EXPLORING STUDENTS’ SUSTAINABILITY CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN VIETNAM

EXPLORING STUDENTS’ SUSTAINABILITY CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN VIETNAM

Nguyen Thu Ha* hant@vnies.edu.vn The Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences 101 Tran Hung Dao street, Cua Nam ward, Hanoi, Vietnam
Le Anh Vinh vinhla@vnies.edu.vn The Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences 101 Tran Hung Dao street, Cua Nam ward, Hanoi, Vietnam
Kieu Thi Kinh ktkinh@ued.udn.vn University of Science and Education, The University of Danang- University of Science and Education 459 Ton Duc Thang, Hoa Khanh ward, Da Nang City, Vietnam
Summary: 
Despite Vietnam’s integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a strategic orientation over the past decade, empirical evidence regarding its actual impact on learners remains limited. This study investigates the current state of students’ sustainability consciousness, comprising three constructs: knowingness, attitudes, and behaviors. Using the standardized instrument developed by Olsson et al. (2016), quantitative data were collected from 3,065 junior and senior high school students across 7 provinces and cities via stratified random sampling. The analysis reveals a significant discrepancy between students’ sustainability knowledge and attitudes across environmental, economic, and social dimensions and their reported sustainability behaviors. Furthermore, the study identifies statistically significant differences based on educational level, geographical region, and gender. These findings provide critical empirical evidence regarding the “knowledge-action gap”, thereby suggesting pedagogical implications to reorient the approach to ESD within the Vietnamese educational context.
Keywords: 
Sustainability consciousness
effectiveness
education for sustainable development
students
Vietnam.
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