ORCID
- L. Dalla Valle: 0000-0001-7506-5712
Abstract
University rankings are increasingly important internationally, and in the UK include a sustainability ‘Green League’. However, there is little evidence about experiences of studying in ‘sustainable universities’. We report an empirical study at five universities in varied positions in the Green League, exploring students’ energy literacy, environmental attitudes and perceptions of their institution’s energy-saving efforts. Although the link to energy literacy is not clear, findings suggest that there are significant differences between students’ environmental attitudes at universities placed at different points in the league. In addition, students at higher ranked universities are more positive about their university’s energy-saving efforts, suggesting that these institutions may exhibit more overt manifestations of sustainability. This is important since students report being more likely to choose energy-conservation behaviours if there is visible representation of energy use. The study is the first to attempt a comparison between universities at different positions in a sustainability ranking.
DOI
10.1080/13504622.2017.1395394
Publication Date
2018-11-02
Publication Title
Environmental Education Research
Volume
24
Issue
11
ISSN
1469-5871
Keywords
Energy literacy, hidden curriculum, higher education, informal education, league tables, student attitudes
First Page
1611
Last Page
1626
Recommended Citation
Cotton, D., Winter, J., Miller, W., & Dalla Valle, L. (2018) 'Is students’ energy literacy related to their university’s position in a sustainability ranking?', Environmental Education Research, 24(11), pp. 1611-1626. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1395394
