University Students’ Perspectives on Physics Education in Sustainable Development Goals

This research explores university students’ perspectives on integrating sustainable development goals in physics education subjects (SDGs-PE). However, there is a few research that focuses on SDGs-PE. This research adopts a quantitative survey and is supported by a qualitative interview design. Fifty-two university students participated in the survey to fulfill the SDGs-PE instrument, and five interview participants for data collection. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and descriptive analysis were used to achieve the research’s goals. The research indicated that the SDGs-PE fulfills the criteria of validity and reliability. The construct validities of the SDGs-PE varied from .538 to .886 and explained 64.26% of the variance. Overall, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the instrument was .812. This research has also highlighted the integration of physics education, education for sustainable development, and sustainable development goals.


Introduction
Education is the fundamental cornerstone in achieving the goals of sustainable development (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations [1,2].One of the significant objectives of the SDGs is to ensure quality and inclusive education for all [3][4][5][6], as well as to promote lifelong learning [7].Physics education plays a crucial role in driving sustainable development [8].It equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to comprehend and tackle complex scientific and technological challenges related to the SDGs [9,10].By integrating the principles of the SDGs into physics education, students can develop a deeper understanding of the interplay between physics and the SDGs [11,12].This understanding can empower students to contribute to sustainable solutions and make decisions that support a more sustainable future [13].
To encapsulate, physics education stands as a cornerstone in achieving numerous Sustainable Development Goals by nurturing scientific knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving proficiencies crucial for addressing intricate global challenges.It empowers individuals to contribute to sustainable development through research, innovation, and informed decision-making across various domains, ultimately championing the comprehensive SDG agenda.Several researchers have conducted studies related to the integration of education with SDGs.For example, research by Prajuhana et al. [24] titled "Digital education, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and digital schools."Another research conducted by Fauzi et al. [25] examined "Which of the SDGs from the United Nations has the most connections to institutions of higher learning" through a comprehensive bibliometric review.Additionally, Adams et al. [26] focused on "Education for Sustainable Development: Aligning University Curriculum with the SDGs."Despite these various studies, there is still a lack of research that focuses on the perspective of physics education students [27].
Currently, there are not many studies that comprehensively describe the contribution of physics education to achieving the SDGs.The author sees research trends related to SDGs and Physics Education through bibliometric visualisation produced in Figure 1.There are only a few researchers who research physics education.So, there is a great opportunity to be integrated with the SDGs.Therefore, the novelty of this research is to fill this void by analyzing in depth how physics education can support the SDGs and identifying innovative approaches that can be applied in this context.Although there is awareness of the importance of education in achieving the SDGs, research focusing on the specific role of physics education in this context is still limited, so this research will open new avenues for understanding the concrete impact of physics education on achieving the SDGs.
The purpose of this research is to explore student perspectives in integrating the SDGs in learning Physics.This research hopes that educators, especially physicists, can contribute directly to several SDGs indicators by providing the scientific knowledge and technological advances needed to address important global challenges related to energy, climate, water, innovation, and environmental conservation.To explore the perspectives of Physics education students towards the SDGs, this research has a specific objective, namely to analyse the extent to which students' perceptions of the contribution of the SDGs in physics education (SDGs-PE), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and the SDGs 2030.

Method
This research employs a qualitative approach model together with a descriptive methodology.By examining their interrelationships, descriptive research seeks to objectively evaluate the things or events under study [28].A qualitative approach is used to research the subject or event in question, and during the data collection process, data interpretation, and the findings of the data acquired are given by way of narrative descriptions [29][30][31].The research adopted a quantitative survey, and it was supported by a qualitative interview design.In total, 52 university students participated in the survey, with a response rate of 52%.These respondents also included educators and professors specializing in the field of physics.Figure 2 provides an overview of the details of the respondents involved in this research.The instrument of the survey was called "Questionnaire for SDGs in Physics Education (PE)" or SDGs-PE, and it is accessed on the link: unesa.me/SDGsinPE(Figure 3).The provided questions were focused on three key indicators: physics education and learning, physics in the era of Society 5.0, and the contribution of physics to the SDGs.Meanwhile, five students were invited for the interview process.The quantitative data was analyzed with exploratory factor analysis (EFA), while the qualitative data was analyzed descriptively.

