From “Insertion” to “Integration”: An Innovative Pathway for Integrating Ecological and Professional Education in Economics and Trade Universities

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jhet.202615229

Author(s)

Yue Peng*

Affiliation(s)

School of Economics, Liaoning University of International Business and Economics, Dalian, Liaoning, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

The ecological civilization needs a green revolution of economic activities, which will generate new needs in talent development in economics and trade universities. These institutions should not only preserve their traditional advantages in economics and management, but also develop the ecological literacy and awareness of sustainable development in students. Over the past few years, the integration of ecological education and professional education has been actively studied in many Chinese universities of economics and trade, which has produced a range of practical solutions and new experiences. This paper, based on a systematic review of these practices, argues that the integration of talent cultivation should be centered on three strategic transformations: the transition to cognitive restructuring of knowledge rather than simple knowledge embedding, the transition to immersive learning in scenarios rather than traditional classroom instruction, and the transition to systematic institutional design rather than isolated initiatives. The paper also shows that, through their disciplinary edge in associating the luscious waters and fertile mountains with the invaluable resources, economics and trade universities are in a unique position to create a special channel of developing green talent. The pathway is also a good source of information to the overall growth of application-oriented universities.

Keywords

Ecological Education; Professional Education; Economics and Trade Universities; Integrated Talent Cultivation

References

[1]Frank, H. (2011). Sustainability school: the role of universities. Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry, 93(5), 841-843. [2]Andrea Klimková. (2014). Ecological knowledge and ecological-ethical awarenesss-route to harmony of man and earth. Journal of International Scientific Publications: Educational Alternatives, 12(9),301-309. [3]Judson, G. (2010). A new approach to ecological education: Engaging students' imaginations in their world. Peter Lang. [4]Gould, R. K., Coleman, K., & Gluck, S. B. (2018). Exploring dynamism of cultural ecosystems services through a review of environmental education research. Ambio, 47(8), 869-883. [5]Corbett, H. D., & Rossman, G. B. (1989). Three paths to implementing change: A research note. Curriculum inquiry, 19(2), 163-190. [6]Zhang, L., Li, X., & Kong, X. (2024, October). Investigating AI-Integrated Ecological Civilization Education: Opportunities and Challenges in a Qualitative Study. In Proceedings of the 2024 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Teacher Education (pp. 70-75). [7]Yang, M. (2025). Research on the Ecological Mechanism Construction and Sustainable Development of College English Teaching. INTI JOURNAL, 2025(45), 1-7. [8]Xia, C., Xu, S., Gong, Y., & Ding, H. (2026). Exploring the integration of education for sustainable development into university mathematics: Insights from SiC thickness measurement in advanced industrial applications. Sustainability, 18(4), 1900. [9]Tyler, R. W. (2013). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. In Curriculum studies reader E2 (pp. 60-68). Routledge. [10]Rogayan Jr, D. V. (2019). I heart nature: Perspectives of university students on environmental stewardship. International Journal on Engineering, Science and Technology, 1(1), 10-16.