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Knowledge, attitudes, and willingness for sustainable development in the university: Podcasts and environmental awareness
Jhonny Villafuerte - Holguín[1]
Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Ecuador
E-mail: jhonny.villafuerte@uleam.edu.ec
Para citar este artículo /To reference this article /Para citar este artigo
Villafuerte-Holguín, J. (2020). Conocimientos, actitudes y disposición para el desarrollo sostenible en la universidad: Podcasts y concienciación ambiental. Revista Electrónica en Educación y Pedagogía, 4(7), 91-107. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15658/rev.electron.educ.pedagog20.11040708
Received: marzo, 19 de 2020 /Reviewed:: abril, 24 de 2020 / Accepted: junio, 26 de 2020
Resumen: La investigación que da origen al presente artículo tuvo como objetivo estudiar las relaciones entre conocimiento, actitudes y disposición ambiental frente a los factores cargo y sexo de los miembros de una comunidad universitaria en Ecuador. La muestra estuvo conformada por 795 personas entre autoridades, profesorado, alumnado, personal administrativo y personal de servicios, quienes participaron en el proyecto durante el periodo 2018-2019. Los instrumentos administrados fueron: la escala de actitudes culturales hacia el desarrollo sostenible de estudiantes universitarios, el cuestionario conocimiento y actitudes hacia el calentamiento global y la escala de voluntad para mitigar los efectos del cambio climático por razones antropogénicas. El análisis estadístico de los datos colectados muestra que existen relaciones significativas entre conocimiento y actitudes ambientales con los factores cargo y sexo de los participantes; mientras que no existen relaciones significativas entre la voluntad para mitigar los efectos del cambio climático y los factores cargo y sexo. También se presenta una intervención educativa que hace uso de podcasts para fortalecer la conciencia ambiental de las personas. Los resultados permiten concluir que el uso creativo de herramientas informáticas tales como los podcasts, aportan al fortalecimiento de la conciencia ambiental en una comunidad universitaria.
Palabras clave: Actitudes; conocimiento, universidad (Tesauro); podcast; sostenibilidad (palabras clave del autor).
Knowledge, attitudes and willingness for sustainable development at university: Podcasts and environmental awareness
Abstract: This research aimed to study the relationships among knowledge, attitudes and environmental disposition regarding position and gender of a university community members in Ecuador. The sample consisted of 795 people among authorities, teachers, students, administrative staff and service personnel, who participated in the project between 2018 and 2019. The instruments implemented were: a scale called cultural attitude towards the sustainable development of university students, the questionnaire called knowledge and attitudes towards global warming and a scale called willingness to moderate the effects of climate change for anthropogenic reasons. Statistical analysis of data collection showed that there are significant relationships between environmental knowledge and attitudes coming from participants’ position and gender; while there are no meaningful relationships between the willingness to mitigate the effects of climate change and the participants’ position and gender. There was also an educational intervention that includes podcasts to strengthen people's environmental awareness. The results showed that the creative use of computer tools, such as podcasts, contribute to strengthen the environmental awareness in a university community.
Keywords: Attitudes; knowledge, university (Thesaurus); podcast; sustainability (author's keywords).
Conhecimentos, atitudes e disposição para o desenvolvimento sustentável na universidade: Podcasts e consciência ambiental
Resumo: O objetivo da pesquisa que dá origem a este artigo foi estudar as relações entre conhecimentos, atitudes e disposição ambiental em relação aos fatores: cargo e sexo entre os membros de uma comunidade universitária no Equador. A amostra foi composta por 795 pessoas, entre autoridades, professores, alunos, pessoal administrativo e pessoal de serviço, que participaram do projeto durante o período 2018-2019. Os instrumentos aplicados foram: a escala de atitudes culturais em relação ao desenvolvimento sustentável de estudantes universitários, o questionário sobre conhecimentos e atitudes em relação ao aquecimento global e a escala de disposição para mitigar os efeitos das mudanças climáticas por razões antropogênicas. A análise estatística dos dados coletados mostra que existem relações significativas entre o conhecimento e as atitudes ambientais com os fatores, cargo e sexo dos participantes; embora não haja relações significativas entre a vontade de mitigar os efeitos das mudanças climáticas e os fatores cargo e sexo. Também é apresentada uma intervenção educativa que utiliza podcasts para fortalecer a consciência ambiental das pessoas. Os resultados permitem concluir que o uso criativo de ferramentas informáticas como os podcasts contribui para o fortalecimento da consciência ambiental em uma comunidade universitária.