KMO and Bartlett's test
The first step in doing EFA is checking the Kaiser Meyer Olkin (KMO) and the results of Bartlett's Test.From Figure 4, the achievement of KMO is 0.749, and the results of Bartlett's Test of Sphericity are significant.It means the items are adequate for further analysis.

EFA result
The participants' responses were grouped into the following three proposed factors: (1) physics education, (2) education for sustainable development, and (3) sustainable development goals (SDGs), and a total of 11 items were retained in the "SDGs-PE" instrument.The eigenvalues of the three proposed factors from the principal component analysis were all larger than one (Figure 5), and the total variance explained was 64.26% (see Table 1), which was validated to clarify the structure of the instrument.The dimension of the whole instrument itself can explain the highest variance with achieved 28.63%.It means the university students' response can be more explored from the contribution of physics education to SDGs.Table 2 shows factor loading of SDGs-PE designed to measure each factor was between .538 and .886,so it meets the criteria of Stevens.In addition, the reliability in terms of Cronbach's alpha coefficients for these factors were 0.804, 0.716, and .653,respectively, and the overall alpha value was .812,suggesting that these factors had high internal consistency for assessing the participants' three dimensions of perspective towards SDGs-PE.

University student perception on SDGs integration
The responses of physics education students starting from Bachelor's to Ph.D. were known through surveys in the form of filling out questionnaires and supported by interviews.The researcher provides 15 statements that focus on three variables, namely, (1) perceptions related to SDGs with physics education (SDGs-PE), (2) Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and (3) SDGs 2030.Table 3 presents the responses from physics students regarding SDGs-PE.
Based on Table 3, V1.3 has a high percentage of 63.46% (strongly agree), meaning that all students agree that a deep understanding of physics concepts can make a significant contribution to overcoming the challenges of sustainable development.Some physics instructors also experience difficulties in teaching physics concepts related to technological developments, as seen from the response, which is 34.62% (disagree).This is in line with Chuliá-Jordán's research [9] that physics teachers sometimes experience difficulties in teaching physics concepts related to technological developments because rapid technological changes can lead to separation between the academic curriculum and the latest technological developments.An in-depth understanding of physics concepts is essential in addressing the challenges of sustainable development through the development of renewable technologies, energy efficiency, and innovative solutions [10].
Figure 6 presents Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the era of society 5.0.Statements on this variable contribute to the SDGs indicators, namely Quality Education (4), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), and Innovation and Infrastructure (9), as for the statements presented in Table 4.The education system should integrate the principles of Society 5.0 into the physics education curriculum.
Innovation and Infrastructure (9) and Quality Education (4) V2. 3 The current physics education system is sufficient to produce graduates with relevant skills for Era Society 5.0 Quality Education (4)

V2.4
An innovative approach is needed in learning physics so students can apply concepts in the context of Era Society 5.0 Innovation and Infrastructure (9) V2.5 Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and simulation are expected to increase the effectiveness of physics learning in dealing with societal changes.
Innovation and Infrastructure (9) The respondents agree that education has an important role in preparing the generation to face the changes and demands of the Era of Society 5.0.This statement has a very high percentage of 75.00% (strongly agree).A study by De La Torre [32] revealed that education that focuses on developing 21stcentury skills, such as critical thinking skills, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving, can equip young people with better readiness to face challenges and changes in Era Society 5.0.
The focus of the third statement is the integration of physics education towards the SDGs 2030.The responses of physics students to this statement are presented in Table 4.The achievement of the SDGs in this statement is directed at the SDGs indicators 3.3 (Climate Change), 3.9 (Good Welfare), 4.4 (Quality Education), 9.5 (Innovation and Infrastructure), and 17.16 (Partnerships).Based on Table 5, respondents agreed that it is necessary to integrate the concept of sustainable development into the physics education curriculum, and collaboration between academia, industry, and government is very important in developing innovative physics-based solutions to achieve SDGs 2030.According to research conducted by Patuelli & Saracco [33], the integration of the concept of sustainable development into the physics education curriculum can provide students with a broader understanding of the relationship between the physical sciences and their impact on the environment and society.Badruddin et al. [34] also emphasized that teaching physics, which includes aspects of sustainable development, can help students develop awareness of environmental issues and encourage them to apply physics concepts in finding solutions to sustainable challenges.

