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EDUCATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: TEACHING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS THROUGH A DEVELOPMENTAL CONTINUUM OF RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR

Aims The aim of this study is to present the results of an evaluation of university courses that have been innovated using the Developmental Continuum of Responsible Behaviour towards Nature and People. This continuum has been adopted as a framework for course modifications by the Lipka Eco-Centre staff, who are also working at several Czech universities. The innovations emphasized a holistic approach, where not only students' knowledge but also their attitudes and competences were increased. The evaluation sought to answer the following two questions: 1. In what ways did the observed variables (relationship to place, teacher self-efficacy, attitudes towards climate change, climate hope, environmental attitudes, locus of control, environmental problems, research skills) change in university students after they completed a course innovated according to the developmental continuum of responsible behaviour? 2. How do the selected variables (relationship to place, teacher self-efficacy, attitudes toward climate change, climate hope, environmental attitudes, locus of control) correlate with each other? Method The research design was quantitative, data for the evaluation of individual innovations were collected before the start of the course and after the end of the course, in the examination period belonging to the respective semester. The data collection took place in the winter and summer semesters of the academic year 2022/2023. For data collection, students of the respective course were always approached and identified by a unique code within the questionnaire. Only students who were able to pair pretest and posttests were included in the analyses (N = 123, ZS = 39, LS = 84). Because different combinations of research instrument segments were applied to different courses, the number of respondents varied across analyses. The research tool as a whole consisted of five dimensions (Place attachement; Empowerment; Attitudes and values; Environmental issues; Inquiry based education). Instructors then selected only those segments of the research tool that were relevant to their course. For most instruments, respondents commented on each item on a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree - partially agree - can't decide - partially disagree - strongly disagree). The exceptions are environmental issues and research, where open-ended questions were asked. Results The most significant shift was observed in the variable teacher self-efficacy, which measured teacher students' beliefs about their future ability to implement various environmental education and sustainable education strategies. Even the entry values in the pretest were high. Even so, there was a significant increase after completing the course, which in the case of this variable can be explained both by the influence of experienced environmental education instructors who use a range of practice-oriented approaches and examples in their work, and by the competency focus of the developmental continuum used for course innovation. There was also a significant increase in the second variable that falls under the empowerment dimension, the Locus of Control variable, which represents the student's belief in their ability to engage in actions to benefit the environment. This is a key variable in relation to an individual's pro-environmental behaviour. As such, it is central to the developmental continuum of responsible action, and thus to the adaptations of university courses implemented. An individual's environmental attitudes are also a significant predictor of responsible pro-environmental behaviour. While appreciation of nature, a general expression of an individual's relationship with nature, remained without significant change (input values close to the maximum did not even allow for a significant change), there was a positive shift in the case of attitudes towards conservation. Again, its interpretation can be based on a combination of the personality of the lecturer and the changes that occurred in the course content through the implementation of a continuum that strongly resonates nature conservation as one of the general objectives of environmental education. Hopes associated with the climate crisis have also increased significantly. The high correlation between those variables commented on in the previous paragraphs of the discussion is striking. Thus, it is Locus of Control, teacher self-efficacy and attitudes towards conservation that correlate most strongly with each other. Thus, the variables most strongly influencing the responsible behaviour towards which the competence described by the developmental continuum is directed. In particular, the high correlation between attitudes towards conservation and Locus of Control, which tends to moderate the relationship between attitudes and behaviour, is significant. The interconnectedness of these three variables was strengthened after the courses, where the measured correlations did not decrease in any case. This can, in fact, be said of almost all correlations found.

Keywords: education for sustainable future, evaluation, university education, environmental education