DISTANCE EDUCATION EFFECTIVENESS AND BARRIERS IN DEVELOPING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY: MEDIATION OF INNOVATIVENESS

The objectives of this study are to investigate the effectiveness of distance education in fostering a positive attitude towards sustainability, examine the effects of barriers to sustainability in distance education in terms of the attitude towards sustainability and investigate the mediating effect of innovativeness in the aforesaid relationship. Online survey questionnaires were used to collect data from 663 final-year students enrolled in courses offered through distance education mode at selected universities in Malaysia. The data analysis was based on the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. This study attests that distance education is effective in nurturing a positive attitude towards sustainability through the mediation of innovation. Although the barriers related to distance education seemed to pose an inverse effect on the attitude towards sustainability, it did not seem to have any significant effect on innovativeness. Future research may investigate the further applicability of this study’s model in various contexts related to the role of distance education in achieving the goals of the sustainable development agenda.