Education for Sustainable Development in Pacific Higher Education: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study of Lecturer’s Readiness in Vanuatu

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become a strategic priority for higher education institutions seeking to equip graduates with the knowledge, skills, and values required to address increasingly complex environmental, social, and economic challenges. In Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Vanuatu, where communities are highly vulnerable to climate change and natural hazards, higher education plays a critical role in developing national resilience and supporting sustainable development. Despite growing policy commitments to sustainability, little empirical evidence exists regarding the readiness of higher education lecturers to integrate ESD into their teaching. This study was conducted to investigate lecturers' readiness to integrate Education for Sustainable Development into higher education in Vanuatu. The study adopted an exploratory mixed-methods design using a structured questionnaire comprising Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Invitations were sent to lecturers across three higher education institutions; responses were received from the National University of Vanuatu (NUV), the Vanuatu Agriculture College (VAC), and the University of the South Pacific (USP) - Vanuatu Campus. The final sample comprised seventeen lecturers. The data were analysed quantitative data using descriptive statistics and Cronbach's alpha for reliability, while the study examined qualitative responses through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that lecturers generally recognise the importance of ESD and demonstrate positive attitudes towards embedding sustainability within higher education curricula. Participants acknowledged the relevance of sustainability across disciplines and expressed willingness to incorporate ESD principles into their teaching. However, the study found that readiness was constrained by several interrelated challenges, including limited professional development opportunities, insufficient teaching resources, curriculum rigidity, competing academic priorities, and inconsistent institutional support. Respondents also highlighted the importance of integrating indigenous knowledge (kastom), community engagement, and locally relevant sustainability issues into curriculum design, reflecting the unique environmental and cultural context of Vanuatu. The study concludes that strengthening lecturer readiness requires coordinated institutional leadership, continuous professional learning, curriculum reform, and enhanced investment in sustainability education. By providing one of the first empirical investigations of lecturer readiness for ESD in Vanuatu's higher education sector, this research contributes context-specific evidence to the growing body of literature on sustainability education in Small Island Developing States and offers practical recommendations for higher education institutions seeking to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.