Learning for a Sustainable Future: Embedding Sustainability Literacy in Honors Curricula within Higher Education

Zoe E. Belinda
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:00:00 PDT

This research investigates the sustainability literacy levels of first-year Davidson Honors College (DHC) students at the University of Montana (UM) to develop a baseline for average sustainability knowledge at the beginning of students’ post-secondary education. The goals of this research are to (1) determine if there are differences in sustainability literacy scores between students in sustainability-related fields of study and their counterparts, (2) identify weaknesses in students’ current sustainability literacy, and (3) develop curriculum suggestions to improve sustainability knowledge. To address these research questions, all first-year DHC students in 2024 and 2025 were surveyed using a modified version of the Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge. The survey consisted of 18 multiple-choice questions on the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, and one open-ended question asking for field of study. The survey yielded 533 responses total. Results showed that the average ASK sustainability literacy score for first-year DHC students is 11.11 out of 18 (61.7%), with students in sustainability-related fields scoring significantly higher than their counterparts. First-year DHC students have the highest understanding of the environmental dimension of sustainability (66.89%), followed by the social dimension (65.18%), and the economic dimension (50.10%); however, these differences were not statistically significant. These results demonstrate room for growth in sustainability education at the DHC. In response, this study provides a “sustainability education for all” course syllabus to demonstrate strengthened curricula. This research highlights the need for improved sustainability education at UM and provides concrete ways to improve sustainability literacy through higher education curricula.