Research

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24 pages, 1414 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Student Teachers’ Knowledge to Enable Problem-Solving for Sustainable Development

by Lisa Richter-Beuschel and Susanne Bögeholz

Sustainability 2020, 12(1), 79; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12010079 - 20 Dec 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3469

Education is a central strategy in terms of sustainable development (SD) and can contribute to solving global challenges like biodiversity loss and climate change. Content knowledge represents one base for teaching education for sustainable development (ESD). Therefore, identifying teaching and learning prerequisites regarding [...] Read more.

Education is a central strategy in terms of sustainable development (SD) and can contribute to solving global challenges like biodiversity loss and climate change. Content knowledge represents one base for teaching education for sustainable development (ESD). Therefore, identifying teaching and learning prerequisites regarding SD challenges in teacher education is crucial. The focus of the paper was to assess and learn more about student teachers’ procedural knowledge regarding issues of biodiversity and climate change, by using an expert benchmark. The aims of the study are to describe and identify (i) differences between students’ and experts’ effectiveness estimations, (ii) differences in bachelor and master students’ procedural knowledge, and (iii) differences between procedural knowledge of students studying different ESD-relevant subjects. Student teachers at eight German universities (n = 236) evaluated the effectiveness of solution strategies to SD challenges. The results showed high deviations in the effectiveness estimations of experts and students and, therefore, differing procedural knowledge. The lack of student teachers’ interdisciplinary knowledge to reduce biodiversity loss and climate change seemed to be largely independent of their study program and ESD-relevant subject. One reason for this may be the generally low number of ESD-relevant courses they attended. This study suggests further longitudinal research in order to make clear statements about changes in SD-related knowledge during teacher education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Teacher Education)

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21 pages, 298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Making Future Teachers More Aware of Issues Related to Sustainability: An Assessment of Best Practices

by Mª del Carmen Olmos-Gómez, Ligia Isabel Estrada-Vidal, Francisca Ruiz-Garzón, Rafael López-Cordero and Laila Mohamed-Mohand

Sustainability 2019, 11(24), 7222; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11247222 - 16 Dec 2019

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4044

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to uncover the opinions of future teachers about whether the formative knowledge of education for sustainability received in seminars during their practicums improved their competencies in sustainability and their values in educational teaching for their future [...] Read more.

The aim of the present research was to uncover the opinions of future teachers about whether the formative knowledge of education for sustainability received in seminars during their practicums improved their competencies in sustainability and their values in educational teaching for their future classroom practice. The study entailed qualitative research with a thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews comprising 14 questions, which were validated by 15 experts, were used to solicit the opinions of 52 future teachers with respect to the importance of sustainability and the development of intercultural competencies among their students. The information from the interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis on the basis of education for sustainable development (ESD). We conclude that the teachers’ practicum placements and training experiences were very positive because a lecturing pedagogical approach, taught via practical application in a school environment by an expert of recognized prestige, can be a useful resource to develop awareness of both sustainable development and its education, as well as to learn didactic strategies to apply ESD, which addresses aspects that are relevant in multicultural contexts, such as tolerance and empathy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Teacher Education)

18 pages, 761 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

The Interdependences between Sustainability and Their Lifestyle That Pre-Service Teachers Establish When Addressing Socio-Ecological Problems

by Patricia Esteve-Guirao, Mercedes Jaén García and Isabel Banos-González

Sustainability 2019, 11(20), 5748; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11205748 - 17 Oct 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2418

Abstract

In the training of pre-service teachers, promoting changes in everyday activities to favour environmental conservation is still a challenge. This paper discusses the main difficulties of pre-service teachers in the process of building relationships between sustainability and their lifestyle. For this purpose, a [...] Read more.

In the training of pre-service teachers, promoting changes in everyday activities to favour environmental conservation is still a challenge. This paper discusses the main difficulties of pre-service teachers in the process of building relationships between sustainability and their lifestyle. For this purpose, a problem-based learning programme was designed, consisting of three socio-ecological problems. In each of them, we analysed three components which define these interdependences: pressures, importance and solutions for conservation. There were 72 participants in the whole programme and 1296 responses were assessed, by establishing three levels of sophistication for the relationships between sustainability and their lifestyle in each component. The pre-service teachers readily admitted the pressures on the environment exerted by certain everyday activities. In addition, they progressed on the identification of the importance of ecosystem services in their lives, and they pay attention to those services linked to socio-economic and cultural activities. The greatest difficulties lay in proposing solutions of conservation that involve changes in personal habits towards more-sustainable ones. These difficulties are discussed, as well as the educational implications that may be derived. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Teacher Education)

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19 pages, 1210 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Implementing Pedagogical Approaches for ESD in Initial Teacher Training at Spanish Universities

by Sílvia Albareda-Tiana, Esther García-González, Rocío Jiménez-Fontana and Carmen Solís-Espallargas

Sustainability 2019, 11(18), 4927; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11184927 - 09 Sep 2019

Cited by 47 | Viewed by 4774

Abstract

Within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, four case studies of the degree in Primary Education at three Spanish universities are analyzed. The aim is to study the suitability of three different active teaching-learning strategies: problem-based learning (PBL), [...] Read more.

