How Children Come to Understand Sustainable Development

A Contribution to Educational Agenda

Bibliographic Data

ID12308064
AuthorsMatija Svetina (0000-0001-9337-3655, University of Ljubljana Slovenia, corresponding author), Andreja Istenič Starčič (0000-0003-0513-5054, University of Ljubljana), Andreja Istenič‐Starčič (University of Ljubljana Slovenia), Matevž Juvančič (0000-0002-7255-3152, University of Ljubljana Slovenia), Tomaž Novljan (University of Ljubljana Slovenia), Maruška Šubic‐Kovač (University of Ljubljana Slovenia), Špela Verovšek (0000-0001-5656-636X, University of Ljubljana Slovenia), Tadeja Zupančič (0000-0001-5455-6918, University of Ljubljana Slovenia)
Year2011
Volume21
Issue4
Pages260-269
Publication date2011-04-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSustainable Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0968-0802 • E-ISSN: 1099-1719
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sd.519
OpenAlexW1554901063
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited23

This study provides an interdisciplinary account determining how children and adolescents understand urban and architectural aspects of sustainable development. The concept of sustainability implies complex relations between ethical, economical, social, technical and other qualities of our environment. The concept is difficult to understand for children who lack the abilities of abstract reasoning and multi‐dimensional thinking. A new measure of sustainability understanding was formed based on pictorial rather than textual format and was applied to a large sample of over 2000 participants aged 6–19 years. The results indicated that girls had higher levels of appreciation toward sustainability issues than boys. The results also showed that understanding of sustainability issues increased progressively with age, particularly with adolescents from urban environments. The findings are discussed in terms of cognitive changes in adolescence and their implications for educational policy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Abstract reasoning · Cognition · Developmental psychology · Education for sustainable development · Political science · Sample (material · Sociology · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Educational Environments and Student Outcomes · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Psychology · Sustainable Building Design and Assessment

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