ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
Sustainable development practices have become a critical issue in organizations worldwide, garnering significant attention. The study of sustainable development practices in online distance learning institutions in Malaysia is significant due to the global importance of sustainability. Understanding the factors influencing the adoption of sustainable practices and the mediating role of intention can offer valuable insights to policymakers, educators, and institutions. The findings can guide the development of strategies promoting sustainable practices in online education, contributing to environmental conservation and the advancement of sustainable development goals in the education sector, both within Malaysia and beyond. This study aims to assess the direct relationships between attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and intention, as well as the direct relationship between intention and adoption, and also the mediating effect of intention on the relationship between perceived behavioral control and adoption of sustainable development practices among employees in distance learning higher education institutions in Malaysia. Currently, the level of adoption of sustainable practices in online distance learning higher education institutions in Malaysia is relatively low, highlighting the need for improvement. The study utilized primary data collected through a survey questionnaire adapted from previous research studies. The data analysis involved 392 clean data points and employed structural equation modeling. The measurement model was assessed to establish convergent validity by examining construct reliability and validity. Discriminant validity was verified through cross-loading and Hetrotrait-Monotrait (HTMT) ratios. The structural model was then evaluated, and the results confirmed significant positive direct relationships between attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and intention. Additionally, intention was found to have a positive and significant relationship with adoption. Furthermore, the study revealed that intention significantly mediates the relationship between perceived behavioral control and adoption. These findings provide insights and suggest strategies to enhance the adoption of sustainable development practices in the context of online distance learning higher education institutions. For future studies, researchers should consider exploring the potential moderating effects of individual characteristics, such as prior knowledge, self-efficacy, and environmental awareness, on the relationship between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intention, and adoption.
Adu-Gyamfi, G., Song, H., Nketiah, E., Obuobi, B., Adjei, M., & Cudjoe, D. (2022). Determinants of adoption intention of battery swap technology for electric vehicles. Energy, 251, 123862.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211.
Anthony Jnr, B. (2021). Green campus paradigms for sustainability attainment in higher education institutions–a comparative study. Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, 12(1), 117-148.
Asadi, S., Nilashi, M., Samad, S., Abdullah, R., Mahmoud, M., Alkinani, M. H., & Yadegaridehkordi, E. (2021). Factors impacting consumers’ intention toward adoption of electric vehicles in Malaysia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 282, 124474.
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155–159. doi:10.1037/0033-
2909.112.1.155
Cop, S., Alola, U. V., & Alola, A. A. (2020). Perceived behavioral control as a mediator of hotels' green training, environmental commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior: A sustainable environmental practice. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(8), 3495-3508.
De Canniere, M. H., De Pelsmacker, P., Geuens, M. (2009). Relationship quality and the theory of planned behaviour models of behavioral intentions and purchase behavior. J. Bus. Res. 62, 82–92.
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt.
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Fu, H., Ye, B. H., Xiang, J. (2016). Reality TV, audience travel intentions, and destination image. Tourism Management. 55, 37–48.
Gelfand, M. J., Raver, J. L., Nishii, L., Leslie, L. M., Lun, J., Lim, B. C., ... & Yamaguchi, S. (2011). Differences between tight and loose cultures: A 33-nation study. science, 332(6033), 1100-1104.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., and Sarstedt, M. (2014). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Thousand Oaks: Sage
Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., and Gudergan, S. P. (2018). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation modeling. Thousand Oakes, CA: Sage Publications.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., and Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Los Angeles: Sage Publication.
Hayat, K., Jianjun, Z., Ali, S., & Ageli, M. M. (2022). Eco-advertising and ban-on-plastic: The influence of CSR green practices on green impulse behavior. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 1-30.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., and Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 43(1): 115-135.
Jaiswal, D., Kaushal, V., Kant, R., & Singh, P. K. (2021). Consumer adoption intention for electric vehicles: Insights and evidence from Indian sustainable transportation. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 173, 121089.
Kanapathy, S., Lee, K. E., Mokhtar, M., Zakaria, S. Z., & Sivapalan, S. (2021). A framework for integrating sustainable development concepts into the chemistry curriculum towards achieving education for sustainable development in Malaysia. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 22(6), 1421-1449.
Khan, O., Bellini, N., Daddi, T., & Iraldo, F. (2022). Effects of behavioral intention and dynamic capabilities on circular economy adoption and performance of tourism SMEs. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-20.
Kouhizadeh, M., Saberi, S., & Sarkis, J. (2021). Blockchain technology and the sustainable supply chain: Theoretically exploring adoption barriers. International Journal of Production Economics, 231, 107831.
