Integrating sustainable development topics into tertiary-level EFL education in Yemen: faculty attitudes, challenges, and strategies

With sustainable development (SD) as a global priority, education is required to equip learners with knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to global SD. In tertiary-level EFL education, SD integration is critical for enabling students to develop language skills while engaging with global issues. This study investigates the integration of SD into EFL education at Yemeni universities, focusing on faculty attitudes, challenges, and strategies for integration. Data were collected from 106 faculty members using an online questionnaire. The results showed that, although faculty hold positive attitudes toward integrating SD into EFL education, SD topics are rarely incorporated in practice. This limited integration is attributed to teaching and curriculum, educational culture and environment, and resources and funding constraints. Interestingly, no significant differences were found in faculty ratings of attitudes, perceived challenges, or suggested strategies based on gender, university type, college, experience, specialization, or academic rank variables. This suggests a broad consensus among faculty. The study also identified strategies for integrating SD into EFL education, including curriculum reform, faculty professional development, technology-enhanced learning tools, appropriate instructional materials, effective pedagogical methods, and alignment of assessment with SD goals. The study proposes practical recommendations to strengthen SD integration and highlights directions for future research.