James Madison University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Sample questions are below. The full test contains 50 items. The remaining items, which are confidential, are similar. 1. Based on the graph below [graph], which sector of the US economy had the largest decrease in emissions from 1990 to 2008? a) Agriculture b) Industry c) Electricity generation d) Transportation 2. The following data [table formatting lost in reporting tool] are most consistent with which of the following: Indicator / Change from 1950–1990 World population / increased 2.2 times Food (grain production) / increased 2.7 times Energy use / increased 4.4 times Economy / increased 5.1 times a) Population is growing at the same rate as consumption. b) Population is growing faster than the rate of consumption. c) Population is growing slower than the rate of consumption. 3. The tragedy of the commons refers to situations where individuals, acting independently in their own self-interest, can ultimately deplete a shared limited resource even though exploitation of shared resources is harmful to everyone. Consider the example of crab fishing in Alaska. In an effort to protect limited resources regulators have shortened the fishing season to less than a week per year. As a result, fishermen all deliver their catch at the same time. This frenetic race to catch as much as possible in this short window of time results in lowered prices for the fisherman, increased costs to the fishermen, and increased danger for fishermen. And even with the very short season in place, the total catch may still be above the sustainable limit. In this case, which of the following strategies might potentially overcome the dilemmas inherent in the tragedy of the commons? a) Increase the length of the season but at the same time increase the cost of fishing licenses. b) Shorten the season and increase the cost of fishing licenses. c) Trust the long-term self-interest of the individuals to maintain the resource. d) Lengthen the season, but at the same time issue individual quotas for total season catch limits based on the number of licenses requested and the total available harvest.

A subcommittee of the JMU Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World Education and Scholarship Committee created the instrument. Faculty from multiple disciplines participated.

Incoming first-year students are required to participate in an assessment day. They are randomly assigned to assessments, of which the Environmental Stewardship Reasoning and Knowledge Assessment (ESRKA) is one, by the last digits of their student ID numbers. This random assignment ensures the samples are representative of the student body. 18 months later, students take the same assessments. Assessments are administered in proctored conditions.

The most recent cohort with both pre- and post-tests took the pre-test in August 2014 and the post-test in February 2016. Matched pre- and post-test scores were available for 413 students. Average learning gains were about 5 percentage points (mean score 65.6% pretest, 70.6% post-test.