Education For Sustainable Development In Schools Research Articles

Does Teacher Training of ESD Help In-service Teachers to Implement ESD in School?

Education for sustainable development (ESD) has for decades been a focus internationally and has been embraced in the Japanese curriculum since 2008. Given UNESCO’s emphasis on teacher training for ESD and well-established in-service teacher training programmes in Japan, the aim of this study is to explore whether ESD teacher training could help Japanese in-service teachers to implement ESD in school. Semi-structured individual interviews with 12 in-service teachers from primary to lower secondary schools were conducted via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that in-service teacher training for ESD had a positive impact on transforming the teachers in both their professional and personal lives. However, challenges remain regarding the promotion of ESD in schools because of lack of common ground with other teaching colleagues and time constrains. The implications of implementing global ESD in schools are discussed.

초·중등학교 교과 교육과정과 지속가능발전교육 내용 간 연계성 분석1)

This study aims to analyze the connection between the achievement standards of elementary and secondary school curriculum and the learning contents of education for sustainable development (ESD) in order to lay the groundwork for enhancing ESD in schools, which is limitedly dealt in a few subjects. In order to analyze the connection, a working group was formed with experts from each school subject, and a total of 46 experts participated. The analysis was conducted in two stages; in the first analysis, each expert analyzed individually for each subject, and in the second analysis, experts reviewed and adjusted the results of the first analysis to reach a final agreement. After the analysis by subject was completed, the results were synthesized and analyzed for the learning domains and contents of ESD in elementary and secondary schools, and the final results were presented as a block graph. The results by learning domains are as follows. In the major domain I, which deals with backgrounds of sustainable development and ESD, the achievement standards of social studies, science, and practical subjects (technology and home economics) showed higher connectivity than other subjects. In the major domain II, which deals with the environment and ecological aspects, the achievement standards of elementary school integrated subjects, safe life, social studies, and science showed relatively high connectivity compared to other subjects. In the major domain III, which deals with social and cultural aspects, the achievement standards of elementary school integrated subjects, safe living, social studies, moral studies, practical studies (technology and home economics), and physical education showed relatively high connectivity. In the major domain IV, which deals with the economic aspect, the achievement standards for social studies and practical subjects (technology and home economics) showed relatively high connectivity. These results are expected to help enhance ESD in classes of various school subjects.

ICT tools and citizen science: a pathway to promote science learning and Education for Sustainable Development in schools

ABSTRACT The sustainability challenges facing humankind make necessary the convergence of Science Education (SE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Science learning and ESD requires the adoption of student-centred transformative teaching methods that promote values and critical thinking. This article explores the role of citizen science (CS) as an educational tool that could contribute in such transformative teaching. Innovative ICT tools that enable teachers to more easily engage their pupils in CS-based activities tailored to their local environment and teaching objectives have been developed and implemented in eight case studies, involving 214 students and seven teachers from three schools in Greece, the United Kingdom, and Spain. The results showed that: a) the CS-based educational initiatives contributed to improving natural science learning and represented progress in the development and integration of students’ competencies for sustainability; b) the developed ICT tools increased students’ interest and motivation; c) versatile ICT tools and platforms for teachers’ co-working can contribute to the inclusion of CS in the curriculum and thereby to the inclusion of ESD in schools. We conclude that such educational initiatives can contribute to the convergence of SE and ESD and help students develop global skills, preparing them for 21st century sustainability challenges.

Development of Students’ Sustainability Competencies: Do Teachers Make a Difference?

Sustainability competence is an important goal of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in school. It is therefore anchored in the education plans of almost all school tracks in Germany. However, empirical findings regarding ESD in schools are scarce. The present study thus examined how sustainability competencies of secondary-school students develop within the course of a school year. Based on a proposed framework model of sustainability competencies, we assessed (a) students’ sustainability-related knowledge, (b) their affective-motivational beliefs and attitudes towards sustainability, as well as (c) their self-reported sustainability-related behavioral intentions. Our sample comprised n = 1318 students in 79 classrooms at different secondary school tracks (Grades 5–8) in Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany). Measurements were taken at the beginning and at the end of the school year after the introduction of ESD as a guiding perspective for the new education plan. We observed an increase in students’ sustainability-related knowledge but a decline in their affective-motivational beliefs and attitudes towards sustainability over the course of one school year. Multilevel analyses showed that, at the individual level, prior learning requirements as well as ESD-related characteristics (students’ activities and general knowledge of sustainability) proved to be the strongest predictors of their development. In addition, grade- and track-specific differences were observed. At the classroom level, teachers’ attitudes towards ESD as well as their professional knowledge were found to be significant predictors of students’ development. The higher the commonly shared value of ESD at school and the higher teachers’ self-efficacy towards ESD, the higher was the students’ development of sustainability-related knowledge and self-reported sustainability-related behavioral intentions, respectively. The significance of the findings for ESD in schools is discussed.

