Universities cannot be leaders in the drive for sustainable development and still expect to carry on business as usual. Disruption is inevitable and higher education institutions must take the initiative and lead the change in areas such as climate justice, fighting poverty and ensuring gender equality or whether to risk becoming mere followers of social change begun by others. Therefore, sustainable development practices must begin from the university and as tomorrow’s leader, university students should carry the load in making sustainable development possible.

The question is, what is the level of awareness on sustainable development among students at Universiti Sains Malaysia, specifically concerning the 17 SDGs?

If you are a researcher, how should you proceed determining the following, giving reasons?

a.The purpose of the study.

b.The extent of researcher interference.

c.The study setting.

d.The researcher’s strategy.

e.The time horizon for the study.

f.The unit of analysis.

Tina

Manasi

a. Purpose of the study: To find out the level of awareness of sustainable development among USM students, especially about SDGs

b. Extent of research interference: Minimal

c. The study setting: Non-contrived

d. Researcher's strategy: survey research

e. Time horizon: cross-sectional

(if they want to check if the students' understanding improves over time, then it can be longitudinal also)

f. Unit of analysis: group

b. Minimal - As this occurs in a natural environment, the interference of the researcher is kept minimal with the relationship between students from USM and their level of awareness of the 17 SDGs.

c. Non-contrived - Correlational studies are invariably conducted in non-contrived settings.

d. Interview

e. Cross-sectional

f. Group - the level of data collected by the students is according to grouping order

Nurul Ashekin

A. Description.

B. Minimal.

C. Non-contrived.

D. Survey research.

E. Cross-sectional studies.

F. Organization.

a.    The purpose of the study:

The study aims to assess students' awareness of the 17 SDGs and identify knowledge gaps related to sustainable development. The findings will help shape future education strategies and policies at the university.

b. The extent of researcher interference:

This is a descriptive study, so the researcher won't need to interfere much. The aim is to see how aware students are, not to change their behavior. Researchers will probably use surveys or questionnaires, letting students report their own awareness levels.

c. The study setting:

The study will take place at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Data will likely be collected around the campus, in places like lecture halls or common areas. It could also be done online through the university’s digital platforms.

d. The researcher’s strategy:

A survey would be a good way to gather data from many students quickly. The survey can have questions about the SDGs to see how much students know and understand. If more detail is needed, the researcher could also do interviews or focus groups after the survey.

e. The time horizon for the study:

Given that this is likely an exploratory study to measure current awareness, a cross-sectional time horizon is appropriate. This approach involves collecting data from the student population at a single point in time, providing a snapshot of their awareness levels without tracking changes over time. This method is efficient and effective for understanding the current state of awareness within the population.

f. The unit of analysis:

Individual. This study will focus on students at Universiti Sains Malaysia, looking at their awareness and understanding of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The results will help identify areas where more education is needed and guide future efforts to promote sustainability at the university.

Ayda, Emma & Iffah

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the level of awareness, knowledge, and engagement of USM students with the 17 SDGs.

b. Extent of researcher interference

Minimal. There will be no influence given by the researcher as it is assessing individual awareness.

c. The study setting

Non-contrived. This research will not be conducted in a controlled environment.

d. The researcher's strategy

Survey research. Since there will be thousands of USM students involved in the research, survey is the most practical approach to collect data.

e. The time horizon for the study

Cross-sectional studies. The data is for this research is only collected once.

f. The unit of analysis

Individual. Because we will be researching individual awareness and knowledge on SDG 17

Tharshini, Catherine Cheah Khar Yin, Sue May

Reason: Universities play a crucial role in the practice of sustainable development, so this is the purpose of the study to enable university students to take on the burden of sustainable development, act as leaders of sustainable development, and lay the foundation for the subsequent practice of sustainable development.

b.Level of researcher interference: to reduce the level of researcher interference, anonymous surveys or questionnaires should be utilised to enable students to answer the questions realistically and to ensure the objectivity and authenticity of the data.

