Sustainable Development Concept Awareness Among Students In Higher Education

As higher education is given a primary role as knowledge producer, it serves as a powerful means to help create a more sustainable future which involves educating students on the necessity of sustainable development. The purpose of this case study was to survey the students’ awareness, attitudes and actions in regard to sustainable development. The study was conducted in one of the public universities in Malaysia located in Kota Samarahan. Questionnaire used was developed based on learning objectives provided by UNESCO. A total of 79.2% (N=507) of students from the same programme participated in the study. Results indicated that 40.7% (N=239) students have insufficient knowledge on sustainable development. Using ANOVA test, it was found that there are significant differences between students’ year of study and their sustainability awareness, attitudes, and actions. Further findings revealed that the final year students have the highest level of sustainability awareness (M=3.918, SD=.517), attitudes (M=4.349, SD=.514) and actions (M=4.365, SD=.538) as compared to Year 1 and 2. Improvising the current higher education curriculum is required to effectively equip the students with the knowledge a