Integrating environmental sustainability into higher education sport curricula: The influence of institutional strategies

This study aims to analyse how higher education institutions include environmental sustainability in courses in the area of sport, seeking to understand the influence of institutional strategies, environmental awareness and lecturers' sustainable behaviour in their teaching practice. One hundred and thirteen lecturers from 24 Portuguese institutions participated, answering a questionnaire formed of five dimensions: environmental awareness, personal and professional sustainable behaviour, institutional strategies and pedagogical practice. The results revealed that lecturers' environmental awareness significantly influences both their personal (β = 0.498) and professional (β = 0.575) behaviour. However, this behaviour does not mean effective integration of sustainability in teaching practice, not presenting significant effects. In turn, institutional strategies are found to be the main determinant of teaching practice (β = 0.616), showing the central role of organizational policies and guidelines. It is concluded that despite lecturers showing high awareness and pro-environment behaviour, pedagogical integration of the topic depends above all on institutions’ actions and guidelines. The study reinforces the need for specific training, curricular review and the implementation of robust institutional policies promoting environmental sustainability in sport courses.