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Title:
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UNDERSTANDING 'SUSTAINABILITY' AND ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS TO THE CONCEPT OF 'SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT' IN CHINA AND THE UK |
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Author(s):
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Austin Williams |
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ISBN:
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978-989-8533-46-3 |
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Editors:
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Piet Kommers, Tomayess Issa, Theodora Issa, Mário Dantas, Cristiano Costa and Pedro Isaías |
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Year:
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2015 |
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Edition:
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Single |
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Keywords:
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Sustainability, sustainable development, China, education, architecture, environment |
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Type:
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Full Paper |
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First Page:
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99 |
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Last Page:
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110 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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This paper is an investigation into the way(s) that words and phrases such as, "sustainability" and "the environment" are used within China and the UK. It is a comparative analysis of responses from 18-21 year old students of Architecture in both countries - carried out by questionnaire sampling of students from both regions - and provides an initial assessment of the extent and possible meaning of any key differences in understanding of these terms. Drawing on a comparison of student responses from one Chinese university and three academically comparable universities in the UK - including questionnaire responses from 115 students studying in UK and 321 students studying in China (436 respondents in total), I examine their understanding of sustainability that might facilitate the transference of these concepts more meaningfully. My findings indicate that there are clear disparities between students in China and UK reflecting a different understanding of expectations, settings and context. Brief: In 2010, Forrester Research estimated that the global sustainability consulting market was worth around $US2.7 billion rising to $US9.6 billion by 2015. (Lovett 2010) This is a major industry(Henderson 2015) and confusion over terms of reference could have significant impacts especially as the Harvard Business Review predicts that the rise of new world powers, notably China and India, (has) intensified competition add(ing) a geopolitical dimension to sustainability.(Lubin 2010). When we talk about sustainability in the west and China, are we speaking the same language? This is not an investigation into lingua franca versus Chinglish, but will try to identify some of the main disparities and similarities in meaning derived from a range of socio-political, educational and cultural differences. The end then, is to point to potential causes, but pending further investigation, it is also to let the results of the research enquiry speak for themselves. This paper seeks to initiate a critical framework for assessing the legitimacy of the meaning of sustainability within the context of UK and China. |
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