Efforts and Evaluation of Human Resource Development to Contribute to Regional Sustainability in Japanese Junior and Senior High Schools: Focusing on Changes in Knowledge, Awareness, and Behavior ^†

Introduction: To support the long-term sustainability of depopulated island communities in Japan, this study developed and implemented an education for sustainable development (ESD) program designed to cultivate future human resources capable of contributing to their local regions. The program was tailored to the sociocultural and environmental context of Tanegashima Island, where declining youth populations and weakening local industries pose significant challenges. Rather than relying on a top-down instructional model, the program was designed through collaborative learning between researchers and schoolteachers, integrating educational expertise with teachers’ knowledge of students’ lived realities. Although ESD practices have increasingly been introduced in schools, limited research has examined how such programs support students’ progression from knowledge acquisition to shifts in awareness and, ultimately, to community-oriented action.

Objective: This study aims to examine how students participating in a multi-year ESD program progress through the stages of knowledge acquisition, awareness development, and action intention (K–A–B), and to identify the sociological and structural factors that facilitate—or hinder—their transition from awareness to autonomous, community-oriented behavior.

Method: This study conducted a three-year longitudinal analysis of junior high school students’ knowledge, awareness, and behavioral intention (K–A–B). A questionnaire survey was administered five times between 2022 and 2024 to 113 students who entered junior high school in 2022. Survey items were based on the Ministry of Education’s criteria for “knowledge and skills,” “critical thinking and judgment,” and “motivation to learn.” In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight students and one teacher to investigate the processes through which student-initiated community actions emerged during the program.

Results: The results indicated clear and consistent gains in sustainability-related knowledge, followed by an increased awareness of local issues and a stronger desire to contribute to the island’s future. However, despite these improvements, the progression from heightened awareness to autonomous and sustained action remained limited overall. Two notable student-led initiatives—a beach cleanup project and a composting activity using school lunch leftovers—demonstrated that action can emerge when appropriate conditions are present. Interviews revealed that while students’ motivation and sense of responsibility were important drivers, concrete actions materialized primarily when structural support from teachers was provided, such as logistical coordination, encouragement at key decision points, and facilitation of connections with external actors.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that ESD programs can effectively foster knowledge and awareness, yet transforming these into sustained community engagement requires supportive social and organizational environments that scaffold student agency. In depopulated regions, where the development of future community contributors is vital, schools must not only promote understanding of sustainability but also ensure that students have the structural support necessary to translate learning into meaningful action.