Digital Sustainability Literacy in Contexts of Stability and Polycrisis: A Comparative Study in Higher Education

This study explored whether participation in a digitally mediated sustainability literacy intervention was associated with short-term improvements in sustainability-related learning outcomes across two contrasting contexts: Portugal (stability) and Myanmar (polycrisis). Using a Most-Different Systems Design, 152 university students participated in a four-week Digital Sustainability Literacy Online Course, with food systems and responsible consumption providing a practical context for integrating environmental, social, economic, and governance dimensions of sustainability. A mixed-methods approach combined pre- and post-intervention assessments using the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire, operationalized through Knowledge, Attitudes, Self-reported Practices, and Self-reported Explanatory Efficacy (KAP + E), alongside engagement measures informed by ARCS and EGameFlow. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired- and independent-samples t-tests and mixed-design ANOVAs, while qualitative responses were examined using deductive thematic analysis. Significant pre–post improvements were observed across all four outcomes in both cohorts. Contextual differences were observed for knowledge and attitudes, while a significant Time × Context interaction for explanatory efficacy indicated greater gains in Portugal. Qualitatively, environmental and social dimensions predominated in both cohorts, while governance was more prominent in Portugal. Overall, participation was associated with short-term gains across multiple sustainability-related outcomes, while explanatory efficacy showed greater contextual sensitivity. Given the absence of a control group and complete confounding of the country with the stability/polycrisis condition, the findings should be interpreted as comparative associations rather than causal effects of the intervention or polycrisis.