Reading Harry Potter: A Journey into Students’ Understanding of Sustainable Development Goals

1Citations
Citations of this article
22Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Implementing education for sustainable development (SD) into higher education requires curricular changes, embodying various constraints. Therefore, exploring students’ understanding of sustainable development goals (SDGs) is part of the initial steps. In doing this, students’ reflections on literary works can yield valuable insights and guide what and how to teach for effective ESD practices. This study investigated university students’ understanding of SDGs through their reflections on a literary work. A mixed-methods research design was employed, collecting data from senior English literature students at a Turkish state university. Qualitative data were collected through an open-ended survey and students’ term papers, while quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire. The survey and term papers showed divergent results regarding students’ understanding of SDGs. Although the survey indicated a restricted understanding, the term papers showed a more nuanced understanding. The quantitative findings also suggested that students had a systems perspective related to SDGs. Moreover, the term paper findings showed that students focused primarily on characters and settings while clarifying and elaborating their associations. Literary texts can be valuable tools to gain more insights into students’ understanding of SDGs, as they provide explicit and implicit instances in which essential plot elements construct rich and meaningful contexts.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Zorba, M. G., Şahhüseyinoğlu, D., & Arikan, A. (2024). Reading Harry Potter: A Journey into Students’ Understanding of Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability (Switzerland) , 16(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114874

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free