Palavras-chave: Atitudes; conhecimento, universidade (Tesauro); podcast; sustentabilidade (palavras-chave do autor).
Introduction
The sustainable development goals proposed by the United Nations in 2015 require the strengthening of the teachers' skills to work for global peace, to protect cultural and natural heritage of nations, the construction of more equitable societies, among other goals. In this sense, higher education institutions should direct actions to improve the technological, social, economic, and productive development of nations, but including sustainable development as a transversal axis.
This research focused on the study of knowledge levels, attitudes, and willingness of the members of an Ecuadorian university to mitigate the human impact on natural resources.
Industrial development reached its expansion in the 20th century based on the promise of economic growth and improvement of the population's living conditions (Oyarvide, Nazareno, Roldán, and Ferrales, 2016). However, the overexploitation of natural resources has caused global warming and that destructive action remains in the 21st century despite the attempts to prevent it around the world (Estenssoro and Vásquez, 2018).
At this point, Tiburcio and Cariño (2017) argued that government policies aimed at protecting the ecosystems in the region have been insufficient to stop the overexploitation of their natural resources.
In the case of Ecuador, it is pointed out that the management of nature as a patrimonial resource of this nation is the result of the articulation of public policies, but especially of the actions of each member of the community. Thus, in the antecedents of the National Strategy for Environmental Education and Sustainable Development of Ecuador, it is denounced that the government has not given the required priority to the natural resources of this country. The financial resources destined to sustain the environmental education and communication processes were not available to carry out the necessary actions (Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador, 2018).
However, Alvear (2016) affirms that the academy has been centered on the study of public policies for sustainable development in Latin America, with very few concrete actions directed towards the conservation of natural resources. Thus, although Ecuador is one of the nations with the greatest biodiversity in the region, it faces complex socio-environmental problems that involve land use, deforestation, air pollution, urban expansion, the over-exploitation of natural resources, and the lack of modernization, mining processes, among others (Villafuerte, 2017).
Holling cited in Rathe (2017) states that sustainable development is articulated with processes of adaptive evolution and learning, expecting humanity to advance in their evolution. This dynamic called panarchy recognizes that the socio-ecological system is in permanent change; therefore, science faces predictable and unpredictable processes.
At this point, the health global crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic appeared predictable, but it caught humanity off guard. Its impact on the development process is estimated to be at least five points in both Latin America and the Caribbean nations in 2020 (ECLAC, 2020). This pandemic has forced a halt to the industrial engines that have generated greenhouse gases throughout the planet and the ecological status of natural resources, which had been historically affected, it has managed to recover in part, after the mandatory quarantine.
However, society is pressing to move towards the new normal (WHO, 2020) in which the functioning of those processes that pollute the environment will be reactivated. Therefore, it is urgent to present didactic proposals in accordance with technological progress that can stimulate the creative and innovative process and contribute to sustainable development.
The questions to be answered in this research are: (1) What were the knowledge, attitudes, and willingness of the members of the university to favor sustainable development at the beginning of this study? (2) What relationship exists between knowledge of environmental issues with the participants' job and gender factors? (3) What are the relationships between the participants' willingness to promote sustainable development and their gender and age factors? (4) What is the contribution of podcasts in strengthening the participants' environmental awareness?
The objective of this study is to explore the relationships between participants' knowledge, attitudes, and environmental willingness regarding work position, sex, and age.
Sustainable development and community environmental awareness
Sustainable development starts from the recognition of the population regarding the changes that must be sought in the current model of economic development (Linares and Morales, 2014). It is a purpose that requires effort and a long-term transition stage, the contribution of various areas such as research, planning and execution of actions that mitigate the forces that destroy nature.
