EVALUATION OF AWARENESS OF STUDENTS IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME ON SUSTAINABILITY IN NIGER STATE

ABSTRACT

Sustainability  is a broad and complex concept, which is one of the major issues  confronting construction in the 21st  century. Sustainable principles, when applied, lead to the creation of systems that balance social, economic and natural resource requirements of the present and future generation. One of the major hindrances to the development and implementation of sustainability strategies in the construction sector is poor awareness level. Therefore, institutions of  higher  education  are  essential  stakeholders  in  fostering  understanding  and  forging  a  way forward in achieving a sustainable future. Thus, this study seeks to investigate the sustainability awareness and understanding of final year students in construction field at the Universities and Polytechnics located in Niger State, Nigeria. The quantitative technique was employed for this study and questionnaire survey instrument was used for data gathering. A total of two hundred and fifty (250) questionnaires were distributed to respondents from Building   Technology, Architecture, Quantity surveying, and a total of one hundred and ninety nine (199) representing 80% were received and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The findings of this study identified twenty sustainability principles applicable to construction project, nine of these principles should be given more attention in construction projects and suggest a higher level of awareness of sustainability principles among students in University than among Polytechnic students.  Similarly,  the  general  acceptance  on  desire  to  apply  and  integrate  sustainability principles is significantly higher for both 500 level and HND II. However, the findings suggests the inclusion of environment impact assessment, design and sustainable development, the use of the campus as laboratory, and student to attend a conference into curriculum as sustainability courses and modalities for inculcating sustainability idea in students. Regulatory body of higher institutions of learning and practice  should ensure that sustainability and its dimensions for competence growth must be included in the curriculum.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the study

After the signing of the Rio Declaration on environment in 1992 during the Earth Summit, the idea of sustainability received a lot of attention.  Sustainability is a broad and complex term that has become one of the most pressing concerns of the construction industry. Sustainability is a condition in which the elements and functions of the ecosystem are preserved for the present future generations (ISO 15392; 2008). Sustainability, according to Oscar et al. (2009), means improving people’s quality of life by allowing them to live in a healthy society with better social, economic, and environmental conditions. The term “sustainability” has been widely discussed as a concept that incorporates all aspects of the economic,  environmental,  and  social  worlds.  “Development  that  meets  current  needs without jeopardizing future generations’ ability to meet their own needs” is how the Brundtland Commission described sustainable development (UNGA).

A sustainable project is one that is designed, built, restored, managed, or reused in a way that is environmentally friendly and resource efficient (Oscar et al., 2009). It can, according to the author, achieve a number of specific goals, including resource and energy conservation, reduction of CO2 and GHG emissions, pollution control, noise prevention, good indoor air quality, and environmental friendliness (Fung et al., 2005). Sustainability is a key concept in development thinking, and the construction industry is at the forefront of making it a reality. The construction industry contributes to environmental destruction in a variety of ways; as a result, the concept of sustainability has been integrated into the

industry in a number of ways. However, simply incorporating the idea of sustainability into the construction industry is insufficient; industry stakeholders must comprehend and bring the concept into practice. One of the most important impediments to the implementation of sustainable building strategies is a lack of awareness. Higher education institutions play a critical role in disseminating information and developing strategies to raise sustainability awareness (Abubakar et al., 2016; Ferrer-Balas, 2008). It is important to revisit the technology education curriculum on a regular basis in order to enhance students’ comprehension and incorporate sustainability (Muhammad et al., 2019). According to the author, if sustainability concepts are not included in the offered curriculum, students’ perceived   competence   could   suffer.   It   may   also   contribute   to   inefficient   energy management, heat pollution, and carbon emissions (Boca and Sarach, 2019). Literatures on sustainability in the construction industry related to Nigeria are minimal (Mayere, 2016). As a result, this research aims to fill a gap in the literature about sustainability courses and modalities that would improve the teaching of sustainability values in higher education institutions. The aim of this study is to look at students’ sustainability knowledge and understanding of sustainability in the built environment, as well as sustainability courses and modalities that could be included in the curriculum for teaching sustainability in higher education. The results of this study are extremely important to the current body of knowledge in the field.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Ecosystems are being severely impacted by the continued growth of industrialisation and urbanisation. People’s health, economic, and social well-being are jeopardized when natural

systems are affected, because we rely on the services they provide. Concerns regarding environmental protection and the preservation of biosphere functions have set the stage for deciding how sustainable development can grow. Since the building industry leads to the degradation of the environment in so many respects, the principle of sustainability was introduced into the industry to help minimize depletion. However, simply incorporating sustainability techniques into building is insufficient; practitioners and field staff must understand and put the strategies into effect. Sustainability is now a focus in development thought and the construction industry is leading the charge to make it a reality. One of the major barriers to applying and incorporating sustainability methods in construction is a lack of awareness. A study conducted on students from a university in the south eastern part of Texas in the United States reveal that only a minority of the students knew what sustainability was, but  more than half of the students surveyed indicated that there were no courses or programs that focused solely on sustainability issues (Isreal, 2018).   Higher education institutions play an important role in teaching sustainability and paving the way for a more sustainable future (Ferrer-Balas, 2008; Abubakar et al.2016).   Literatures on sustainability in the construction industry related to Nigeria are minimal (Mayere, 2016). This led the researcher to focus his research on students in the built environment who will be responsible for applying sustainable development concepts to construction projects after they graduate. Based on the researcher’s initial analysis of relevant literature, it appears that none of the previous studies on sustainability have concentrated on the inclusion of unique sustainability courses and modalities to instil the principle of sustainability in students at Nigerian higher education  institutions. As a result, this study aims to close the current gap

by concentrating on final-year students in university and polytechnic built environment programs.

