Effects of ecological education intervention on adolescents' sustainability literacy and environmental responsibility: A quasi-experimental study

Limited empirical evidence exists regarding the intervention effects of environmental education on adolescents despite the growing focus on sustainable development education in the global policy space. This study used publicly available data from the PISA 2018 database to analyze 2,847 students’ (51.7% female; mean age = 15.4 years) responses from 42 schools in China to investigate the effects of comprehensive ecological education programmes on adolescents’ sustainability literacy and environmental responsibility. Schools were grouped as intervention (n = 1,456) or control (n = 1,391) based on program implementation. To estimate the effects of the intervention, multiple regression and propensity score matching were used, with gender being investigated as a potential effect modifier. Students in ecological education programs demonstrated significantly higher levels of sustainability literacy (β = .19, p < .001, d = 0.47) and environmental responsibility (β = .16, p < .001, d = 0.38) than controls. The largest effects were observed for environmental knowledge (d = 0.52) and personal environmental responsibility (d = 0.42). Gender had a significant moderating effect on these outcomes. Female students showed stronger gains in sustainability literacy (d = 0.56 vs. 0.35) and environmental responsibility (d = 0.50 vs. 0.29). The findings indicate that comprehensive ecological education programs are positively associated with adolescents' sustainability competencies. Results were consistent in multilevel modelling, propensity score matching, and subgroup analyses. Educational policies focusing on ecology education at secondary level and gender differences in intervention responses need to adopt diverse pedagogical strategies.