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Open research questions in Sustainability in Higher Education

561 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 5,316 Sustainability in Higher Education papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Future studies are encouraged to undertake empirical investigations assessing the impact of sustainable financing on indicators of academic quality, equity, innovation, and institutional performance across diverse national and international contexts. Additionally, the incorporation of mixed-methods approaches and comparative analyses between public and private universities would generate robust evidence to support the design of public policies and sustainable financial management models.

    Sustainable financing of higher education to strengthen quality, equity, and institutional innovation · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies should expand the scope to other universities, - Future studies may supplement the survey with qualitative methods such as project-based learning to explore the effectiveness of the wedge-based approach to SDG awareness

    SDGs as a net or wedge for climate action? An international study of students’ climate consciousness and awareness of SDGs · 2026 · DOI

  • There are persistent gaps between awareness and concrete outcomes regarding the SDGs. Sustained participation in broader sustainability initiatives is often limited among young people. The disconnect between motivation and implementation reveals an overlooked tension at the center of climate change education.

    SDGs as a net or wedge for climate action? An international study of students’ climate consciousness and awareness of SDGs · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of how universities respond to institutional pressures for carbon management. The study identifies a gap in the application of neo-institutional theory and Oliver's strategic responses framework to the context of university carbon management.

    Strategic responses to institutional pressures in university carbon management: a neo-institutional perspective · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could focus on an analysis of review process types to consider which might be the most appropriate for successful implementation of ESD. Future research could address this limitation by conducting comparative studies across multiple institutions with diverse IQA approaches to provide a broader perspective.

    Internal quality assurance review as an opportunity to further embed ESD in higher education: successes and challenges · 2026 · DOI

  • Prior studies have identified attributes that facilitate IEM, but there has been inadequate attention to developing a thorough structure. The lack of intrinsic motivation for environmental stewardship leads to reactive compliance-oriented approaches that are ineffective in stimulating substantial technological and organizational progress.

    Identifying innovation in environmental management within higher education institutions: an artificial intelligence text mining-driven model · 2026 · DOI

  • Total performance 4.59846 9.13049 8.77543 19.39301 15.92690 206.39230 3.57242 3.76775 4.13833 26.40705 25.92231 258.76265 0.48985 0.67229 3.76245 32.43770 37.67306 331.23789 P1 Technology perspective P2 Organization perspective P3 Environment perspective Figure 1. IEM within higher education institutions g n i h c r a e S

    Identifying innovation in environmental management within higher education institutions: an artificial intelligence text mining-driven model · 2026 · DOI

  • The practical implementation of sustainability mindset development theories/concepts remains vague. There is a need for a comprehensive approach to develop sustainability mindsets in higher education institutions.

    Learning for life and sustainability: a theory synthesis to sustainability mindset development in higher education institutions · 2026 · DOI

  • The risk of social desirability associated with the CAWI method can make it challenging to analyse the outcomes, - The study only reflects students' self-assessed competence gaps and fragmented knowledge, - The study does not provide direct evidence of employers' expectations or verified curricular deficiencies across institutions

    Sustainable Finance in Higher Education: A Cross-Country Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research is needed to address the research objectives and answer the formulated research questions, - The study suggests that future research should focus on advancing sustainable finance education, - The paper recommends that future research should investigate the impact of integrating ESG topics into curricula on students' understanding of sustainable finance

    Sustainable Finance in Higher Education: A Cross-Country Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Incorporating digital carbon footprint indicators into discussions of higher education governance and accreditation - Considering both structural and contextual dimensions when assessing digital sustainability

    Digital Eco-Efficiency in Latin American Higher Education Websites: A Comparative Analysis of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the assessment of digital sustainability in the higher education sector. It highlights the need to consider both structural and contextual dimensions when assessing digital sustainability. The study notes that prior work has not adequately addressed the environmental impact of digital operations in university websites.

    Digital Eco-Efficiency in Latin American Higher Education Websites: A Comparative Analysis of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faced challenges in gathering data on transportation profiles of university community members. The study had to use proxy data for certain modes of transportation due to lack of available data.

