Integration of the SDGs in Higher Education to increase University Students’ Motivation and Critical Thinking.

Abstract

In recent years, experts in the field have widely researched the importance of including the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the field of higher education. This research focuses on the role played by the SDGs in the education of students of the Degree in Primary Education, specifically in the English as a Foreign Language specialty at the University of Alicante, taking into consideration their levels of motivation around this topic and how it favors the development of their critical thinking. The present study followed a mixed methods approach to data collection and analysis, using Likert scales and open-ended questionnaires with pre-tests and post-tests. In conclusion, we can state that there is a clear relationship between the selection of innovative teaching methods and the increase of motivation and involvement of students in their learning process. This study demonstrates how the SDG theme has led to an increase in student motivation, as well as the development of key competencies and skills such as citizenship, critical thinking and social awareness. The results obtained in this research are very significant since these students will face in their future work the reality of Primary Education classrooms, where they will have to put into practice some teaching-learning strategies to support meaningful learning and foster awareness of the world around them.