The term sustainable development can be understood as the route that ensures the conservation of natural resources for the enjoyment of our next generations (United Nations, 2019). Therefore, the goal is to ensure population well-being, which is specified in the generation of direct and indirect employment as a result of development in harmony with the environment. However, a relevant factor lies in the preconceptions that citizens have about sustainable development. Thus, Urquiza and Morales (2015) argued that the motivation of citizens to defend and protect the nature lies in the decision to be passive or proactive actors in the rational management of available resources.
Thus, Espejel Rodríguez and Flores presented in 2017, the dimensions of environmental awareness that consisted of (1) the affective dimension, which starts from the appreciation of the progress of environmental deterioration and studies human emotions around environmental issues. In addition, the population is motivated and stimulated by those friendly attitudes to work on its mitigation; (2) the cognitive dimension, which seeks to access information, knowledge and understanding of the state of deterioration of natural resources; and encourages the development of environmental skills and values for their conservation; (3) the conative dimension, which works on people’s availability to work in environmental protection based on the attitudes, behaviors and environmental values that the population possesses; and (4) dynamics dimension, which is based on work practices that consider the conservation of natural resources from an individual as well as a group perspective.
Based on the previous ideas, the statement of Granados (2017) is added when he insists that factors such as health, education, housing and employment are fundamental to measure the well-being of communities. These are actions aimed at legitimizing the right of the world population to have adequate living conditions that must be linked to sustainable development (Andrade, 2017).
According to the Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador (2018), the main environmental problems of this country are related to the production models and the population consumption style which have generated of water, air and soil pollution; and overexploitation, inequitable or unsustainable usage of natural resources. Therefore, Environmental Education from the public policy of Ecuador focuses on dissemination, awareness and training actions to foster sustainable development.
Authors such as Rodríguez, Limones, Villafuerte, and Hormaza (2018); and Villafuerte (2019), argued that environmental education should become a meaningful experience, which should inspire in citizens attitudes that favor the remediation and care of the planet, a choice that is prioritized over the economic interests of the nations. In this sense, routes such as the integration and participation of communities can be worked in the social construction of knowledge.
Social construction of Knowledge and environmental approach models
The social construction of knowledge achieves mutual understanding of the information that participants possess when searching solutions to problems that affect them (Mendoza, 2015). This is characterized by the exchange of information that can even be interpreted in the wrong way, which is valid to the extent that a group accepts it or rejects it (Mejías and Henríquez, 2016). Thus, a network of social actors allows the production, reception and exchange of goods or services that contribute to the expected well-being (Vélez and Londoño, 2016). Such exchanges can be carried out in coherence with the advances in science and technology available and according to the levels of rapprochement among the participants (Acevedo, Morales, and Norjas, 2017).
According to Morón and Morón in 2017, the environmental approach models to work with young people are: (a) naturalist, focused on understanding, knowledge and research on environmental issues; (b) environmentalist, focused on the preservation of natural resources and mitigation of the effects of global warming; and (c) sustainable development, focused on the rational use of natural resources with a view to the enjoyment of future generations.
Thus, Cortes, Cabana, Vega, Aguirre, and Muñoz (2017) argued that the teaching strategies administered at university have not managed to influence in the students' environmental behavior. This may be due to the fact that environmental issues have been handled as a specific subject without a multidisciplinary approach. However, its implementation requires a long-term period and considers the needs of future generations (Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador, 2018). Besides, the participatory diagnosis model makes use of techniques such as the narrative tour of the territory, the workshop, the discussion, the interview, among others, for the direct retrieval of information from primary sources (Limones, Villafuerte, Rodríguez, Alvarado, and Rosero, 2019). While, Espejel and Castillo (2019) argued that the participants’ observation technique can be a key in the collection of information, which requires a close relationship among participants to obtain the adequate information and evidences interpretation.
In this scenario, Acevedo, García, and Pérez (2019) considered techniques such as the discussion group which contributes to the social construction of knowledge, which gains strength in the analysis of community interest topics, where the exchange of knowledge arises as a legitimate fact for the participation and cooperation.
Didactic use of ICT in the university context
Educational institutions worldwide have advanced towards the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) taking into account technological and economic possibilities of nations during the last 20 years (Wang et al., 2020).
