In the context of increasing globalization and sustainability challenges, higher education institutions are expected to cultivate students’ global competence. While sustainability education has been widely recognized as an important pathway for competence development, the relationships among sustainability consciousness, sustainability thinking, and global competence remain insufficiently understood. This study aims to examine the relationships among these constructs among undergraduate students in China using a quantitative research design. Data were collected through a survey of 200 undergraduate students and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS. Sustainability consciousness was measured through sustainability knowingness, attitude, and behavior, while sustainability thinking included anticipatory, critical, and systems thinking. Global competence was assessed across cognitive, interpersonal, and personal dimensions?Pilcher, 2022?. The results indicate that sustainability attitude and sustainability behavior have significant positive effects on personal competence, whereas sustainability knowingness does not show a significant effect. In addition, sustainability thinking does not significantly influence global competence. These findings suggest that affective and behavioral components play a more important role than cognitive components in shaping global competence. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence that challenges the assumed role of sustainability thinking and highlights the importance of values and behaviors in competence development. The findings offer practical implications for higher education institutions in designing sustainability-oriented curricula that emphasize experiential learning and student engagement.
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