From Environmental Knowledge to Action: How Social Studies Education Develops Students’ Pro-Environmental Behavior—A Systematic Review

M. Irfan Islamy; Dadang Sundawa; Munawar Rahmat; Erlina Wiyanarti

doi:10.58577/dimar.v7i2.1059

Authors

M. Irfan Islamy Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Dadang Sundawa Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Munawar Rahmat Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Erlina Wiyanarti Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58577/dimar.v7i2.1059

Keywords:

Environmental Knowledge, Environmental Action, Pro-environmental Behavior, Social Studies Education, Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The persistence of the knowledge–action gap is a central challenge in environmental education: students may understand environmental problems yet fail to translate that knowledge into consistent pro-environmental action. This systematic review analyzes how Social Studies Education contributes to transforming environmental knowledge into pro-environmental behavior. Following PRISMA, studies were searched in Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ERIC, and Google Scholar and screened using criteria that prioritized empirical, full-text, peer-reviewed studies published from 2022 to August 2026 and relevant to environmental knowledge, awareness, attitudes, behavioral intention, or pro-environmental behavior. Twenty-one primary studies were included in the final synthesis. The findings show that environmental knowledge is a necessary cognitive foundation, but it does not linearly or automatically produce action. The knowledge-to-action transformation is multidimensional, involving environmental awareness, attitudes, values, behavioral intention, self-efficacy, personal responsibility, social norms, institutional support, and opportunities for direct practice. Problem-, project-, place-, experiential-, inquiry-, and community-based learning approaches can strengthen this transition by connecting environmental issues with students’ social contexts, decision making, participation, and authentic action. Social Studies Education is strategically positioned to integrate cognitive, affective, social, pedagogical, and contextual dimensions. These findings indicate that effective environmental learning should be designed not merely to increase knowledge, but to cultivate agency, responsibility, and sustained opportunities for pro-environmental action.

References

Alharbi, Hani S, Basil H Alotaibi, and Sanad S Alotaibi Alotaibi. “From Knowledge to Action: Investigating Sustainability Awareness, Behavior, and Attitude Among Engineering Students at Shaqra University.” Sustainability 17, no. 13 (2025): 5854. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135854.

Alharthi, Sager. “Harnessing Knowledge: The Robust Role of Knowledge Management Practices and Business Intelligence Systems in Developing Entrepreneurial Leadership and Organizational Sustainability in SMEs.” Sustainability 17, no. 14 (2025): 6264. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146264.

Bamidele, Bolaji, and Kristin A Searle. “Critical Student Agency in an Integrated Social Studies Unit.” Education Sciences 16, no. 2 (2026): 227. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16020227.

Borrego-Balsalobre, Francisco José, Arturo Díaz-Suárez, and Frano Giakoni-Ramírez. “Beyond the Classroom: Analyzing the Gap Between Knowledge and Action in Sustainability Within Higher Education Sport Sciences Curricula.” Trends in Higher Education 5, no. 3 (2026): 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/higheredu5030061.

Burgos-Espinoza, Ingrid Iovana, Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz, Alfonso Jesús Gil-López, and José Roberto Díaz-Reza. “Effect of Environmental Knowledge on Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors: A Comparative Analysis between Engineering Students and Professionals in Ciudad Juárez (Mexico).” Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences 15, no. 4 (2025): 861–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-024-00991-5.

Cao, Xinying, Luping Qin, Bei Li, and Peicheng Qin. “Research on Influencing Factors of Knowledge Transfer among Prefabricated Construction Workers.” Buildings 14, no. 5 (2024): 1410. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14051410.

Chomać-Pierzecka, Ewa, Magdalena Kowalska, Maciej Ślusarczyk, and Stefan Dyrka. “Analysis and Assessment of the Role of Green Education in Shaping Responsible Attitudes of the Potential of Human Resources.” Sustainability 18, no. 7 (2026): 3165. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18073165.

Gal, Adiv. “Children’s Environmental Communicative Agency for Sustainability: A Structural Equation Model Bridging the Knowledge–Action Gap.” Sustainability 18, no. 12 (2026): 5814. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18125814.

Gazeloğlu, Cengiz. “Impact of Climate Change Awareness and Perception on Pro-Environmental Behaviour in Türkiye: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach.” Sustainability 18, no. 3 (2026): 1175. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031175.

Hasanein, Ahmed Mohamed, and Bassam Samir Al-Romeedy. “Turning Knowledge into Innovation: The Systemic Role of Knowledge Management Capability, Intellectual Capital, and Knowledge Utilization.” Systems 14, no. 2 (2026): 179. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14020179.

Hennen, Leonhard, Jürgen Kopfmüller, Maria Maia, Linda Nierling, and Constanze Scherz. “Ways towards Transformation—Conceptual Approaches and Challenges.” Sustainability 15, no. 20 (2023): 14867. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014867.

Jiang, Menglei, Yong Liu, Bo Xia, and Shiwang Yu. “The Role of Environmental Knowledge and Perceived Ecological Benefits in Shaping Farmers’ Pro-Environmental Behaviour Towards Rural Solid Waste.” Sustainability 17, no. 12 (2025): 5258. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125258.