Cabero and Barroso (2016) argued that the contribution of ICT to the professional training process consists of being an efficient means except for the purpose of education. The qualities of immediacy and low cost of social networks have become the favorite means of communication for members in educational communities, especially in vocational training ecosystems (Álvarez, Rodríguez, Madrigal-Maldonado, Grossi, and Arreguit, 2017). Thus, Cabello (2018) stated that the bidirectional use of ICT has allowed users to assume the role of creators of teaching and learning materials that are exchanged in the podcast, video, audio formats, among others.
However, the introduction of ICT to the educational process has meant a break in the conception that teachers have of traditional teaching and learning, in contrast to the constructivist model. Thus, the efficacy of technologies in professional training processes is questioned (Alt, 2018) where the applications available on the Internet have been used as an innovation proposal to foster reading, equitable participation, and of students’ stimulation and creativity from digital environments (Villafuerte, 2019). This change has demanded that teachers leave traditional teacher-centered instruction and move on to student-based learning. Subsequently, it has been necessary to strengthen the teachers' confidence that ICTs contribute positively to the students’ learning performance and the quality aspired (Muianga, Barbutiu, Hansson, and Vasco, 2019).
According to Cabero and Ruiz-Palmero (2018), it is confirmed that the Internet is an ally that has overcome distance and time barriers, allowing people to access educational services. However, it has been necessary to avoid the simple transfer of information and to strengthen the models to humanize education. Thus, social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube are the favorites tools among university students in Ecuador for academic work that has shown positive results in the university context (Villafuerte and Rodríguez, 2020).
Thus, Wang et al. (2020) claimed that technological integration into education requires significant financial resources, trained human capital for educational research, and telecommunications infrastructure. Those are the three main aspects of implementing technological resources in education.
However, the pandemic forced education systems to implement immediately, online education processes to guarantee students’ right to access quality educational services (UNESCO, 2020). The change from face-to-face education to online and distance education has evidenced the persistence of inequities in students and teachers' access to the Internet and electronic devices, it has led to the emergence of a hybrid educational model; and distance education has been resumed through the production of printed material, usage of educational television, etc. Among the aspects discussed in the abrupt change of the educational system in Ecuador, there is the strengthening of empathetic and motivating education to avoid student desertion due to the pressures of confinement and the possibility of a loss of family and friends, who were victims of COVID-19 (Villafuerte, Bello, Cedeño and Bermello, 2020).
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Advanced Studies, the term podcast emerges from the union of resources available on iPod devices and the action of streaming. They arose to describe the possibility of listening to the audio on portable players considered as audio versions of blogs.
Podcasts have often been used as classroom resources and sources of information in the university context, using sounds that can be dynamically analyzed (Patel, 2015). Students have this resource to access information generated in ongoing processes presented by news providers (Faramarzi and Bagheri, 2015). Thus, teachers can make use of podcasts to design activities that stimulate teamwork through projects where cooperative action exceeds competition among members. Thus, a meaningful experience of collaborative learning, active participation, analysis, reflection, exchange of ideas, empathy, and respect is created to generate a product, which could be a podcast (Corredor, 2015).
According to Rahman, Atmowardoyo, and Salija (2018), the use of podcasts exceeded the reading texts in university students. In addition, the level of achievement from students who used the podcasts to explore current topics improved in comparison to those who carried out other types of activities. These products can be converted into consultation material and presentation of content in audio format, allowing their integration into study programs, where students can create reports, interviews, bibliographic reviews, and observations that are presented in the format of oral essays in the research processes. (Blevins, 2019).
Among the previous studies reviewed, the work of Sinatra, Kardash, Taasoobshirazi, and Lombardi (2012) is cited. They claimed that people have different degrees of openness to persuasive arguments around environmental issues. Thus, while some people have a deep interest in environmental issues, others show no interest despite being exposed to a strong argumentative load. The work of Alvear (2016) is also cited, who demonstrated that the academy has a poor contribution to national policies in environmental education. On the other hand, Espejel and Castillo (2019) assert that the environmental behavior of teachers could be a trigger that influences the students' way of thinking and acting when working on sustainable development issues. Therefore, the transmission of organizational values to students by managers and teachers should be monitored, and the community should remain attentive to institutional strategic changes and the positions that collaborators assume regarding the organizational culture. Finally, Rahman et al. (2018) argued that the use of podcasts improved the students' achievement who used them to explore current issues, compared to those who carried out other types of activities.
