – a longitudinal study on secondary students’ action competence for sustainability. Environmental Education Research, 28(3), 405-429. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2033170
Paulsen, R. (2017). Slipping into functional stupidity: The bifocality of organisational compliance. Human Relations, 70(2), 185-210. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726716649246
Peña Miguel, N., Corral Lage, J., & Mata Galindez, A. (2020). Assessment of Professional Skills Development in University Students: Sustainability and Serious Games. Sustainability, 12(3), 1014. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031014
Platje, J., Motylska-Kuźma, A., Caniels, M., & Will, M. (2022a). The New Ecological Paradigm, Functional Stupidity and University Sustainability–A Polish Case Study. In N.G. Nguyen, R. Kowalczyk, J. Mercik & A. Motylska-Kuźma (Eds.), Transactions on Computational Collective Intelligence XXXVII (pp. 117-135). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66597-8_7
Platje, J., Styś, A., Will, M., & Lambrechts, W. (2022b). The impact of teaching interventions in education for sustainable development – an experimental case study. Central European Review of Economics and Management, 6(3), 69-86. https://doi.org/10.29015/cerem.957
Platje, J., Will, M., & van Dam, Y. (2019). A fragility approach to sustainability – researching effects of education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 20(7), 1220-1239. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-11-2018-0212
Platje, J., Will, M., Paradowska, M., & van Dam, Y. K. (2022c). Socioeconomic Paradigms and the Perception of System Risks: A Study of Attitudes towards Nuclear Power among Polish Business Students. Energies, 15(19), 7313. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15197313
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2006). Strategy and Society: The Link between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 84(12), 78-92.
Rajabifard, A., Kahalimoghadam, M., Lumantarna, E., Herath, N., Hui, F. K. P., & Assarkhaniki, Z. (2021). Applying SDGs as a systematic approach for incorporating sustainability in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 22(6), 1266-1284. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-10-2020-0418
Reynolds, M., Forss, K., Hummelbrunner, R., Marra, M., & Perrin, B. (2012). Complexity, systems thinking, and evaluation-an emerging relationship? Evaluation Connections: Newsletter of the European Evaluation Society, 7-9.
Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general planning theory. Policy Sciences, 4, 155-169. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01405730
Rooy, S. C. (2010). Complex systems, multilingualism and academic success in South African higher education. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 28(4), 309-321.
Ruiz-Mallén, I., Satorras, M., March, H., & Baró, F. (2022). Community climate resilience and environmental education: Opportunities and challenges for transformative learning. Environmental Education Research, 28(7), 1088-1107. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2070602
Sapolsky, R. M. (2023). Determined: a science of life without free will. London: Penguin Press.
Servigne, P., & Stevens, R. (2020). How everything can collapse. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Shabbir, M. S., Bait Ali Sulaiman, M. A., Hasan Al-Kumaim, N., Mahmood, A., & Abbas, M. (2020). Green Marketing Approaches and Their Impact on Consumer Behavior towards the Environment - A Study from the UAE. Sustainability, 12(21), 8977. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218977
Sousa, S., Correia, E., Leite, J. P., & Viseu, C. M. (2020). Environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of higher education students: a case study in Portugal. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 30(4), 348-365. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2020.1838122
Stacey, R. D. (2017). Complex Responsive Processes in Organizations: Learning and Knowledge Creation. Routledge.
Sterling, S. (2004). Higher education, sustainability, and the role of systemic learning. In P.B. Corcoran & A.E.J. Wals (Eds.), Higher education and the challenge of sustainability: Problematics, promise, and practice (pp. 49-70). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Sterman, J. D. (2000). Business Dynamics: System thinking and modelling for a complex world. Boston: Irwin/McGraw Hill.
Stern, N. (2006). The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., & Guagnano, G. A. (1995). The new environmental paradigm in social psychological research. American Psychologist, 50(3), 15-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916595276001
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Abel, T., Guagnano, G. A., & Kalof, L. (1999). A value-belief-norm theory of support for social movements: The case of environmentalism. Human Ecology Review, 6(1), 81-97.
Stevenson, R. B., Nicholls, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2017). What Is Climate Change Education? Curriculum Perspectives, 37, 67-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-017-0015-9
Taleb, N. N. (2007). The Black Swan - the impact of the highly improbable. London: Penguin Books.
Taleb, N. N. (2012). Antifragile - things that gain from disorder. London: Penguin Books.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
van Dam, Y. K. (2019). Cooking up a Course: Teaching sustainable marketing at MBA. Central European Review of Economics and Management, 3(3), 169-198. https://doi.org/10.29015/cerem.827
van Weenen, H. (2000). Towards a vision of a sustainable university. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 1(1), 20-34.
Zepeda Quintana, D. S., Esquer, J., & Anaya, C. (2019). Teaching and mindsets regarding sustainable development - a Mexican case study. The Central European Review of Economics and Management, 3(4), 91-102. https://doi.org/10.29015/cerem.860
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2024 Economics and Environment