1.3       Justification for the study

Individuals are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to contribute to sustainable development in order to build a more sustainable environment. Education for Sustainable Development is described as education that enables every human being to gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values required to form a sustainable future. Without education, people would not be able to develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and values to create a healthy society. As a result, education for sustainable development has been identified as a critical tool in raising public awareness and understanding of the issue, and has been emphasized as an effective tool in growing public awareness and understanding of the issue. Higher education institutions will help students become more aware of environmental problems and work for a more sustainable future (Abubakar et al., 2016; Ferrer-Balas, 2008). Students’ awareness of sustainability will allow them to consider and contribute to sustainability in the long run. Higher education institutions must integrate sustainability values into their teaching curriculum in order to increase student awareness of sustainability (Stough et al., 2018).

This argument supports Tasneem et al. (2020), who argue that one of the measures educational institutes should take to improve sustainability literacy is to make sustainability courses  mandatory.  As  the  word  “sustainability”  becomes  more  commonly  used  in business, young graduates’ sustainable mindsets must be nurtured (Perez-Foguet et al.,

2018). Although attempts have been made to stress the value of sustainability education

(Tejedor et al., 2018), little attention has been paid to investigating the inclusion of sustainability in technology education curriculum for the purpose of enhancing students’ competence (Stough et al., 2018). There is an urgent need in the construction industry to address such core long-term competencies among students. As a result, research into sustainability courses and modalities for inclusion in the curriculum of construction-related programs at Universities and Polytechnics is required. This study would examine students’ sustainability awareness in construction-related programs, as well as propose sustainability courses and modalities for teaching sustainability in higher education. The study’s findings are extremely important to the existing body of knowledge in the field of study. The findings of the study add to the body of knowledge in the field.

1.4 Aim and Objectives

The aim of this research is to assess the awareness of students in built environment programme on sustainability in Niger State with a view to suggesting sustainability courses and modalities for teaching sustainability in curriculum.

The objectives set towards achieving this aim are to:

i.      identify and ascertain the sustainability principles in construction industry. ii.      determine extent of agreement on awareness and understanding of

sustainability principles in construction among students studying in built environment across educational level.

iii.      determine extent of agreement on applicability and desire to integrating sustainability principles to construction projects among students studying in built environment across educational level.

iv.      suggest sustainability courses and modalities needed for promoting sustainability awareness and understanding of stakeholders in construction industry.

1.5       Research Questions

To clearly give direction to this study and achieve its objectives, the following research questions were formulated:

i.      What are the sustainability principles in construction projects?

ii.      To  what  extent  do  students  agree  on  awareness  and  understanding  of sustainability principles?

iii.      To  what  extent  do  students  agree  to  apply  and  integrate  sustainability principles in construction projects?

iv.      What   are   the   sustainability   courses   and   strategies   for   integrating sustainability into the curriculum?

1.6       Scope of the Study

This investigation was conducted to assess awareness of student’s of built environment programme on sustainability and specific courses and modalities needed to inculcate in students the idea of sustainability in the curriculum of higher institution of learning   in Nigeria as perceived by final year students studying Architecture, Quantity Surveying and Building   Technology   in   Federal   University   of   Technology,   Minna,   and   Federal Polytechnic, Bida in Niger State during the  2019-2020 academic year, the aspect looked into covered the sustainability principles in construction industry, awareness and understanding of sustainability principles in construction among students, applicability and

desire to integrating sustainability principles to construction projects among students, sustainability courses and modalities needed for promoting sustainability awareness and understanding of stakeholders in construction industry.

1.7       Limitation to Study

Limitation of the study includes the weaknesses of the study beyond the control of the researcher. The potential drawbacks to this survey research include inflexibility to change phrasing on a particular question seem to be confusing a member of respondents as responses start coming in. At this stage it is too late to change the question for the respondents who have not yet returned their survey. The weakness also spring out of the in accuracies of the perceptions of the respondents, not all of them could be correct in their assessment. Some could have in accurate if not entirely wrong perceptions. The survey was based on sample size of 280 students in a University and Polytechnic in Niger State, Nigeria. The analysis of sustainability courses and modalities in curriculum of built environment was limited to materials available to the researcher.

Any limitations must be taken into account. To begin with, this research approach had its own set of limitations. In this study, a quantitative survey was carried out. This study’s results might not be as detailed as they should be. Second, a systematic survey of 199 students was conducted on a particular University and Polytechnic in Niger state, Nigeria. The sample size, on the other hand, was a limitation that can be resolved in a future study. Third, the study of education courses and their content is based on what is accessible to readers, which restricts the generalisability of the results. As a consequence, the findings of this study may not be applicable to all Nigerian educational institutions. Future research should try to reproduce these findings in other states and expand the sample size.

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