Knowledge about Education for Sustainable Development: four case studies of student teachers in English secondary schools

2007 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Winter ◽  
Roger Firth
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development

scholarly journals Water-Education as a Promoter of Education for Sustainable Development: Three Studies in Portuguese-Speaking African Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-202
Author(s):  
Mafalda Franco Leitão ◽  
Albino Cunha ◽  
Manuela Malheiro Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Development Education ◽  
Political Dimension ◽  
Water Education ◽  
Water Literacy ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

The present study is based on research in teacher self-training in Education for Sustainable Development (Leitão, 2012). Water was the motivating theme. The priority of a fair distribution of water, guaranteeing the consumption, in quality and quantity, to all mankind and living beings is urgent. To respond to water-related sustainability challenges, people worldwide need to acquire "water literacy" about various aspects of water use and management in order to ensure safer water consumption and to contribute to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Three case studies were carried out in schools in three African countries: Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. A model of skills in education for sustainable development was applied (Sleurs, 2008). From the analysis of these case studies the theoretical assumptions of research were strengthened by the effective professional practice. But, on contrary, the results that the pillars of sustainable development presented in the basic research should be reviewed, placing the political dimension as transversal, thus strengthening education for sustainable development as fundamental for critical and responsible citizens of the present and of the future. This experience paves the way for future water-education and education for sustainable development projects; such as the follow-up of these three schools.  Keywords: Sustainable Development; Education for Sustainable Development; Water-education and Water Literacy; Case Study

scholarly journals Discursive Representations of Education for Sustainable Development in Policy Documents by English Medium Instruction Schools in Estonia and Norway

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Kapranov
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Discursive Strategies ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Discursive Representations

Abstract This article introduces and discusses a study that aims at illuminating discursive representations of education for sustainable development (henceforth – ESD) by means of compiling and analysing a corpus of policy documents written by English medium instruction (EMI) secondary schools in Estonia and Norway, respectively. Informed by the constructivist approach (Foucault, 1981), discursive representations of ESD in the study were operationalised as discursive strategies that were employed in naming, referring to, and providing an evaluative perspective to ESD-related topics. In this study, the corpus of policy documents published by EMI secondary schools in Estonia and Norway was collected in order to analyse discursive representations of ESD by means of applying a qualitative content analysis. The results of the analysis indicated that the discursive representations of ESD were similarly construed in policy documents written and communicated by EMI secondary schools in Estonia and Norway. Those findings were further discussed in the article in conjunction with their didactic implications.

Becoming a competent teacher in education for sustainable development

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Ole Brandt ◽  
Lina Bürgener ◽  
Matthias Barth ◽  
Aaron Redman
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Action Competence

Purpose This paper aims to provide a holistic approach to assessing student teachers’ competence development in education for sustainable development (ESD). This is to provide evidence on which teaching and learning formats help to foster which aspects of ESD-specific professional action competence in teachers. The studied competencies consist of content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the willingness to actively support and implement ESD. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study design was used on two sequential modules of a university’s teacher education program. A mixed-methods approach was applied that combined surveys, videotaped and PhotoVoice-supported focus groups, as well as pre- and post-assessment tools. Qualitative data analysis was based on the coding paradigm of the qualitative content analysis, whereas quantitative data were interpreted by means of descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests. Findings The results from this study clearly indicate that the two courses contributed to a shift in students’ non-cognitive dispositions. The study also provides evidence on the students’ competence development and demonstrates how two different learning settings support different dimensions of teachers’ professional action competence in terms of ESD. Originality/value The triangulation of data enabled not only a mere competence assessment but also deeper insights into learning processes, as well as into the drivers of and barriers to competence development. Furthermore, the study introduces an innovative approach to assessing the development of PCK.

Embedding Sustainability Learning

2014 ◽  
pp. 641-671
Author(s):  
Ros Taylor ◽  
Elise Barron ◽  
Katherine A.T. Eames
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Support Staff ◽  
Sustainable Education ◽  
Sustainability Learning ◽  
Main Programme ◽  
Careful Design

In this chapter the authors argue the benefits of an “embedded strategy” for achieving a robust and sustainable Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) curriculum and outline some of the main approaches used at Kingston University (KU), London. The chapter includes feedback from students, academics, support staff and local employers engaged in these developments and highlights the main successes and the pitfalls encountered. Case studies exemplifying sustainability learning through a diversity of embedded approaches are presented and analysed. The authors' experience demonstrates that, although there is no “one size fits all” solution to ESD, sharing of experiences between sustainability professionals is vital to this agenda. The examples detailed in this chapter show that with careful design, active and multidisciplinary learning, sustainability understanding can be securely embedded in students' learning even where it is not the main programme objective.

Evaluating Sustainable Development solutions quantitatively: Competence modelling for GCE and ESD

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko Böhm ◽  
Sabina Eggert ◽  
Jan Barkmann ◽  
Susanne Bögeholz
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Citizenship Education ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Global Citizenship ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Partial Credit Model ◽  
Global Citizenship Education ◽  
Mathematical Skill

To comprehensively address global environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss, citizens need an understanding of the socio-economic fundamentals of human behaviour in relation to natural resources. We argue that Global Citizenship Education and Education for Sustainable Development provide a core set of socio-economic competencies that can be applied to tackle such challenges. As a central concern of this article, we report on the development of a competence model and its use in an empirical study. The study analyses the ability of German students ( n = 268: 232 pupils in senior secondary school and 36 student teachers) to evaluate solutions for real-world Sustainable Development challenges quantitatively. In doing so, we investigate a theoretically described competence dimension, that is, ‘Evaluating and Reflecting Solutions Quantitatively-Economically’. A Rasch partial credit model indicates that ‘Evaluating and Reflecting Solutions Quantitatively-Economically’ can be modelled as a one-dimensional competence. Grade level, general educational performance and high performance in subjects addressing Education for Sustainable Development positively affect ‘Evaluating and Reflecting Solutions Quantitatively-Economically’ scores. Although applying basic economic insights in a quantitative manner to Sustainable Development challenges is within the mathematical skill set of most students, even older or better-performing students find it difficult to do so. Thus, these findings underscore the need for economic competencies to be incorporated in Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education.

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