Filho, L. W., Dinis, M. A. P., Sivapalan, S., Begum, H., Ng, T. F., Al-Amin, A. Q., ... &
Neiva, S. (2022). Sustainability practices at higher education institutions in Asia. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 23(6), 1250-1276.
Lin, Y. C., Liu, G. Y., Chang, C. Y., Lin, C. F., Huang, C. Y., Chen, L. W., & Yeh, T. K. (2021). Perceived behavioral control as a mediator between attitudes and intentions toward marine responsible environmental behavior. Water, 13(5), 580.
Moganadas, S. R., Nun, S. H., Subramaniam, S., & Bahaman, A. S. (2022). Perspectives of academic staff concerning the sustainable development dimensions of a Malaysian higher education institution. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1-24.
Kebah, M., Raju, V., Osman, Z. (2019). Online Purchasing Trend in the Retail Industry in Saudi. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE), 8(3), 865-868. ISSN: 2277-3878
Mohamad, L., Osman, Z., Mohamad, R. K., Ismail, Z., & Din, M. I. M. (2023). The Perceived Attitude of Bank Customers towards the Intention to Use Digital Banking in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(1), 1308 – 1323. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i1/15570
Osman, Z., Samad, R. R., Alwi, N. H., & Khan, B. N. A. (2022). Direct and Indirect Relationship of Employee Engagement, Corporate Image, Employee Loyalty, and Business Performance among Private Business Organizations. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management and Sciences, 11(3), 483–498. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJAREMS/v11-i3/14976
Osman, Z., Khan, B. N. A., Samad, R. R., & Alwi, N. H. (2022). Indirect Relationship of Corporate Image, Organizational Culture, Employee Loyalty, and Business Performance among Private Business Organization: Structural Equation Modelling Approach. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting Finance and Management Sciences, 12(3), 57–70. ISSN: 2225-8329
Pankowska, M., Pyszny, K., & Strzelecki, A. (2020). Users’ adoption of sustainable cloud computing solutions. Sustainability, 12(23), 9930.
Podsakoff, P. M., & Organ, D. W. (1986). Self-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects. Journal of Management, 12(4), 531–544. https://doi. org/10.1177/014920638601200408
Qalati, S. A., Yuan, L. W., Khan, M. A. S., & Anwar, F. (2021). A mediated model on the adoption of social media and SMEs’ performance in developing countries. Technology in Society, 64, 101513.
Ribeiro, J. M. P., Hoeckesfeld, L., Dal Magro, C. B., Favretto, J., Barichello, R., Lenzi, F. C., & de Andrade, J. B. S. O. (2021). Green Campus Initiatives as sustainable development dissemination at higher education institutions: Students’ perceptions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 312, 127671.
Roh, T., Seok, J., & Kim, Y. (2022). Unveiling ways to reach organic purchase: Green perceived value, perceived knowledge, attitude, subjective norm, and trust. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 67, 102988
Shmueli, G., Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Ting, H., Vaithilingam, S., and Ringle, C. M. (2019). Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: Guidelines for using PLSpredict. European Journal of Marketing 53: 2322–2347.
Shou, Y., Shan, X., Dai, J., Xu, D., & Che, W. (2022). Actions speak louder than words? The impact of subjective norms in the supply chain on green innovation. International Journal of Operations & Production Management.
Smith, A. Y. (2015). Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control as Indicators for Nurse Educators’ Intention to Use Critical Thinking Teaching Strategies: a Structural Equation Model Analysis. Dissertations. 1576.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/1576
Ringle, C. M., and Sarstedt, M. (2016). Gain more insight from your PLS-SEM results: The importance-performance map analysis. Industrial Management & Data Systems 116: 1865–1886.
Shalender, K., & Sharma, N. (2021). Using the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict adoption intention of electric vehicles in India. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(1), 665-681.
Zeweld, W., Van Huylenbroeck, G., Tesfay, G., & Speelman, S. (2017). Smallholder farmers' behavioural intentions towards sustainable agricultural practices. Journal of environmental management, 187, 71-81.
Hussein, Z., Oon, S. W., Fikry, A. (2017). Consumer Attitude: Does It Influencing the Intention to Use mHealth?, Procedia Computer Science, 105, 340-344, ISSN 1877-0509, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.01.231.
In-Text Citation: (Osman et al., 2023)
To Cite this Article: Osman, Z., Bakar, R. A., Fadil, N. A., Sulaiman, T. F. T., & Aziz, R. C. (2023). Does the Adoption of Sustainable Development Practices among Online Distance Learning Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia Matter? The Role of Intention as a Mediator. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2), 1855–1871.
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode