Shaping the World
Are Subjective Indicators a Missing Link around Metrics?: Tendencies Based on a Scoping Review
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Felipe Aníbal Gutiérrez-Antinopai
When the Brundtland Report emerged in 1987, decision-makers and researchers began advocating for the monitoring of social and environmental aspects using quantitative diagnostics (Valentin & Spangenberg, 2000). This historical evolution of indicator selection processes has exhibited a notable preference for adopting objective indicators (Jones, 2019). Conversely, subjective indicators have not received the same level of consideration as their objective counterparts (Stedman, 2016). While subjective indicators are instrumental in comprehending various dimensions of an individual's life and the process of societal development, the prominence of objective indicators has tended to overshadow the significance of their subjective counterparts. This imbalance underscores a prevailing bias toward quantifiable, measurable data in the realm of sustainability, resilience, well-being and quality of life assessment and evaluation. Thus, this proposal intends to address two main questions (1) What are the tendencies in the use of subjective indicators in quantitative evaluations? and (2) How do the actors and institutions regarding quantitative evaluations contribute to the understanding of sustainability, QoL, resilience and well-being subjectivity and holism? The comprehension of the role of subjective indicators in metric systems promises to yield valuable insights: (1) methodologies adopted by scientists and policy-makers in their pursuit of holistic understanding; (2) the operationalization of subjective indicators within the overarching conceptual frameworks of quality of life, sustainability, resilience, and well-being; (3) the interplay and integration of insights from diverse disciplines (4) the influence exerted by the nature of participating institutions, encompassing private, non-governmental, and governmental entities, among others, in shaping the selection of indicators.
Motivations for Sustainability Pioneers: A Look at Historical Correlations that Lead to Pro-Environmental Behavior
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Adrah Niccolo Parafiniuk
This paper looks at how factors such as access to "wild" places, camping, and engagement in outdoor sports as a youth affect the likelihood of engaging in pro-environmental behaviors as an adult. Using survey results that analyze how experiences in youth correlate to careers in sustainability or towards more sustainability focused lifestyles, this research looks to understand how this information could be used to motive more people to become sustainability pioneers.
Education, Assessment and Policy Guidelines for Tribal Areas Case Study – Mandla District, MP India View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Aruna Saxena
This research paper examines the prospects for education to upgrade the living standard of tribes in the Mandla tribal region of Madhya Pradesh, India. With 46 recognized Scheduled Tribes, including Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, this study delves into the unique cultural, linguistic, and geographical diversity among these tribes. The population of Scheduled Tribes (ST) is 21.1% of the state population, according to the 2011 census. Due to their distinct environments and dense forest areas, these tribal areas have often been isolated from mainstream development. In this research, remote sensing technology is used to create thematic maps for the development of tribal communities in this densely forested, Naxalite-affected region. Geographic Information System (GIS) is used to facilitate the integration of thematic maps, enhancing socio-economic infrastructure analysis and planning. The study emphasizes the need for sustainable resource utilization and highlights the challenges faced by tribal communities in the education sector towards economic, cultural, and political challenges, often seen as a vulnerable group with limited resources. Overcoming poverty and limited opportunities requires joint government and societal efforts. By integrating land use analysis and spatial databases, the research aims to develop action plans, strategies, and guidelines in the field of education in the tribal areas.
Sustainability Assessment Actions and Policies in Higher Education Institutions: An Analysis Using Bibliometrix R Package View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Charles Chi Cui, Christa Sathish
Sustainability in higher education institutions (HEIs) has attracted much attention. For example, researchers propose the Whole Institution Approaches (WIAs) to sustainability emphasizing that all learning is embedded within its socio-physical contexts. Research suggests that the moral enthusiasm for teaching in the sustainability domain must not take away from precise analysis of problems, solutions, their implantability and their interconnected complexity. However, there is insufficient attention in the extant literature to what actions need to be taken and what critical factors that could enable the actions in HEIs. Addressing this gap, our research used bibliometric analysis (R Biblioshiny) to examine the main themes, contexts, trends and methodological approaches in sustainability research in HEIs, and identifies potential future directions for scholars to advance this field. The methodological steps involved selection of the top 100 frequent keywords and calculation of the TF-KAI values. We decided to improve our theoretical relevance by the creation of a domain-specific corpus, which comprised 18,793 articles containing the keyword “sustainability” in the domain corpus. Using these articles, we conducted a second word frequency analysis and selected the top 100 frequent words and calculated the TF-KAI values, resulting in top 24 keywords and analyses of 12,405 records. The initial findings show that the most frequent occurring themes are sustainability, performance, management and impact. The analysis has found low representation of the themes of education, higher education and policy. We propose new research directions highlighting factors and actions enabling holistic approaches to assessing and policy development in HEIs.