Reason: The objective is to investigate the extent of students' awareness of sustainable development, so reducing the level of interference will enable students to express their true extent without being influenced by other factors.

c.Learning environment: You can study at USM in the form of group discussions, class surveys, and school questionnaires.

Reason: Because sustainable development must begin at the university, a real academic environment is more conducive to the authenticity of the survey.

d.The Time Horizon for the Study：This would be a cross-sectional study, meaning data would be collected at one point in time. However, you could also consider a longitudinal approach if you wish to track changes in awareness over time, especially if you’re interested in assessing the impact of interventions (e.g., SDG-related workshops or campaigns).

Reason: A cross-sectional study is typically more feasible for a topic like awareness levels among students at a single institution, and it allows you to get a snapshot of the current situation. Longitudinal studies would require more time and resources but could provide insights into changes in awareness over the course of a semester or year.

e. The Time Horizon for the Study

This would be a cross-sectional study, meaning data would be collected at one point in time. However, you could also consider a longitudinal approach if you wish to track changes in awareness over time, especially if you’re interested in assessing the impact of interventions (e.g., SDG-related workshops or campaigns).

Reason: A cross-sectional study is typically more feasible for a topic like awareness levels among students at a single institution, and it allows you to get a snapshot of the current situation. Longitudinal studies would require more time and resources but could provide insights into changes in awareness over the course of a semester or year.

f. The Unit of Analysis

The unit of analysis would be individual students at USM. Each student’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to sustainable development and the SDGs would serve as the primary data points for the study.

Reason: The focus is on individual student awareness, which directly informs the research question. Understanding how each student perceives the SDGs will provide meaningful data for analyzing overall awareness levels across the student body.

A.purpose of this reserach is for understanding the level of USM student among the 17 SDGS and understand knowledge, and attitudes toward sustainable development.

B.Minimal Interference: In this reserach should aim to have limit interference in the number and make sure the data is objective like the survey we should make sure all the attender come form usm and in the different age

C.The Study setting

Setting:I think this research better to take place in the natural environment of students,which is likely to be within usm.It can incloud different place such as lounges libraries classrooms and any areas where students live

Reasoning:Conducting the study within the university setting ensures the sample is representative of the target population—students at USM. The researcher should choose settings where students feel comfortable and are more likely to provide the true answers

D.The Researcher’s Strategy

Strategy: I think a descriptive cross-sectional survey design would be suitable for this study. This strategy involves collecting data from students at a single point in time using standardized questionnaires or interviews to assess their knowledge and awareness of the 17 SDGs.

Reasoning: A survey is efficient for gathering data from a large group of students quickly. Since the research aims to understand the current level of awareness, a cross-sectional approach is appropriate, as it provides a snapshot of the awareness at a specific point in time.

E.The Time Horizon for the Study

Time Horizon: The study should have a cross-sectional time horizon,Collect data at a certain time, set a specific date.

Reason: A cross-sectional approach provides a snapshot of students’ awareness levels at a specific moment in time. This is suitable for determining the current state of awareness of the SDGs without the need for long-term observation. Make the results of the investigation more accurate and the investigation efficiency is also very high.

F.The Unit of Analysis：

Divide the students into several groups for research

Reason: It's more accurate that way.Be able to compare

To assess the current level of awareness and understanding of the 17 SDGs among USM students.

The extent of researh inteference:

Natural Environment as we want to understand any existing knowledge gaps, misconceptions.

The study setting:

Controlled environment, ensure that the participants come from diverse faculties in USM.

The researcher's strategies:

A mixed-methods of quantitative and qualitative approach will be used. First, conducting quantitative research first (survey) to gather generalizable data and identify the focus group. Subsequently, qualitative research (interviews) will be conducted to delve deeper into the findings and explore specific themes in more detail.

The time horizon:

Approximately three months, sufficient time for survey development, distribution, and data analysis, as well as for conducting in-depth interviews.

Unit of Analysis:

The unit of analysis for the quantitative component will be the individual student. Data will be collected from a representative sample of students across various faculties and programs. For the qualitative component, the unit of analysis will be the individual student interview.