| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.66 |
| Liaison | Amber Saxton |
| Submission Date | Feb. 22, 2024 |
George Mason University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Karen
Akerlof Assistant Professor Science Communication for Policy, Public Participation, Evidence-based Policymaking |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
A list or sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
Please see the uploaded file with a complete list of questions included in the survey
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
In 2020, University Sustainability decided to measure the impact of their programmatic initiatives on student sustainability experiences, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. With this goal in mind, the Director of Sustainability and the Sustainability Program Manager Education/Outreach collaborated with an Environmental Science and Policy professor and her Ph.D. student, along with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning’s Executive Director and Assessment & Survey Coordinator. This group assisted with the development of a sustainability literacy and culture survey. The survey was fielded with a representative sample of undergraduates in Fall 2022, at the start of the 2022-23 academic year, and was re-administered again in Spring 2023 to increase the response rate. As an incentive, students could win gift cards for taking the survey. Three types of literacies were considered while developing our unique definition of sustainability literacy: factual information (socio-ecological systems knowledge) (Zwickle et al., 2014), scientific practices (systems thinking) (Jaradat, 2014), and an awareness of how science is accomplished (the science of science) (National Science Board, 2018). Together, these three constructs constitute “sustainability literacy.”
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
The sampling and administration of the survey was conducted by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP). Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained from the Office of Research Integrity and Assurance. OIEP’s Assessment & Survey Coordinator pulled a representative sample of the undergraduate population. The study’s current sampling strategy is simple random probability sampling from Mason’s undergraduate population, excluding students under 18 and Mason Korea students. The data collected through this type of sampling produces cross-sectional data of the undergraduate population at a given time. After choosing a representative sample of the undergraduate population, recruitment emails were sent through Qualtrics.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
Sustainability literacy is assumed to be a fundamental prerequisite for all citizens of democracies in order for them to make educated decisions. However, both the definition and assessment of sustainability literacy are ambiguous. Hence, the below three aspects of sustainability literacy were assessed as per our new definition.
Socio-ecological knowledge: Students were most familiar with the function of the ozone layer, the difference between the wealth of the richest and poorest Americans, and the country with the largest emitter of the greenhouse gas-- carbon dioxide. Around 16% scored more than 75% in the 13 questions included in the survey.
Systems thinking: Only around 15% respondents showed more than 50% systems thinking skills of complexity, flexibility, and systems worldview.
Science of science: Thirty-four% answered all the four questions correctly. As expected, seniors belonging to the ‘science and math’ discipline did well.
Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.