Implementing ESD in Schools: Perspectives of Principals in Germany, Macau, and the USA

To successfully cope with global challenges such as climate change or loss of biodiversity, it will require a substantial change in the ways societies make use of the natural resources of our planet. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is expected to support the transformation of societies towards more sustainable ways of thinking, working, and living. Although there is a broad range of literature on ESD, little is known about the role of school leadership in ESD. However, leadership is crucial for the implementation of ESD in schools. This article gives a short overview of the status of ESD within Germany, Macau, and the United States and a literature review on leadership for ESD in schools. It reports on a study that seeks to investigate what principals do in Germany, Macau, and the United States; specifically, what management strategies they use and which competences they need to successfully establish ESD in their schools.

Environmental Education Catalyzed by Tourism: Ecoliteracy Initiatives on the Coast of Kenya

The Diani-Ukunda area on the Kenyan coast is one of the main tourism centers of the country. Over time, individuals who originally visited the area as tourists have started sustainability initiatives that are in part funded through donor networks from abroad (drawing on individuals who visited the country initially as tourists). This essay explores select German initiatives in the educational sector that have emerged in the context of the area’s tourism industry. Diani Maendeleo Academy (a secondary school for girls) and the six primary and secondary schools known as Mekaela Academies collectively serve a significant portion of the population of the larger Diani-Ukunda area, including the hinterland extending widely into Kwale County. The study was designed to assess the schools’ approach toward sustainability and ecoliteracy, and centered on the following questions: 1. What kinds of sustainable practices are promoted in the select schools? 2. In what ways do students who attend these schools display environmental literacy? 3. Do these initiatives address UN SDGs, known as Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)? The study follows an interdisciplinary mixed method approach and is based on interviews, survey instruments, research on ecoliteracy and educational policy, and fieldwork data from previous stays. Findings reveal a lesser-known dimension of tourism: namely, the successful pursuit of ESD in schools thriving in the context of tourism through an integrated approach towards teaching ecoliteracy.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING METHODOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES: ASSESSING THEIR POTENTIAL FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT [ESD

Rationale: The implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the education sectors came as a call from the UN General Assembly that declared the years 2005 – 2014 as being Decade for ESD (DESD). Agenda 2030 is being pursued to meet the unfinished targets. The purpose of this study is to bring out the potential of Educational Practices [EPs] for ESD in schools of Delhi in order to make a contribution to the implementation of ESD in schools. Objectives of the Study:  To identify the EPs undertaken in schools to implement Education for Sustainable Development [ESD].  To examine the role of identified EPs to develop ESD competencies. Methodology of the Study: The study was qualitative and exploratory in nature. Framework for the UNDESD International Implementation Scheme was used to delimit a themes or perspectives of ESD for the study. Educational Practices [EPs] based on these delimited themes that are carried out in these 15 schools were then identified. The data from the interview was triangulated with observations. No attempt has been made in this study to compare between the sample schools for the implementation of ESD; as this was not the purpose of the study. Also, focus of the study has been kept on the school-wide programme; keeping in view that an isolated EP cannot achieve desirable outcomes. Findings: Educational Practices included a systematic array of school activities, related policies, and approaches to achieve learning in ESD. Within these practices, there are different levels of complexity. These Educational practices had a common element- these EPs engaged the learners actively. Competency-building is promoted as learners dwell in these educational problems that simulate real-life experiences. There is a tremendous amount of work happening on the ground but it is disconnected and not aligned to learning goals. In this regard, the competency based education emphasised in NEP should be carefully dwelled upon while giving form and structure to the EPs conducted for implementation of ESD.