    The Potential Environmental Impact of Academic Mobility—A Case Study on Life Cycle Assessment in the Context of a University · 2026 · DOI

  • Lack of inventory data for hybrid cars in the Ecoinvent 3.11 database, - Use of data from the literature for hybrid passenger cars, - Overestimation of environmental impact due to use of data for large vehicles, - Exclusion of postgraduate and PhD students from the analysis, - Simplification of the analysis by assuming average transportation profiles, - Lack of detailed information on non-private cars

    The Potential Environmental Impact of Academic Mobility—A Case Study on Life Cycle Assessment in the Context of a University · 2026 · DOI

  • Inflexible curricula and inadequate institutional support persist as challenges to implementing social sustainability in ESD. The study identified barriers to implementation, including structural and systemic obstacles faced by educators and policymakers. The study noted the lack of pedagogical training of educators as a significant challenge.

    Embedding Social Sustainability in Education: A Thematic Review of Practices and Trends Across Educational Pathways from a Global Perspective · 2025 · DOI

  • The social dimension of sustainability remains under-explored in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). There is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the role of social sustainability in education. The existing literature on social sustainability in ESD is limited and fragmented.

    Embedding Social Sustainability in Education: A Thematic Review of Practices and Trends Across Educational Pathways from a Global Perspective · 2025 · DOI

  • The study faced challenges in terms of geographic, gender, and age-related variations in skill perceptions. Teachers reported challenges in implementing open schooling, including scheduling constraints, pressures of the curriculum, and weak relationships between the curriculum and real-life issues. The study highlights the need for more inclusive educational support, particularly for nonbinary students.

    Fostering Transversal Skills through Open Schooling with the CARE-KNOW-DO Framework for Sustainable Education · 2024 · DOI

  • Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of the CARE-KNOW-DO framework in different contexts, - Studies should investigate the impact of open schooling on students' long-term outcomes, - Research should focus on developing more inclusive educational support for nonbinary students

    Fostering Transversal Skills through Open Schooling with the CARE-KNOW-DO Framework for Sustainable Education · 2024 · DOI

  • Yet, limited research has examined the qualifications employers seek for sustainability and environmentally related jobs in global contexts, defined as work with international stakeholders in global governance, on planetary issues, work abroad, and/or directly involving or affected by global contexts.

    Preparing a globally aware sustainability and environmental workforce: Aligning higher education curricula with employer needs · 2026 · DOI

  • Existing research, however, has focused mainly on institutional narratives, disclosure practices or digital resources themselves, leaving underexplored how specialist knowledge, including material and sonic knowledge, becomes intelligible, credible and usable in educational and public settings.

    Education, Knowledge Communication and Sustainable Governance: An Analytical Framework for University Narratives and Digital Knowledge Infrastructures · 2026 · DOI

  • This study bridges critical research gaps by elucidating the nuanced moderating role of institutional support systems—an underexplored factor—and addressing the methodological limitations associated with a reliance on self-reported data, thereby significantly advancing the understanding of their influence on student engagement and sustainable education within diverse academic and cultural contexts.

    Enhancing Student Engagement and Motivation for Sustainable Education: The Role of Internship and Institutional Support · 2025 · DOI

  • Overall, our study contributes to the underexplored area of sustainability evaluation tools in HE and establishes an evidence-based foundation for more integrated, experiential, and practice-oriented ESD that prepares students to address complex urban issues.

    Bridging the gap between theory and practice in sustainable urban planning education through active learning with SDGs project assessment tool · 2025 · DOI

  • However, there is insufficient attention to this in educational programs; more often it is implemented through disparate initiatives.

    Sustainable development awareness and integration in higher education: a comparative analysis of universities in Central Asia, South Caucasus and the EU · 2024 · DOI

  • The results show that students generally have limited knowledge about the global sustainable development goals, while teachers have a higher level of awareness.

    Sustainable development awareness and integration in higher education: a comparative analysis of universities in Central Asia, South Caucasus and the EU · 2024 · DOI

  • The results show that students generally have limited knowledge about the global sustainable development goals, while teachers have a higher level of awareness.

    Education for sustainable development: comparative analysis and prospects at universities in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan · 2024 · DOI

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561 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 5,316 Sustainability in Higher Education papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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