INSTRUCTION FOR SUSTAINABILITY: HOW EXPANSIVE FRAMING IMPACTS BEHAVIOR CHANGE

Abstract

Achieving sustainability depends on changes in behavior, yet instruction which leads to changed behavior that follows United Nationals Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommendations is not standard practice among sustainability educators. According to UNESCO, it should be grounded in culture and morals and driven by a shift in values. This study explores how using expansive framing for sustainability instruction influences responsive behavior change. Changes were tracked through quantitative and qualitative data using pre- and post-assessments of self-reported sustainability-related behaviors, a rating of the learning experience, and used Revised Blooms Taxonomy (RBT) terms for coding. Building on previous studies (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Armson et al., 2015) which showed higher RBT learning levels are supportive of behavior change because they reflect deep learning that relies on analyzing information, integrating new knowledge with prior knowledge, and interpreting and applying information. This research offers additional evidence that RBT can be used to indicate behavior change.

The coding of comments showed a progression from learning levels of remember and understand in the first couple of weeks, to more frequent alignment with learning levels of analyzing and evaluating by the last few weeks. This progression validates the assessment and course survey responses which indicated increased frequency of the targeted behavior and good ratings of helpful instructional elements. Because expansive framing begins with learning content and a shift in perspective about the material from personal to global, includes sharing evidence of engaging in the targeted behavior, and integrates discussion about what is learned from and with others, it sets norms of behavior and provides social feedback about it. Expansive framing centers on a learning community of practice and social interaction among learners. It enhances understanding and creates a supportive environment, which are important predictors of behaviors (Aboytes & Barth, 2019; Lankester, 2013; Saravanamuthu, 2015; Sims, 2012; Westoby & Lyons, 2017). By weaving together varied and related approaches to learning content, expansive framing addresses knowledge and identity, norms and social feedback, and learning in a community of practice. The results offer promise for using expansive framing as an effective sustainability instructional tool to foster behavior change.