Challenges of Incorporating Environmental Literacy into Higher Education Curricula

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.A of Curriculum & Instruction, Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

3 Assisstant Professor, Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

10.30473/ee.2025.72554.2787

Abstract

Given the vital importance of the environmental problem and the necessity of a cultural perspective on it, this research sought to explore the challenges and problems of including environmental literacy in university curricula. The research was conducted in the field of environmental literacy and was an applied research in terms of purpose and in terms of method, it was qualitative, of the type of content analysis and based on the experiences of a number of academic experts in the field of environment in Isfahan province.Using the purposeful sampling method, the views and experiences of 22 of them were collected and explored as informative sources. The research data collection tool was semi-structured in-depth interview. Information was obtained according to the principle of theoretical saturation. In order to analyze and organize the information obtained from the research, the seven-step method of Collaizi was used. Overall, the findings of the research showed that the promotion of environmental literacy in the country's higher education is faced with two basic problems, i.e. structural challenges and implementation issues. Structural or fundamental challenges include things such as the lack of principled and accurate environmental policies in higher education, the lack of educational content and appropriate learning experiences in universities, the lack of an institutionalized culture in the field of the environment, and the neglect of environmental literacy in elementary school. On the other hand, the implementation problems of this field include issues such as the lack of professors and human resources specializing in environmental literacy in the university, indifference and lack of environmental concerns, extreme theorization of education and lack of laws. It is obvious that effective dealing with the mentioned challenges requires the policy making and precise planning of the university institution in the field of environmental education and based on that, scientific and calculated actions in this field.

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Main Subjects

References

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Journals of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development
Volume 14, Issue 2
January 2026
Pages 9-31

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