Meaning-making in higher education for sustainable development: undergraduates' long-term processes of experiencing and learning

Despite the increase in teaching approaches designed to integrate sustainability into higher education, the connection between students' learning experiences and their learning outcomes remains incompletely understood. The present multi-case study complements the discussion by investigating und...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental education research Vol. 28; no. 11; pp. 1616 - 1634
Main Authors: Sundermann, Anna, Weiser, Annika, Barth, Matthias
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Abingdon Routledge 2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
College students
Curriculum Design
Education
Educational objectives
Environmental education
Foreign Countries
Higher education
higher education for sustainable development
Learning
Learning Experience
learning experiences
meaning-making
narrative interviews
Outcomes of Education
process analysis
Significant learning
Student Attitudes
Students
Sustainability
Sustainable Development
Teaching Methods
Undergraduate Students
Germany
ISSN:1350-4622, 1469-5871
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Despite the increase in teaching approaches designed to integrate sustainability into higher education, the connection between students' learning experiences and their learning outcomes remains incompletely understood. The present multi-case study complements the discussion by investigating undergraduates' long-term meaning-making processes using the theoretical lens of significant learning and process analysis of students' learning experience. Based on in-depth narrative interviews with 10 students at the end of a three-year study program, we analyzed how and why learning experiences become significant, differentiating perceived personal impact and the subjective value assigned to these experiences. We identified three types of sustainability-related meaning-making processes, ranging from no sustainability-related meaning-making to meaning-making as self-realization. The differentiated view on how meaning-making mediates students' sustainability-related learning experiences and their learning outcomes enhances our understanding of the specific dynamics that may shape the how and why of significant learning. It thus supports the tailored curriculum design for integrating sustainability into higher education.
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ISSN:1350-4622
1469-5871
DOI:10.1080/13504622.2022.2069679