Teaching and learning methods play an important role in promoting sustainability in tourism education. However, previous studies mainly focus on sustainability in tourism. This qualitative survey provides an overview of how sustainable development and tourism education are taught and learned in higher education institutions. It aims to support the selection of teaching and learning approaches and methods for educating sustainability-driven tourism at universities. The materials were selected based on keywords in tourism education. The study describes 32 articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals from 2000 to 2022. The content of the articles was analyzed in detail using qualitative content analysis. Collaborative and interdisciplinary learning and case study teaching, alongside problem-based learning and experiential learning (outdoor learning), were utilized in 10 and 6 articles, respectively. Developing collaborative and interdisciplinary learning skills, developing systems thinking skills, developing experiential learning skills, and developing techniques for increasing environmental awareness were the key points of teaching and learning methods to promote sustainability in tourism education. Behavioral Change Wheel (BCW) in tourism should be implemented in school education to reach sustainable development goals and to support sustainable development.

In this qualitative study, we aim to identify suitable pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning green chemistry among college students and preservice teachers by examining the teaching methods that have been used to promote green chemistry education (GCE) and how these methods have supported green chemistry learning (GCL). We found 45 articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals since 2000 that specifically described teaching methods for GCE. The content of the articles was analyzed based on the categories of the teaching methods used and the revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy. Among the selected articles, collaborative and interdisciplinary learning, and problem-based learning were utilized in 38 and 35 articles, respectively. These were the most frequently used teaching methods, alongside a general combination of multiple teaching methods and teacher presentations. Developing collaborative and interdisciplinary learning skills, techniques for increasing environmental awareness, problem-centered learning skills, and systems thinking skills featuring the teaching methods were seen to promote GCL in 44, 40, 34, and 29 articles, respectively. The results showed that the integration of green chemistry teaching (GCT), e.g., with sustainable education, promoted GCL by fostering environmental consciousness and behavioral change and cognitive processes in a sustainable direction.

This study aimed to identify how the psychological characteristics of college students are reflected in understanding sustainable development goals (SDGs) by examining college students’ psychological characteristics, including attitude, interests, motivations, and self-efficacy, through the Sustainable Development Goals Psychological Inventory (SDGPI). The relationships among SDGs attitude, SDGs interest, SDGs motivation, and SDGs self-efficacy were analyzed by Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. In addition, the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance were used to explore the differences among the college student groups in terms of gender, grade, and major in relation to attitude and personal characteristics. Attitude scores based on regression analysis were used to predict college students’ interest, motivation, and self-efficacy in relation to the SDGs. According to the results, (a) the college students considered the three most important SDGs to be good health and well-being (SDG 3) (49.72%), quality education (SDG 4) (41.39%), and no poverty (SDG 1) (32.22%), while the three least important SDGs were decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) (41.11%), partnerships for the goals (SDG 17) (38.06%), and response consumption and institutions (SDG 12) (30.83%); (b) the SDGPI had a high reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.942; (c) there was a significant positive correlation between attitude and the variables of interest, motivation, and self-efficacy; (d) differences in attitudes, interest, and motivation between men and women were distinct and women scored much higher in these three subscales than men; (e) attitude could explain significant variance in interest, motivation and self-efficacy. In addition, attitude, interest, and motivation could account for self-efficacy. This study supports the development of sustainability education (SE) at the college level by providing new insights into college students’ psychological characteristics in relation to the SDGs.

The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical framework by integrating the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory with environmental awareness in measuring Chinese university students’ environmentally sustainable behavior toward tourism destinations. University students tend to engage in sustainability efforts since their values and beliefs are still being formed. The participants were 301 university students from a university in eastern China. The empirical findings demonstrate that: (1) environmental awareness has positive influences on biospheric value, altruistic value and egoistic value; (2) biospheric value positively predicts the new ecological paradigm (NEP), whereas altruistic and egoistic values do not; (3) the NEP, awareness of consequence and personal norms play an important mediating role. Results indicate that extended VBN can explain students’ environmentally sustainable behavior. This research supports the growth of sustainable tourism and has a number of practical implications for universities and the relevant environmental departments to promote university students’ involvement in sustainable tourism.

453 residents of Hangzhou China (56.1% women, average age 34.68 with range of 18–65) were used to investigate leisure activities and leisure motivations. Demographic data such as gender, age, marital status, education level, and income were collected and analyzed. The results indicated the following: (a) Residents’ top three favorite activities were internet surfing, drinking tea and chatting, and traveling; (b) The Leisure Motivation Scale had a high reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93; (c) In general, residents’ intellectual, social, competence mastery, and stimulus avoidance scores all reached high levels; and (d) Significant differences among gender, marital status, and education level were found in leisure motivation. The findings are discussed in regard to the status quo of leisure behaviors and leisure motivations of Chinese residents.