Sammanfattning

Purpose Education in sustainability science is largely ignorant of the implications of the environmental crisis on inner dimensions, including mindsets, beliefs, values and worldviews. Increased awareness of the acuteness and severity of the environmental and climate crisis has caused a contemporary spread of hopelessness among younger generations. This calls for a better understanding of potential generative forces of hope in the face of climate change. This paper aims to uncover strategies for fostering constructive hope among students. Design/methodology/approach This study examines, through qualitative interviews, the characteristics of constructive hope amongst proactive students enrolled in university programs related to global environmental challenges. Constructive hope describes a form of hope leading to sustained emotional stability and proactive engagement through both individual and collective actions. Findings The findings are presented according to four characteristics of constructive hope: goal, pathway thinking, agency thinking and emotional reinforcement. This shows how students perceive the importance of: collaboratively constructing and empowering locally grounded objectives; reinforcing trust in the collective potential and external actors; raising students' perceived self-efficacy through practical applications; teaching different coping strategies related to the emotional consequences of education on students' well-being. Originality/value We outline practical recommendations for educational environments to encourage and develop constructive hope at multiple levels of university education, including structures, programs, courses and among students' interactions. We call for practitioners to connect theoretical learning and curriculum content with practice, provide space for emotional expressions, release the pressure from climate anxiety, and to foster a stronger sense of community among students.

Nyckelord

Sustainability transformation; Pro-environmental behavior; Climate anxiety; Constructive hope; Sustainability science education; Curriculum development

Publicerad i

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
2022, Volym: 23, nummer: 8, sidor: 272-289
Utgivare: EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD

SLU författare

• Stålhammar, Sanna

  • Institutionen för landskapsarkitektur, planering och förvaltning, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Globala målen

SDG13 Vidta omedelbara åtgärder för att bekämpa klimatförändringarna och dess konsekvenser
SDG4 Säkerställa en inkluderande och likvärdig utbildning av god kvalitet och främja livslångt lärande för alla


UKÄ forskningsämne

Lärande
Miljövetenskap


Publikationens identifierare

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-11-2021-0463

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/119066