Is students’ energy literacy related to their university’s position in a sustainability ranking?

Abstract

University rankings are increasingly important internationally, and in the UK include a sustainability ‘Green League’. However, there is little evidence about experiences of studying in ‘sustainable universities’. We report an empirical study at five universities in varied positions in the Green League, exploring students’ energy literacy, environmental attitudes and perceptions of their institution’s energy-saving efforts. Although the link to energy literacy is not clear, findings suggest that there are significant differences between students’ environmental attitudes at universities placed at different points in the league. In addition, students at higher ranked universities are more positive about their university’s energy-saving efforts, suggesting that these institutions may exhibit more overt manifestations of sustainability. This is important since students report being more likely to choose energy-conservation behaviours if there is visible representation of energy use. The study is the first to attempt a comparison between universities at different positions in a sustainability ranking.     

Visual persistence and adult dyslexia

Visual persistence was investigated in adults with and without dyslexia in order to determine whether the adults with dyslexia demonstrate problems similar to those found in childhood dyslexia. Using a temporal separation threshold measure and procedures derived from signal detection theory, sensitivity to sequentially presented form information was determined for the two types of adults. The results showed that the sensitivity of the adults with dyslexia was impaired relative to that of the nondisabled adults when parts of a test stimulus were presented to adjacent retinal areas. This result suggests that, under certain conditions, visual persistence is longer for adults with dyslexia. The results are discussed within the context of a recent theory of dyslexia (Lovegrove, Martin & Slaghuis, 1986) that incorporates the operation of sustained and transient visual mechanisms.     

Children: Ethnic and Political Violence

Violence stemming from ethnic and political tensions is a problem of increasing proportions throughout the world, and many indicators show that large numbers of children are directly or indirectly exposed to war, political repression, torture, and terrorism. There is growing evidence to suggest that children are at risk under these conditions, and that the consequences of growing up amid danger, chaos, and deprivation can be severe. The articles contained in this special section were assembled to foster greater awareness of this important topic among the readers of Child Development and, hopefully, stimulate new research on ethnic and political violence in many of the disciplines that are represented within the Society for Research in Child Development.