Methodology
This research used a positivist paradigm and a quantitative approach to study the relationships among knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to take actions that favor the sustainable development of university students located in the province of Manabí in Ecuador.
Sample
It was made up of 795 participants among authorities, teachers, students, administrative personnel, and service personnel of a public university in Ecuador. It is a heterogeneous sample that reports ages between 18 and 58 years (mean 21.2). 63.27% of the participants are female and 36.73% male. Its ethnic composition includes 70% mestizo, 5% Afro-Ecuadorian, and 25% white. The only criterion for selecting the participants was to attend to university regularly to study or work (See Table 1).
Table 1
Participants
|
Members |
Sexo |
Age groups |
|
Total |
||||
|
M |
F |
18-24 years |
25-34 years |
35-44 years |
>45 years |
|||
|
|
Authorities |
10 |
15 |
|
|
2 |
23 |
25 |
|
|
Faculty |
40 |
60 |
|
5 |
24 |
71 |
100 |
|
Student body |
220 |
400 |
571 |
45 |
4 |
|
620 |
|
|
Administrative S. |
10 |
15 |
|
4 |
17 |
4 |
25 |
|
|
Services S. |
12 |
13 |
|
14 |
8 |
3 |
25 |
|
|
N |
292 |
503 |
571 |
68 |
55 |
101 |
795 |
|
Source: Research project records (2018).
Instruments
This research implemented the data collection instruments described below.
The scale of cultural attitudes towards sustainable development in university students from Serna, Hernández, Vélez, and Londoño (2017). This instrument consists of 10 cultural factors that were evaluated out of 100 points. In this case, the scale was applied through a participatory observation process that followed the recommendations of Espejel and Castillo (2019), to validate the impressions of the surrounding world through all human faculties. However, the factors: (6) motivations, (7) friends, and (8) family, were answered by means of a flash survey. This stage was carried out at the beginning of the research and took six months.
The Knowledge and Attitudes towards Global Warming questionnaire (Sinatra et al., 2012). This questionnaire measures the knowledge and attitudes of the participants regarding global warming. The original questionnaire was taken from the United Nations, 13 of the items that emerged in the forums for global climate change. For the purpose of the research, five items related to P12 were added: Disposal of edible oils; P13: Electricity consumption in the use of electronic and various devices; Q14: Unnecessary consumption of electricity; Q15: Disposal of batteries from electronic devices; and P16: Consumption habits of products that pollute the environment.
Participants found five response options, from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. This instrument was applied as a pre-test at the beginning of the process. The statistical test of validity and reliability of the instrument reported a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.89, which positively meets the generally accepted standards for this type of research.
The scale of willingness to mitigate the effects of climate change for anthropogenic reasons (Sinatra et al., 2012). The instrument measures the willingness of participants to take actions aimed at remedying and reducing the effects of global warming for anthropogenic reasons. There are 12 items that expose personal actions that show behavior in favor of sustainable development. A five-point Likert-type scale is administered, ranging from 1 (not willing) to 5 (willing enough to convince others). The instrument in the statistical test of validity and reliability yielded a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.90, fulfilling the conditions required for this type of study.
Results
In response to question 1: What is the level of knowledge, attitudes, and willingness of the members of the university community to favor sustainable development at the beginning of this study? In Table 2, the matrix of cultural attitudes towards sustainable development applied to the participants of this study is presented.
Table 2
Matrix of cultural attitudes towards sustainable development
|
Position |
Authorities |
Professors |
Students |
Administrative staff |
Service employees |
||
|
1. Environmental behavior |
54 |
87 |
94 |
26 |
48 |
||
|
2. Values |
71 |
91 |
94 |
64 |
79 |
||
|
3. Beliefs |
35 |
47 |
65 |
67 |
43 |
||
|
4. Knowledge |
89 |
93 |
78 |
32 |
67 |
||
|
5. Attitudes |
21 |
45 |
96 |
12 |
32 |
||
|
6. Motivation |
37 |
63 |
87 |
28 |
32 |
||
|
7. Friends |
65 |
68 |
76 |
64 |
54 |
||
|
8. Family |
78 |
86 |
87 |
78 |
84 |
||
|
9. Environmental strategy |
75 |
76 |
75 |
21 |
54 |
||
|
10. University values |
87 |
85 |
84 |
76 |
73 |
||
Source: Authors (September 2018).
