Investigating the Factors Which Impact the Integration of Sustainability Into Classroom Practice

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-660-4_8How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Sustainability education; higher education; mixed methods; United Arab Emirates

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a mixed-methods study exploring sustainability education practices in a government tertiary institution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sustainability education has gained prominence as a crucial component of higher education curricula worldwide, aiming to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to address complex sustainability challenges. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, utilizing both quantitative survey data and qualitative focus groups, this study investigates the extent to which sustainability education is integrated into tertiary curricula, examining both the barriers to implementation and the facilitators to its application. Findings indicate that while sustainability education is increasingly recognized as essential in the UAE higher education context, significant variations exist in its integration and implementation. Factors such as institutional culture, faculty attitudes, resource availability, and curricula demands, influence the extent and nature of sustainability education initiatives. Through critical analysis and practical recommendations, this study contributes to advancing the discourse on sustainability in education, offering insights and solutions to promote sustainability within education for a more viable future.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Nicole Shammas
AU  - Jonathan Fiten
AU  - Jumana Tarazi
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/02/26
TI  - Investigating the Factors Which Impact the Integration of Sustainability Into Classroom Practice
BT  - Proceedings of the HCT International General Education Conference (HCTIGEC 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 101
EP  - 120
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-660-4_8
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-660-4_8
ID  - Shammas2025
ER  -