Botanical insight: measuring botanical literacy beyond cognition

Purpose This study aims to develop a multidimensional botanical literacy instrument for higher education to strengthen sustainability competencies aligned with SDG 4.7. The instrument integrates affective and perceived psychomotor dimensions to capture ecological attitudes and self-reported readiness for plant-related practical engagement. Design/methodology/approach Using a Design and Development Research (DDR) framework, the study involved conceptual analysis, indicator formulation, item construction, content validation, empirical testing, and construct evaluation. A total of 378 Indonesian university students participated through stratified random sampling. EFA and CFA were used to examine factor structure and model fit. The EFA subsample (n = 180) was drawn from within the total CFA sample (N = 378); this overlap is acknowledged as an analytic limitation (see Research limitations/implications). Findings CFA results demonstrated excellent model fit (CFI = 0.956; TLI = 0.947; RMSEA = 0.045), supporting the stability of a two-domain structure. The final instrument contains 14 affective items and 14 perceived psychomotor indicators, all meeting validity and reliability requirements. The findings reinforce the need for multidimensional sustainability assessment that reflects both ecological dispositions and self-reported practical readiness. Research limitations/implications The sample limits generalisability beyond the sampled Indonesian higher-education population. Future work should explore broader populations, test measurement invariance across institutions and cultures, and integrate the cognitive domain. Online administration may introduce response variability. The psychomotor construct was measured through self-report rather than direct observation; future studies should pair it with performance-based assessment to establish convergent validity. Practical implications The instrument supports curriculum evaluation, project-based learning, outdoor education, and campus conservation programs, and can inform institutional quality-assurance frameworks for ESD-based learning outcomes (e.g. accreditation indicators for sustainability competencies). It enables higher education institutions to implement data-driven sustainability practices and monitor progress toward SDG 4.7. Social implications As a potential long-term application requiring further multi-site validation, the instrument may inform community sustainability initiatives, including conservation education and urban agriculture, strengthening public engagement with biodiversity. Originality/value This study introduces a validated instrument that uniquely integrates affective and perceived psychomotor dimensions, advancing methodological and pedagogical innovation in sustainability-focused higher education.