University authorities. Despite having high knowledge in environmental matters, public policy, etc., they have tended to focus their management on prioritizing economic, operational, institutional image criteria, and compliance with institutional accreditation indicators. and little effort is directed towards sustainable development in the locality.
Teaching staff. Although they had an extensive knowledge about environmental problems, they do not show awareness of the environment. Teachers make up the second strongest group that works towards the achievement of institutional accreditation indicators. They focus on scientific production, community engagement, and academic aspects such as their doctoral training. A more detailed study of teachers shows tendencies towards an extreme commitment to the protection of the planet and, at the other side, a total lack of environmental actions despite the fact that they are aware of their implications.
The students. Student leaders include environmental actions in their government plans, but those are insufficient and lack continuity, therefore, those plans are isolated actions that fail to institutionalize environmental processes in the university community. The students in general show concern for the conservation of the environment and collaborate in campaigns in favor of sustainable development.
The administrative staff. Showed a poor interest in taking action in favor of sustainable development. The use of computer equipment, air conditioning, and the consumption of stationery are permanent. They do not show initiatives for reduction, reuse, or recycling. They showed concern about the increase in planetary pollution, but they are not willing to change their consumption styles.
Services employees. They have good knowledge regarding environmental issues. They have tried to apply environmental regulations and have been trained in the handling of solid and liquid waste. Their actions were vertically linked to the instructions they receive from their superiors. Their knowledge is practical and operational. They tolerate noise and disorder because their work is based on organize things, they do not feel that they have the will to change. Some of them are the main barrier of extreme environmental teachers who promote changes in environmental attitudes.
To answer question 2: What are the relationships between knowledge of environmental issues and the job and gender factors of the participants? In Table 3, Pearson's Chi-square test is applied with a degree of error of 0.050.
Table 3
Chi-square items on environmental knowledge and the factors position and gender
|
Items |
Position p=> 0.050 |
Gender p=> 0.050 |
|
P1 Scientific evidence points to a warming trend in the global climate. |
0.153 |
0.510 |
|
P2 Human activity has been the driving force behind the warming trend for the past 50 years. |
0.000 |
0.356 |
|
P3 The release of CO2 (carbon dioxide) from human activities (such as smokestacks and car emissions) has played a central role in increasing the earth's average surface temperature. |
0.010 |
0.001 |
|
Q4 The temperature of the earth's surface has increased by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900. |
0.001 |
0.331 |
|
P5 The Greenland ice sheet is melting faster than previously thought. |
0.001 |
0.376 |
|
P6 Human activity is responsible for the continuous increase in the average global temperature. |
0.008 |
0.026 |
|
P7 The speed with which the melting polar caps can raise sea levels is uncertain. |
0.000 |
0.000 |
|
P8 The probability that emissions are the main cause of the warming trend observed in the last 50 years is between 90 and 99%. |
0.000 |
0.012 |
|
Q9 Former US Vice President Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" about global climate change is just propaganda. |
0.000 |
0.000 |
|
P10 Natural phenomena such as solar variations combined with volcanic activity are the real cause of the warming effect. |
0.021 |
0.580 |
|
P11 Humans have very little effect on climate temperature. |
0.001 |
0.000 |
|
P12 Disposing of edible oils in the dishwasher contaminates. |
0.000 |
0.082 |
|
P13 Using electronic devices increases electricity consumption. |
0.001 |
0.004 |
|
P14 The unnecessary consumption of electricity pollutes the planet. |
0.000 |
0.002 |
|
P15 Improper disposal of batteries in electronic devices contaminates. |
0.012 |
0.015 |
|
Q16 I think that in this university people have little interest in global warming. |
0.033 |
0.274 |
Source: Own authorship (December 2019).
