Prethodno priopćenje
https://doi.org/10.17234/SocEkol.34.3.1
Developing ecological awareness in higher education: from knowledge to active engagement
Renata Jukić
orcid.org/0000-0003-1433-5920
; Filozofski fakultet u Osijeku
*
Tihana Škojo
; Akademija za umjetnost i kulturu u Osijeku
Snježana Dubovicki
orcid.org/0000-0003-4770-3371
; Fakultet za odgojne i obrazovne znanosti u Osijeku
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
In a broader sense, ecology is an interdisciplinary science that studies the conditions necessary for the survival of living beings, as well as the relationships between those beings and their environment. Although ecology began its scientific grounding as a discipline that examines the relationships between organisms and their surroundings, over time it has evolved into a broader worldview that encompasses values, ethical principles, and philosophical perspectives. Today, it is developing interdisciplinarily as a natural science that also deeply penetrates the socio-humanistic field. Ecological awareness is a multidimensional construct described through various models (the Maloney and Ward scale, the Weigel and Weigel scale, Braun’s model, Billig’s model). It is difficult to compare them, but we can identify and isolate three variables that appear in all of them: knowledge of ecology, attitudes and values, and potential and current activity. Sustainable development consists of three main components that together form a framework for the sustainable and balanced progress of society: environmental, economic, and social components. One of the tasks of sustainability pedagogy at the higher education level is the development of ecological awareness. The main research question of this paper is whether the course Pedagogy of Sustainable Development at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek has succeeded in influencing the acquisition of knowledge among pedagogy students, in changing their ecological attitudes and values, and consequently in fostering (pro)ecological activity. These three dimensions also represent the learning outcomes defined by the course curriculum. The aim of the research is to examine the experiences and reflections of students who attended the course regarding their knowledge, attitudes and values, as well as their potential and current activities related to ecology, and to identify differences in these three dimensions (based on student statements at the beginning and at the end of the course). In accordance with the aim of the research, a methodological approach combining quantitative and qualitative research methods was chosen. The research results indicate a positive influence of the Pedagogy of Sustainable Development course on the effective achievement of learning outcomes in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, as well as on the enhancement of students’ ecological awareness, observed through the variables of knowledge, values, and (pro)ecological behaviour.
Ključne riječi
Ecological awareness; Environmental education; Higher education teaching
Hrčak ID:
342020
URI
Datum izdavanja:
22.12.2025.
Posjeta: 1.178 *