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Assessing college students' sustainability literacy: the development, use, and analysis of an assessment tool

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dc.contributor.authorHarmon, Renée, author
dc.contributor.authorMakela, Carole, advisor
dc.contributor.authorKaiser, Leann, committee member
dc.contributor.authorSwitzer, Jamie, committee member
dc.contributor.authorWallner, Barbara, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2018-01-17T16:45:57Z
dc.date.available2019-01-12T16:46:10Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation discusses the development, use, and analysis of a knowledge-based multiple-choice sustainability literacy assessment tool used in Spring 2016 at Colorado State University (CSU). CSU is a leading institution of sustainability education and research, and a participant of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS). A component of STARS includes assessing college students' sustainability literacy. The study, and the sustainability literacy assessment tool described, were designed within the framework of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). Data sets were collected and analyzed from a sustainability literacy assessment given in Spring 2016. Findings from the study show students performed highest in environmental sustainability literacy and lowest in social sustainability literacy, two of three dimensions of the TBL. Additionally, four focus groups of students were held at CSU in Spring 2017. The focus groups informed the study of how students' defined the concept of sustainability and the three dimensions of the TBL. Findings from the focus groups indicated the design of the assessment tool did not garner meaningful results. The assessment tool was designed with knowledge-based multiple-choice questions, which did not accurately assess sustainability literacy, according to its definition. Recommendations for redesigning the assessment tool include designing questions that assess students' ability to apply systems-thinking and conduct critical thinking and problem-solving. Sustainability educators should seek to encourage transformational learning when teaching sustainability education. With the recommendations for assessment redesign, the researcher also includes suggestions of unique ways institutions of higher education can assess students' sustainability literacy.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierHarmon_colostate_0053A_14532.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/185713
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectinstitutions of higher education
dc.subjectsustainability literacy
dc.subjectconcept of sustainability
dc.subjecttriple bottom line
dc.subjectsustainability education
dc.titleAssessing college students' sustainability literacy: the development, use, and analysis of an assessment tool
dc.typeText
dcterms.embargo.expires2019-01-12
dcterms.embargo.terms2019-01-12
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineEducation
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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