Organisational Strategies for Implementing Education for Sustainable Development in the UK Primary Schools: A Service Innovation Perspective

Education for sustainable development (ESD) in schools requires a whole-school approach to ensure that all stakeholders, including students, value sustainability and express this value in an active engagement in the ongoing development process. Such inclusivity however is rarely achieved, with benefits of ESD in schools usually recognised only by a select few. School strategies that continue to dominate research focus on management of the finite resources or give emphasis to a particular pedagogical agenda, whereas approaches that emphasise whole-school ESD engagement are scarce. This paper aims to address this gap. To do so, we propose to frame schools as service organisations and use service logic approach and service innovation theory to review how five primary schools in England define and implement ESD. The findings from our comparative case study discuss three strategies that schools as service organisations need to consider: defining sustainable student experience as a core service concept, developing an organisational culture of sustainability-driven innovation, and engaging in a value co-creation process with external stakeholders in order to facilitate the concept. Our results suggest that by placing “sustainable student experience” as the core service concept, schools can align their external and internal organisational activities to enable sustainable education for all stakeholders.

Leading Schools towards Sustainability. Fields of Action and Management Strategies for Principals

Education is expected to support the development of a more sustainable way of thinking, working, and living. Although there is a broad range of literature on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the role of principals in the implementation of sustainability and ESD in schools has rarely been taken into consideration. However, based on the results of school effectiveness research, one can assume that school principals exert a significant influence on ESD. Sustainability is a leadership issue. When a school aims at integrating sustainability and ESD, the principal plays a pivotal role. She or he has to support the endeavor wholeheartedly and credibly, organize a participative process of school development, emphasize sustainability and ESD in the daily life of the school, support teaching staff in the application of ESD, and offer students opportunities to launch their own initiatives. This article for the special issue on “Sustainability in leadership and education” is a theoretical concept paper based on a literature review and the authors’ conceptual work. It offers a model and seeks to support principals in leading their schools towards sustainability. Therefore, a framework of four stages of the integration of sustainability and ESD in a school is defined. For each of these stages, a number of practical actions and management strategies are suggested and explained in detail.

An interdisciplinary approach to environmental and sustainability education: developing geography students’ understandings of sustainable development using poetry

Education for sustainable development (ESD) persists as an important concept within international policy and yet, despite considerable debate, there remains a lack of consensus as to a pedagogy for ESD in schools. This paper presents findings from a study investigating how an interdisciplinary approach to ESD in England developed one class of 16- and 17-year-old geography students’ understandings of sustainability. The research used students’ drawings of sustainable cities alongside questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to explore their understanding of sustainable development within a constructivist, case study framework. The study found that the use of poetry within a geography lesson developed students’ appreciation of the social and economic dimensions of sustainability, although their focus persisted around the environmental. As such, it is argued that an interdisciplinary approach to ESD encourages students to engage more critically and affectively with the concept of sustainable development, thereby developing a more holistic appreciation of it.

School principals’ professional development in the framework of sustainable schools in Cyprus: a matter of refocusing

The current study scrutinises issues concerning school leaders’ education and training on education for sustainable development (ESD). Particularly, it explores principals’ self-reported competence for organising and implementing ESD in schools and their needs in education and training in order to effectively lead sustainable schools. Data were obtained from a nationwide survey in 150 primary schools in Cyprus during 2005–2007. The analysis revealed that school principals in Cyprus are poorly equipped for their new role as leaders of sustainable schools and agents of change, and focused on exploring suitable forms, content and approaches for their professional development on ESD. The outcomes are discussed in a national and international context since they have implications for ESD professional development programmes. Finally we discuss the need for upgrading principals’ professional development programmes and ideas for further research in the field.

The development of ESD-related competencies in supportive institutional frameworks

Although Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a matter of global importance, the requirements and needs of people differ according to their regional circumstances. (Not only) in Germany—in keeping with the increasingly international focus of “output” evaluations—one dominant educational debate has centred on effective ways of mapping and understanding pupils’ competencies. This article provides a Model of Competence for ESD in the formal education sector. This model aims to inform the organisation of teaching and to help assess the learning outcomes of pupils who have received instruction in issues relating to ESD. The competence model was developed and extended in connection with two German federal state innovation programmes which aimed to implement the concept of ESD in schools across the country.