Leading Ecological Conversion in Higher Education: The Influence of Catholic Lecturers’ Leadership on Students’ Pro-Environmental Behavior

Abstract

The ecological crisis has increasingly challenged higher education institutions to play a transformative role in cultivating environmentally responsible citizens. Within the context of Catholic higher education, the concept of ecological conversion, strongly emphasized in Catholic social teaching, particularly in Laudato Si', encourages educators to foster moral responsibility toward environmental stewardship. However, empirical studies examining how lecturers’ leadership grounded in Catholic values may influence students’ pro-environmental behavior remain limited. This study aims to examine the potential effect of Catholic lecturers’ leadership on students’ pro-environmental behavior in higher education. Drawing on leadership theory, environmental psychology, and value-based education, the study proposes a conceptual framework in which Catholic lecturers’ leadership—characterized by ethical guidance, ecological awareness, and faith-inspired moral commitment—serves as a key predictor of students’ pro-environmental behavior. The model assumes that lecturers not only transmit knowledge but also shape students’ environmental attitudes and actions through value-oriented leadership practices embedded in teaching, mentoring, and academic culture. The study also considers the possibility that students’ internal psychological factors, such as environmental values or ecological awareness, may mediate the relationship between lecturers’ leadership and students’ behavioral outcomes. Methodologically, this research is designed as a quantitative explanatory study using survey data collected from undergraduate students at Catholic higher education institutions (n = 89). Path analysis is used to test the hypothesized relationships between lecturers’ leadership and students’ pro-environmental behavior mediated by ecological conversion. It was found that catholic lecturers’ leadership and ecological conversion directly and significantly affected students’ pro-environmental behavior (PEB), including that ecological conversion was affected directly and significantly by catholic lecturers’ leadership. However, ecological conversion was not a good mediated factor. These findings may provide empirical insights into how faith-based leadership in educational contexts contributes to the development of environmentally responsible behaviors among students. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on ecological leadership, environmental education, and faith-based higher education by offering a novel framework linking Catholic lecturers’ leadership with ecological conversion among students. Practically, the findings may inform institutional strategies for integrating ecological values into teaching and leadership practices to strengthen universities’ contributions to sustainable development.