Problem-based learning for the development of sustainable attitudes and knowledge in engineering students: evidence from the Dominican Republic

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of environmental, economic, social and teacher attitudes on sustainable attitudes and, in turn, to understand the relationship of sustainable attitudes with sustainable knowledge and behaviours. In this way, a model is proposed that integrates the three components of sustainability and the teaching task as antecedents of attitudes towards sustainable development, and its subsequent influence on the knowledge and behaviours of students towards sustainable development, from a problem-based learning (PBL) approach. Design/methodology/approach A total of 626 engineering students from a university in the Dominican Republic were surveyed. This is a private university with the largest number of students and has a wide range of engineering careers. The questionnaire was applied on a 5-point Likert scale to students who had taken and passed a subject related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, the students had participated in activities related to the SDGs. The data were analysed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) methodology. Findings The results of this research suggest the importance of sustainability education in engineering programs and highlight how students’ attitudes towards sustainability, influenced by a variety of factors, including perceived faculty commitment, can significantly affect their willingness to adopt sustainable practices. Originality/value This research topic generates new results for higher education and sustainable development in the Dominican Republic. It is highlighted that the attitudes of engineering students towards sustainable development explain 54.31% of their sustainable knowledge. This is interesting, because other variables had previously been indicated as antecedents of sustainable knowledge, but attitudes specifically towards sustainable development had not generated such relevant values of importance for sustainable knowledge. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of attitudes towards teachers, rarely explored, as a determining key in the formation of sustainable attitudes, underlining educational interaction as an essential element in the promotion of sustainable development.