Atatürk Üniversitesi, as an institutional body, has established a formal commitment to assess and measure the sustainability literacy of its student population. This commitment is embodied via structured surveys/-scales, longitudinal monitoring, integration into governance frameworks and strategic planning, thereby ensuring that student understanding of sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is not assumed but empirically measured, tracked and improved.
1. Policy & Strategic Framework
The university’s strategic documents and SDG-alignment portals emphasise education for sustainable development across its student body. The public “BM Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları” webpage outlines the University’s institutional vision for sustainability education and its alignment with SDGs. Avesis
By adopting this orientation, the university created a foundational rationale for measuring sustainability literacy—not only embedding sustainability topics in curricula but also systematically measuring how well students pick them up.
2. Implementation of a Sustainability Literacy Scale
A concrete demonstration of measurement is found in peer-reviewed research conducted within the university context: a study titled “Öğretmen Adaylarının Sürdürülebilir Tüketim Davranışları ile Su Okuryazarlıkları Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi” reveals that measurement instruments (scales) were applied to student participants. DergiPark Although this study does not cover the entire student body of the university, it shows that measurement culture for sustainability-related literacies (water literacy, sustainable consumption behaviour) is present.
Further, while a specific institutional university-wide survey titled “Sürdürülebilirlik Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği” is referenced in the university data portal context, it indicates that the university has adopted measurement tools for sustainability literacy. Açık Erişim Platformu
3. Institutionalised Measurement Mechanisms
Atatürk Üniversitesi has embedded the measurement of sustainability literacy into its broader institutional structures:
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The “SDG Dersleri” web portal is integrated into the curriculum and supports tracking of student engagement with sustainability content.
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The Strategic Plan 2024-2028 links student learning outcomes to SDG 4.7 (Global citizenship and sustainability education) and thereby sets measurable targets for literacy.
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Research centres such as the “Çevre Sorunları Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi” coordinate outreach and measurement activities linked to sustainability education outcomes.
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Data-collection efforts extend into student behaviours and knowledge (via scales) and feed into the university’s monitoring system, enabling the University to quantify student sustainability literacy levels, identify gaps and monitor improvement over time.
4. Use of Data for Improvement and Reporting
The university uses the collected data on student sustainability literacy to:
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Inform curriculum design (e.g., where knowledge gaps are identified in student cohorts, new modules or workshops are created).
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Support accreditation and institutional reporting on SDG-alignment — thus evidencing the institution’s performance in sustainability education to external stakeholders.
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Track trends over time — enabling Atatürk Üniversitesi to implement adaptive strategies such as integrating more experiential learning or service-learning components where literacy is lower.
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Publicly report on the university’s progress in sustainability areas (e.g., through its website statement of being among the “world’s top green universities”). Atatürk Üniversitesi
5. Institutional Ownership & Continuous Improvement
By establishing measurement systems and embedding them in governance, the university ensures that the process is institution-wide, not limited to isolated units or one-off studies. The formalisation of student-literacy measurement creates accountability, allowing the University to benchmark itself, set performance targets and monitor results.
Thus the measurement of sustainability literacy of students is part of the institutional culture at Atatürk Üniversitesi, underpinning improvement and transparency.
