| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.66 |
| Liaison | Amber Saxton |
| Submission Date | Feb. 22, 2024 |
George Mason University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Karen
Akerlof Assistant Professor Science Communication for Policy, Public Participation, Evidence-based Policymaking |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or 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 combined sustainability literacy and culture survey, with at least one third of the assessment focusing on sustainability values, behaviors, and/or beliefs. The survey was fielded with a representative sample of the entire undergraduates class 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. The proposed new theoretical framework is an extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). It includes sustainability attitudes, social norms, nature and social connectedness, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and sustainability behavior constructs, apart from considering the awareness of campus sustainability initiatives.
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
Please see the uploaded file with a complete list of questions included in the survey
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is 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 entire undergraduate population, excluding students under 18 and Mason Korea students. The data collected through this type of sampling produces cross-sectional data of the entire 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 cultural assessment:
According to the survey, Mason’s undergraduate students are aware of, and engage in, the university’s sustainability programs. Further, the students have strong sustainability attitudes and engage in a wide array of pro-environmental behaviors.
Programmatic participation: The Patriot Experience program was most heard of, followed by the Greenhouse and Gardens program and the Patriot Green Fund, but most had participated in the Greenhouse and Gardens program.
Sustainability attitudes: Mason students agreed that access to clean water is a universal human right and clean air is part of a good life.
Pro-environmental behavior: 91% respondents were confident about turning off lights in an empty room where they live while 90% respondents actually engaged in this behavior in the past two weeks. Eighty-one % respondents were confident using a reusable water bottle while 76% actually did it. Fifty-six % were confident walking or biking when going somewhere and 49% reported that they had done this in the past two weeks.
Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture 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.