Students’ perception of sustainable construction: accelerating progress towards construction education for sustainable development

Sustainability education for construction students provides an enduring source of indigenous capacity for tackling social, environmental and economic challenges. However, there is limited evidence on students’ perception of sustainable construction in Africa, and Nigeria in particular. This study examines students’ perceptions of sustainable construction, with a case study of a Nigerian university. The study is based on a survey research design, with the use of questionnaires. Statistical techniques such as frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviation, ANOVA and correlation are used to analyse the data. The findings indicate that majority of the students were not familiar with the concept of sustainable construction. However, they attached great importance to sustainable construction and were very interested in acquiring sustainable construction knowledge. The three most common understanding of the students about sustainable construction relates to the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency and waste reduction Moreover, the findings show statistically significant differences between students’ understanding of sustainable construction and students’ programme, academic level and gender. The findings of the study could enhance concerted efforts by the universities and accreditation agencies towards an intentional and systematic delivery of knowledge and skills that will promote sustainability literacy and transformations among future construction professionals in Nigeria.