The p-value results for the position factor indicate that the null hypothesis is rejected, because all the items in the questionnaire are less than the proposed 0.050; except for item 1. Therefore, there are significant relationships between the environmental knowledge of the participants in relation to the position they occupy in the university community, except for item P1. Scientific evidence points to a warming trend in the global climate.
The p-value results for the gender factor indicate that the null hypothesis regarding the relationships between environmental knowledge and the gender factor is rejected, except in the items: P1, P2, P4, P5, P10, P12 and P16 whose results are less than the 0.050 proposed. This is possibly due to the diversity of impacts that global warming has on the state of nature.
To answer the question: What are the relationships between the will to promote sustainable development with gender and the participants’ age factor? Table 3 shows the results when applying the general linear model analysis with an error level of 0.050.
Table 3
Willingness to Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change for Anthropogenic Reasons according to sex and age factors
|
Items |
Gender p=> 0.050 |
Age p=> 0.050 |
|
1. Would you be willing to stop using plastic grocery bags and bring your own recycled bags? |
0,408 |
0,977 |
|
2. Are you willing to stop buying bottled water because the bottle-making process pollutes? |
0,257 |
0,430 |
|
3 Would you be willing to trade your car for a smaller model? |
0,152 |
0,715 |
|
4. Would you be willing to carpool? |
0,280 |
0,870 |
|
5. Would you be willing to pay more money to buy a hybrid car? |
0,680 |
0,146 |
|
6. Would you be willing to replace all the light bulbs in your house with energy-saving light bulbs? |
0,332 |
0,360 |
|
7. Would you be willing to pay a surcharge of 50 cents per gallon for gasoline to reduce greenhouse gases? |
0,551 |
0,720 |
|
8. Am I willing to keep not using air conditioning in my house? |
0,980 |
0,839 |
|
9. Would you vote in favor of requiring automakers to increase the number of miles per gallon of gasoline, even if that means more expensive cars? |
0,279 |
0,920 |
|
10. Are you willing to reduce the number of hours per week of electronic devices (computer, cell phone, TV)? |
0,319 |
0,480 |
|
11. Would you support a law that reduces the speed limit from 90 to 70 km per hour, due to environmental pollution? |
0,498 |
0,528 |
|
12. Regardless of the speed limit of 90 km allowed. Are you willing to drive 70 km per hour to reduce pollution? |
0,713 |
0,471 |
Source: self made. Dec 2019.
Analysis. - The results obtained through the general linear analysis reveal that all the items of the questionnaire show p-values higher than 0.050; therefore, the null hypothesis is maintained. There are no significant relationships between the participants’ willingness to Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change for Anthropogenic Reasons and participants’ gender and age factors.
Question 4: What is the contribution of podcasts in strengthening the environmental awareness of the participants of this study?
The results show that the normality condition of the pretest and posttest implemented to the group of students from the university is not fulfilled, therefore, the Wilcox test is applied for samples N> 30.
|
Normality tests |
||||||
|
|
Kolmogorov-Smirnova |
Shapiro-Wilk |
||||
|
Statistic |
Gl |
Sig. |
Statistic |
Gl |
Sig. |
|
|
Pretest |
,056 |
230 |
,072 |
,979 |
230 |
,002 |
|
Postest |
,096 |
230 |
,000 |
,949 |
230 |
,000 |
|
a. Correction of Lilliefors meaning
|
||||||
Analysis: The result indicates that there are significant differences when comparing the pretest and posttest. This suggests that the proposed didactics that make use of podcasts have managed to strengthen the participants’ environmental awareness.
Discussion
The review of the available literature regarding knowledge, attitudes, and disposition to act in favor of sustainable development shows different levels of priority among university communities. In such a way that this work confirms the opinions of Alvear (2016), about the academies which still requires to intensify the interdisciplinary approach to environmental issues within the framework of sustainable development goals (NU, 2015).
However, this work maintains the position of Espejel and Castillo (2019) they claimed that the influence of teachers who exert on the way of thinking and acting of secondary education students is weakened in the context of higher education. This difference arises because students still maintain their environmental attitudes, even though their new university teachers are not active environmentalists.