Jotaworn, Surasak, Wanjai Lamprom, and Issara Siramaneerat. “Innovative Teaching for Enhancing Pro-Environmental Behavior Among First-Year University Students: Evidence from a Solomon Four-Group Experimental Design.” Social Sciences 15, no. 3 (2026): 162. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15030162.

Kochanek, Anna, Tomasz Zacłona, and Mariusz Cembruch-Nowakowski. “Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Energy Saving and Transportation.” Energies 18, no. 23 (2025): 6137. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18236137.

López-García, Laura, Felisa Latorre, María Luisa Vecina, and Cintia Díaz-Silveira. “What Drives Pro-Environmental Behavior? Investigating the Role of Eco-Worry and Eco-Anxiety in Young Adults.” Sustainability 17, no. 10 (2025): 4543. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104543.

Muna, Nilna, I Kadek Rio Yasanta, and Vithyacharan Retnasamy. “Pathways to Green Purchase: Pro-Environmental Behavior and Concern in Bali Tourism.” Tourism and Hospitality 6, no. 4 (2025): 208. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040208.

Mylanadia, Hithna Rohadatul Aisyi, and Dewi Astuti. “Analisis Nilai-Nilai Pendidikan Karakter Dalam Kitab Ngudi Susilo Karya KH. Bisri Mustofa Dan Relevansinya Di Era Modern.” DIMAR: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam 7, no. 1 (2025): 68–81. https://doi.org/10.58577/dimar.v7i1.419.

Pérez-Guilarte, Yamilé, Francisco Xosé Armas-Quintá, and Xosé Carlos Macía-Arce. “Social Sciences Teaching: Building a Holistic Approach from Student Teachers’ Social Representations.” Social Sciences 11, no. 7 (2022): 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11070307.

Qi, Shuyu, Mu Niu, and Ziyuan Guan. “Promoting Pro-Environmental Behavior Among University Students Through Sustainability Education and Institutional Support: A Mediated Moderation Model.” Sustainability 17, no. 22 (2025): 10069. https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210069.

Ramírez Suárez, Vanessa, Pedro Mauricio Acosta-Castellanos, Yuddy Alejandra Castro Ortegon, and Araceli Queiruga-Dios. “Current State of Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development in Primary and Secondary (K-12) Schools in Boyacá, Colombia.” Sustainability 15, no. 13 (2023): 10139. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310139.

Rampedi, Isaac Tebogo, and Ayodeji Peter Ifegbesan. “Understanding the Determinants of Pro-Environmental Behavior among South Africans: Evidence from a Structural Equation Model.” Sustainability 14, no. 6 (2022): 3218. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063218.

Rohman, Syaifur, and M Choirul Muzaini. “Pendekatan Ketauladanan Perspektif Pendidikan Islam Dalam Pembinaan Karakter Peserta Didik Sekolah Dasar.” DIMAR: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam 4, no. 2 (January 25, 2023): 215–28. https://doi.org/10.58577/dimar.v4i2.87.

Shen, Junxian, and Hongfeng Zhang. “Individuals’ Social Identity and Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Cross-Cultural Evidence from 48 Regions.” Sustainability 16, no. 24 (2024): 11299. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162411299.

Smadi, Lojayn, and Tamara Al Rawwad. “From Awareness to Action: Pathways to Eco-Socially Responsible Behavior Among Jordanians.” Sustainability 18, no. 15 (2026): 7635. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18157635.

Težak Damijanić, Ana, Marija Pičuljan, and Smiljana Goreta Ban. “The Role of Pro-Environmental Behavior, Environmental Knowledge, and Eco-Labeling Perception in Relation to Travel Intention in the Hotel Industry.” Sustainability 15, no. 13 (2023): 10103. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310103.

Umarin, Siri-on, Thanwadee Chinda, and Takashi Hashimoto. “Use of Knowledge Management to Enhance International Research Collaboration.” Administrative Sciences 16, no. 5 (2026): 219. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci16050219.

Uygur, Akyay, Halise Dilek Sevin, Ozgur Yayla, and Orhun Topaçoğlu. “The Effect of Eco-Recreational and Environmental Attitudes on Environmental Behavior.” Sustainability 17, no. 23 (2025): 10660. https://doi.org/10.3390/su172310660.

Vaznonis, Bernardas, Algirdas Justinas Staugaitis, and Gintarė Vaznonienė. “Factors of Pro-Environmental Behaviour in Western and Eastern European Union Countries: Evidence from the European Social Survey.” Sustainability 18, no. 5 (2026): 2524. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052524.

Yang, Xun, Shensheng Chen, Tingting Liu, Junjie Luo, and Yuzhen Tang. “Practice Primacy: Revisiting the Knowledge–Action Gap in Pro-Environmental Behavior with EXplainable AI.” Sustainability 17, no. 21 (2025): 9916. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219916.

Zárate Rueda, Ruth, Yolima Ivonne Beltrán Villamizar, and Luis Eduardo Becerra Ardila. “A Retrospective Approach to Pro-Environmental Behavior from Environmental Education: An Alternative from Sustainable Development.” Sustainability 15, no. 6 (2023): 5291. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065291.

Zhang, Jianyang, and Aochen Cao. “The Psychological Mechanisms of Education for Sustainable Development: Environmental Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, and Social Norms as Mediators of Pro-Environmental Behavior Among University Students.” Sustainability 17, no. 3 (2025): 933. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17030933.