Evaluating the Role of Higher Education Institutions in Fostering Environmental Awareness, Behaviour and Sustainable Development

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study provides a critical evaluation of the role of Libyan Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as catalysts for environmental awareness and sustainable development. Employing a robust dual theoretical framework grounded in neo‐institutional and environmental education theories, it presents a large‐scale empirical analysis based on a cross‐sectional survey of 913 faculty, administrative staff, and managers across 30 colleges in 13 universities. The research quantitatively assesses the integration of sustainability into curricula (CI1) and campus infrastructure/partnerships (CI2), environmental knowledge (KB1), pro‐environmental behaviour (KB2), and perceived institutional challenges (EC). Results demonstrate that sustainability is only intermittently and inconsistently embedded in curricula, while infrastructural support is consistently modest across all faculties. A significant and persistent knowledge–behaviour gap is identified, revealing that moderate environmental knowledge fails to translate into tangible pro‐environmental actions. Crucially, institutional capacity (a composite of CI1 and CI2) is strongly and positively correlated with sustainability outcomes (KB1 and KB2) ( r = 0.749, p < 0.001). While minor disciplinary variations exist, a pivotal finding is that perceived environmental challenges act as a significant positive moderator. The effect of infrastructure on behaviour is substantially stronger in high‐constraint contexts, indicating that dependable and visible operational supports serve as critical behavioural enablers under scarcity. The study concludes that bridging the identified gap in Libyan HEIs requires a synergistic and system‐wide strategy that aligns coherent curriculum design with reliable infrastructure and supportive governance to effectively institutionalize sustainable norms and practices.