Fostering Green Behavior in Higher Education Institutions: An Empirical Prioritization using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1956/jge.v22i2.886Keywords:
Green behavior, AHP, education sector, leadership, institutional policyAbstract
Purpose: While educational institutions strive to provide the best of curricula to aspiring students it has also become equally important to inculcate and promote good value systems to them. Corporate social responsibility and Environmental awareness have always been an integral part of their syllabi however fostering green behavior among the young generation is only possible when the institution as a whole including their mentors exemplify such practices. As a first step towards this drive, this study aims to identify and prioritize the pertinent factors impacting green behavior among faculty and students in higher educational institutions using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework. The research seeks to provide an evidence-based approach for promoting sustainability-oriented culture and practices in academia.
Design/methodology/approach: The researchers constructed AHP framework using five main criteria—Leadership & Culture, Curriculum Integration, Individual Motivation, Institutional Policies, and Infrastructure & Resources. Expert judgments were collated to form a consistent pairwise comparison matrix. The AHP calculations included normalization, derivation of priority weights, and consistency ratio (CR) validation.
Findings: Results indicate that Leadership & Culture (0.28) and Curriculum Integration (0.24) are the most influential factors in fostering green behavior, followed by Individual Motivation (0.20), Institutional Policies (0.17), and Infrastructure & Resources (0.11). The aggregated matrix showed excellent consistency (CR = 0.0003), demonstrating reliability of expert evaluations.
Practical implications: The findings highlight the importance of leadership commitment and curriculum design in embedding environmental sustainability across institutional operations and pedagogy. Educational leaders can use the derived priorities to allocate resources, design interventions, and measure progress in cultivating green culture and behavior.
Originality/value: This study contributes a structured multi-criteria decision-making model for sustainability management in education, integrating organizational, behavioral,and infrastructural dimensions through AHP. It offers a replicable methodological framework for assessing green initiatives across academic settings.
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