2026/05/22 by Dániel Sziva, Iván Zsolt Berze, Jan Činčera +5 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Social Sciences · Psychology · #Environmental Education and Sustainability #Sustainability in Higher Education #Outdoor and Experiential Education
paper · doi:10.1080/13504622.2026.2671433
openalex publication_date 2026/05/22 · openalex created_date 2026/05/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
This cross-national study examines the relationship between secondary school students’ perceived experiences of education for sustainable development, their action competence, and pro-environmental behaviour in Hungary, Czechia, and Slovakia. Representative national samples (N = 6477) were analysed using saturated structural equation modelling to test direct and indirect pathways from education for sustainable development to pro-environmental behaviour through action competence. Perceived education for sustainable development quality was assessed through holism and pluralism, while action competence was measured across three subdimensions: knowledge of action possibilities, sense of ability to act pro-environmentally, and intention to act. Pro-environmental behaviour was operationalised via Rasch-scaled indices from ten self-reported items. Results show that intention to act was the strongest and most consistent predictor of pro-environmental behaviour across contexts. Both holism and pluralism exerted direct and indirect effects, with pluralism showing particularly strong indirect associations through action competence. Compared to findings reported in prior Western European studies, the overall effects of education for sustainable development on behaviour were smaller. The study underscores the mediating role of action competence in linking perceived education for sustainable development to students’ pro-environmental behaviour. Findings suggest the importance of context-sensitive adaptation and validation of education-for-sustainable-development measurement tools in Central European educational settings.