Student perspectives on quality education at their school: toward a valid and reliable questionnaire to monitor quality education for sustainability teaching (QUEST-Q)

Abstract

Considering the problematic human-nature relationship caused complex sustainability problems, quality education should prepare students for facing the challenges ahead. Therefore, educational practitioners, policy makers, and researchers need monitoring tools. We posit that a comprehensive approach to teaching for sustainability adds quality to education for sustainability. The current study builds on earlier theoretical work on quality education for sustainability teaching (QUEST), aiming to (1) initiate development of a monitoring instrument from the perspective of those education aims to empower, i.e. the students, and (2) further theory development. The QUEST-framework was developed into a set of five scales, tapping into students’ perspective on teaching and learning content (or what, i.e. relevant holistic knowledge and sustainability competencies), educational approach (or how, i.e. a pluralistic and action-oriented teaching approach), partners and locations (where and with whom). Together, the five scales provide a questionnaire instrument to monitor QUEST (QUEST-Q). Think aloud protocols and interviews with students and teachers support the scales’ cognitive and content validity. Reliability and construct validity were confirmed. Results are discussed in light of advancing theory and providing avenues for future research. We offer practitioners, policy makers, and researchers the QUEST-Q to monitor students’ experiences of quality education for a sustainable future.