Higher education's impact on changing the sustainable behaviors of students

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to establish understanding of the capability of universities to change the behaviors of students towards pro-sustainability behaviors. In particular, the University of Wisconsin-Stout was studied due to the nature of prosustainability initiatives already implemented on the campus and the ease with which the researcher could gain access to the necessary documentation and student participants. The Robert Yin methodology of a positivistic case study was used for this research study and Paul Stern’s Value-Belief-Norm Theory of Environmentalism became the theoretical framework upon which a model for influencing pro-sustainability behavior in students attending universities was built. Review of the literature related to prosustainability behavior change and higher education allowed for enhancement of the theoretical model to include specific contextual and personal capability factors. Seven theoretical propositions were derived from the factors of the model and served to help refine the data collection process, as well as guide the data analysis. The results of the study showed that all seven theoretical propositions were supported to some degree. Additional findings of interest were related to feedback mechanisms, perceived limits and a temporal component to self-efficacy development, and the effects of prior experiences with pro-sustainability behavior.