University Student Perception of SDGs-PE
To analyze how Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. level students in the physics education department understand and see the relationship between physics learning materials and various aspects of the SDGs.Their views on the contribution of physics education in overcoming the social, environmental, and economic challenges faced by the global community can be seen from the results of the interviews.The questions asked included understanding knowledge and familiarity about the SDGs, belief in the integration of SDGs in the physics curriculum, the role of physics education in understanding the implications of science for achieving the SDGs, teaching methods of the SDGs concept in physics learning, the main challenges in integrating SDGs in physics education, the impact the use of technology in increasing students' understanding of the SDGs, as well as how educational institutions can support educators in overcoming obstacles.In addition, expectations for the results of the integration of the SDGs concept in physics education and how the long-term impact is felt are also a concern in this discussion.
Some of the responses presented by the researcher are representative of all respondents who participated in the interview and are the best answers.The first and second questions are questions related to understanding knowledge and familiarity with the SDGs.The next question is regarding the belief in the integration of the SDGs in the physics curriculum, the role of physics education in understanding the implications of science for achieving the SDGs, and methods of teaching the SDGs concept in physics learning.Some of the responses from respondents are: R1: Yes, the SDGs principles can be well integrated into the physics education curriculum; many aspects of physics can support an understanding of sustainable development issues, one of which is climate change, renewable energy, and quality of education R2: Of course, you can, especially SDG 7,13,14,15 R3: I think physics education can help students understand the implications of science in achieving the SDGs.because teaching physics is not just understanding scientific concepts but also understanding how these concepts can be applied in everyday life, in the field of technology, and in social problems.

R4: By applying several aspects of the SDGs to physics learning materials
R5: Through the learning method project-based learning.For example, the project of making an environmentally friendly power plant and its applications, such as hydropower, wind, and sunlight, which are then connected to batteries and lights.
Furthermore, related to the main challenges in integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in physics education, the impact of using technology in increasing students' understanding of the SDGs, as well as the role of educational institutions in supporting educators to overcome these obstacles.In this context, the expectations for the results of integrating the SDGs concepts in physics education and what the long-term impact will be, as generated from the respondents' responses, can be summarized as follows: The main challenges in integrating the SDGs in physics education involve the complexity and depth of physics concepts which may be difficult to relate with sustainable development issues.However, the use of technology in learning physics can have a significant impact on increasing students' understanding of the SDGs through simulation, visualization, and access to relevant digital resources.Educational institutions play an important role in supporting educators to overcome these barriers through training, curriculum development, and facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration.The hope is that the integration of the SDGs concept in physics education will form a generation that is more aware and responsible for sustainable issues, as well as forming a sustainable mindset in the long term.
This statement is in line with several studies that show that the integration of the SDGs concept in education can help increase students' awareness and responsibility towards sustainable issues.For example, a study conducted by Kioupi & Voulvoulis [35] shows that the integration of the SDGs concept in learning can increase students' awareness of environmental and social issues.In addition, research by Mitarlis et al. [36] shows that the integration of the SDGs concept in learning can help students understand the importance of sustainable development and motivate them to participate in efforts to achieve the SDGs goals.

Conclusion
The results of the research show that the SDGs-PE meet the validity and reliability criteria.The construct validity of the SDGs-PE varies from 0.538 to 0.886 and explains 64.26% of the variance.Overall, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the instrument is 0.812.This research also highlights the integration of physics education, education for sustainable development, and sustainable development goals.This research has implications for the development of a physics curriculum that is integrated with the SDGs, even though there are limitations, such as a limited sample.Suggestions for future research include analysis of changes in views over time, research on teaching methods that are more in-depth, multidisciplinary approaches, and the development of research into other learning.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Research opportunities related to physics education on SDGs.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Details of respondents by gender and educational background.

Figure 4 .
Figure 4.The Results of KMO and Bartlett.
Indicator: 3.3 (Climate Change) and 3.9 (Good Welfare) V3.2An understanding of physics concepts can drive technological innovations that support sustainable development goals.Indicator: 9.5 (Innovation and Infrastructure) V3.3 Efforts to integrate the concept of sustainable development into the physics education curriculum are urgently needed.Indicator: 4.4 (Quality Education) The majority of respondents know what SDGs are.R1: Yes, I know a little about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The SDGs are a series of 17 goals set by the UN in 2015 to address various global challenges.R2: The SDGs are a world development agenda that aims for global human welfare R3: Yes, for sustainable goals by seeking to provide solutions to global problems.