Green office experiential learning (GOEL): A conceptual framework for developing students' pro-environmental behaviour

Abstract

The growing urgency of environmental sustainability has increased the responsibility of higher education institutions to prepare students not only with sustainability knowledge but also with the competencies and behaviours required to respond to environmental challenges. Although sustainability has increasingly been incorporated into higher education curricula, a persistent gap remains between learning about environmental sustainability and translating such knowledge into pro-environmental behaviour. Conventional classroom-based approaches may provide students with environmental knowledge, yet they may offer limited opportunities for students to experience how sustainability is operationalised within authentic organisational settings. This conceptual paper introduces Green Office Experiential Learning (GOEL), a proposed experiential learning approach that transforms authentic green office practices into meaningful learning experiences for students. Drawing primarily on Experiential Learning Theory and supported by Education for Sustainable Development and the Theory of Planned Behavior, the paper conceptualises how exposure to green office practices and green human resource management can provide students with concrete experiences, opportunities for reflection, sustainability-related conceptualisation, and opportunities to experiment with environmentally responsible practices. The proposed framework positions GOEL as a learning mechanism connecting organisational green practices with students’ pro-environmental behaviour. The paper contributes conceptually by extending experiential learning into the green office context and by repositioning the workplace as a learning environment for sustainability. The framework offers implications for higher education institutions, educators and organisations seeking to develop environmentally responsible graduates and future employees.