Consistent with Rahman et al. (2018) this research showed that students whose main channel of learning is auditory can strengthen their academic performance using podcasts. This situation also responded favorably in the cases of students with visual impairment who have auditory skills.
The research empirical part confirmed by Cortes’ et al. (2017), he refers to environmental didactics that have not being applied correctly in the explored university communities. Thus, when applying the factors of Cultural Attitudes towards Sustainable Development of Serna, Hernández, Vélez, and Londoño (2017), it was evident that managers and teachers have remained under pressure of obtaining the national accreditation of quality education, which has been considered as an institutional challenge since 2010. Therefore, the authorities, teachers, administrative, and service personnel showed a greater commitment to such purpose.
From the analysis of the results obtained when applying the instruments of Sinatra et al. (2012), authors warn about the need to promote the change of people's beliefs and collective commitments to ensure that governmental and institutional policies can be committed to improving the sustainable development.
Regarding the environmental knowledge of the university members who took part in this study, teachers and the authorities have a higher level of knowledge of the environmental problem than the students, administrative and service staff. However, the greatest demonstration of environmental attitude is evidenced in the students. They have participated in several events in favor of the environment and presented evidence of their willingness to assume changes in the style of consumption of products that are harmful to the environment, except those related to the ICT usage.
The university authorities focus on other activities such as institutional accreditation, job performance, financial efficiency, etc. Regarding the environmental attitudes of the administrative personnel, it is indicated that this group is the one with the lowest priority and knowledge regarding sustainable development.
When asked about their willingness to adjust changes in the consumption styles of products and services in favor of the environment, the group of administrative personnel clearly indicated a refusal to give up the use of air conditioning facilities.
University service personnel are aware of the environmental problem and are sensitized, however, they expressed to follow the authority instructions. Thus, when authorities do not prioritize the environmental management in the institution, the service personnel focus on the facilities maintenance, and the use of resources and supplies based on economic savings and service efficiency.
It is evident that the organizational structures (university authorities, teachers, administrative workers, students) have as a fundamental goal: to comply with regulations regarding the quality of online education during the time the pandemic has lasted. Thus, the current trend is to focus on the development of classes guaranteeing students’ right to education. In this sense, the use of podcasts is an interesting project that encourages creativity, the strengthening of digital skills, and collaborative work.
Conclusions
After the available bibliographic review and the execution of the empirical part of this study, it is declared the fulfillment of this research objective. The conclusions that emerged in this research are:
The university community studied does not prioritize work for sustainable development. Although this issue appears in its institutional policies and there is an environmental management department, the members of this community have no frank and permanent interest in sustainable development. This is possibly due to the pressure of institutional accreditation which is considered an existential threat.
Knowledge of environmental issues in this university is at a high level; although heterogeneous. Thus, the authorities and teachers showed the conceptual knowledge of sustainable development and its implications, while the students and service personnel showed practical knowledge of the problem. Finally, the administrative staff was the one with the least knowledge in this regard.
The results indicate that there are significant relationships between the Environmental Knowledge of the participants in relation to the charge factor; except for the item: “P1. Scientific evidence points to a warming trend in the global climate”. While for the gender factor, it is indicated that there are significant relationships for items P1, P2, P4, P5, P10, P12, and P16.
Regarding the willingness of the members of this university to take actions to promote sustainable development, the results showed that there is no significant relationship between gender and age factors.
A paradoxical panorama is presented regarding the socio-environmental events that occur in this university. From a systemic position, responsibilities are assumed, but an adequate articulation is required to work on the mitigation of the socio-environmental problems of today and tomorrow. In this sense, the results showed that using podcasts for teaching has strengthened the participants' environmental attitudes.
The absence of a long-term environmental perspective in this university should be observed, this type of task that seeks systemic rationality is achieved with the introduction of self-observation, evaluation, and regulation to promote the willingness and commitment of all members of this community to achieve the well-being for today and tomorrow.
Acknowledgement
The contribution of the members of this research project is appreciated: Recreational games to optimize the motor balance of boys and girls of Elementary Education at Manta 2019-2020 canton, ULEAM. Ecuador.
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