Within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, four case studies of the degree in Primary Education at three Spanish universities are analyzed. The aim is to study the suitability of three different active teaching-learning strategies: problem-based learning (PBL), project-oriented learning (POL), and a cross-disciplinary workshop. Another goal is to promote the integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) and measure the level of acquisition of several competencies of sustainability and the change in consumption habits of future teachers after implementing those pedagogical approaches. Initial and final ecological footprint (EF) as well as a rubric to measure the level of acquisition of competencies of sustainability were used as data collection instruments. The conclusions related to the research objectives show that when sustainability is implemented in the curriculum through active teaching-learning strategies, future teachers acquire competencies of sustainability. They also reveal that said strategies contribute to a change in consumption habits as a reduction in the EF is observed. There exists a relation between EF reduction and high levels of acquisition of competency in sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Teacher Education)

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14 pages, 261 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variables Influencing Pre-Service Teacher Training in Education for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Two Spanish Universities

by Olaya Álvarez-García, Luis Ángel García-Escudero, Francisca Salvà-Mut and Aina Calvo-Sastre

Sustainability 2019, 11(16), 4412; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11164412 - 15 Aug 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3112

Abstract

This paper analyzed the relationship that certain demographic and educational variables might have on the training in environmental education (EE) received by undergraduate students enrolled in a Degree in Primary Education (DPE) at two Spanish universities. For this purpose, they were given a [...] Read more.

This paper analyzed the relationship that certain demographic and educational variables might have on the training in environmental education (EE) received by undergraduate students enrolled in a Degree in Primary Education (DPE) at two Spanish universities. For this purpose, they were given a questionnaire to assess the link between certain personal and educational characteristics relating to the students in the sample (n = 274) and three components of an environmental competence (EC) model: environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. The results indicate that variables like gender, the students’ habitual place of residence, the type of leisure activities they undertook, and some educational factors had a significant impact on the acquisition of the said competencies. In light of these outcomes, the paper reflects on the possible role that non-university contexts might play in environmental education for pre-service teachers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Teacher Education)

12 pages, 264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Can Teachers Be Encouraged to Commit to Sustainability? Evaluation of a Teacher-Training Experience in Spain

by Mercedes Varela-Losada, Azucena Arias-Correa, Uxío Pérez-Rodríguez and Pedro Vega-Marcote

Sustainability 2019, 11(16), 4309; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11164309 - 09 Aug 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3158

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to design and evaluate an experience for future teachers focused on the participatory search for sustainability through role play so that outcomes related to improving the way they see the world and their commitment to mitigate [...] Read more.

The main objective of this study was to design and evaluate an experience for future teachers focused on the participatory search for sustainability through role play so that outcomes related to improving the way they see the world and their commitment to mitigate climate change could be analysed. The study was carried out with a socio-critical focus, using a qualitative approach. To this effect, semi-open interviews were conducted, and their results were codified and studied using content analysis. The outcomes show that this type of educational experience can contribute to improving commitment to climate change and new, more sustainable ways of understanding the world—starting with improving the training of free-thinking, discerning people who are able to use information and collaborate in solving socio-environmental problems. Proposals based on participatory and experiential learning, fostering ethical considerations and the training of people who are more critical and discerning, should be the basis of new models of Environmental Education for Sustainability that seek to educate a society capable of addressing present and future socio-environmental challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Teacher Education)

14 pages, 576 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Concept of Energy in the Spanish Curriculum of Secondary Education and Baccalaureate: A Sustainable Perspective

by Guadalupe Martínez-Borreguero, Jesús Maestre-Jiménez, Francisco Luis Naranjo-Correa and Milagros Mateos-Núñez

Sustainability 2019, 11(9), 2528; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11092528 - 01 May 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2815

Abstract

Teaching and learning of concepts within the science, technology, society, and environment (STSE) approach, such as energy, are key elements in improving students’ competencies in sustainability within the framework of environmental education. The overall objective of this research has been to analyze the [...] Read more.

Teaching and learning of concepts within the science, technology, society, and environment (STSE) approach, such as energy, are key elements in improving students’ competencies in sustainability within the framework of environmental education. The overall objective of this research has been to analyze the concept of energy in secondary education curriculum from a sustainable perspective. Likewise, the levels of cognitive demand in the curriculum for the students’ acquisition of the concept are analyzed. The design of the research is a descriptive, exploratory type, with mixed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the obtained data. A methodology similar to that carried out in other researches was followed, and an analysis established a system of categories to classify the references found. The results obtained reveal that the regulations that govern teaching of secondary education (12–18 years) deal in depth, and in an compulsory way, with the concept of energy. However, more action is required to promote sustainability at all stages of education, in order to alleviate current and future environmental problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Teacher Education)

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Review

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12 pages, 1978 KiB

Open AccessReview

Productive, Structural and Dynamic Study of the Concept of Sustainability in the Educational Field

by Antonio-Manuel Rodríguez-García, Jesús López Belmonte, Miriam Agreda Montoro and Antonio-José Moreno-Guerrero

Sustainability 2019, 11(20), 5613; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11205613 - 12 Oct 2019

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 2610

Abstract

Sustainable education is currently booming in the teaching and learning processes, although it is not without complexity, due to its various dimensions and the evolution it has undergone to date. The objective of this research is to establish a mapping and scientific evolution [...] Read more.

Sustainable education is currently booming in the teaching and learning processes, although it is not without complexity, due to its various dimensions and the evolution it has undergone to date. The objective of this research is to establish a mapping and scientific evolution of the term “sustainability” in education in the Web of Science database. To do so, a bibliometrical method has been applied, through the analysis of the performance of the scientific production and the evolution of the structure and dynamism of sustainability in education, by means of an analysis of co-words. The total number of references analyzed, after following a debugging process, was 9441. The results show the boom of sustainability in education in recent times, with a great impact on research related to attitudes and sustainability. It can be concluded that a large part of the studies analyzed are of a descriptive nature, with a decrease in the number of exploratory studies, which can give a holistic vision to the subject matter presented, especially regarding the development of the curriculum and the teaching-learning process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Teacher Education)

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