Pre-Service Teachers’ Experience of Learning about Sustainability in Technology Education in South Africa

Abstract

There have been many calls for the integration of Education for Sustainable development in the training of pre-service teachers so that they can develop sustainability action competence to address sustainability issues now and in the future in their communities. This qualitative pilot project sought to explore pre-service technology teachers’ (PSTTs) experiences of learning about sustainability in the processing of the polymers module, when they were engaged in community-based assessment tasks. Data was collated from 25 PSTTs enrolled for the processing of the polymers module using reflective diaries and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed that PSTTs had three key experiences of learning about sustainability, making a difference, learning as hands-on, minds-on, and hearts-on and sustainable pedagogies. At a theoretical level, the findings highlight the value of adopting an ESD lens and experiential learning approach to infuse learning about sustainability when teaching technology education. Further, the findings indicate that if PSTTs are challenged to participate actively in sustainability issues in their communities, they make informed choices about their role in society as future teachers, the pedagogies they plan to adopt, and the kinds of learning they strive to promote in learners.