Education For Sustainable Development Research Articles

Strategies for sustainable development in university education: Breaking barriers and cultivating awareness

Strategies for sustainable development in university education: Breaking barriers and cultivating awareness

Caring for our planet: a world apart or same difference? A global music collaboration

PurposeThe impact and collective threat of climate change is of key concern to all. Music and arts education can play a role by responding to the ongoing climate crisis through the creation of artworks as activism. This paper discusses a collaborative online international music project and its potential contribution to sustainable development education.Design/methodology/approach 10,427 miles and 11 hours apart, music education students undertook the project, working in groups with a mix of students from Aberdeen, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia in each group. Each student collected video footage that captured their experience of climate concerns related to their environment. Students combined and edited the footage then collaboratively composed music to accompany the footage. This research was conceived as a collaborative self-study project undertaken by the authors as music teacher educators.FindingsThe results show a range of musical and extra musical outcomes and challenges. Evidence suggests that a collaborative online international music learning experience may contribute to sustainable development education and regenerative practice more broadly. Students began to develop their practice as educators for school and community contexts embedding learning for sustainability and climate consciousness, thus enabling them to develop as active global citizens.Originality/valueThis paper argues for greater attention to the affordances of digital collaborative music technology tools to facilitate creative projects as well as the need to reimagine musical experience, drawing together strands of music, sustainability education, technology and global citizenship. This paper also argues for the importance of embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals in teaching and learning in Higher Education.

Transitioning to blended learning during COVID‐19: Exploring instructors and adult learners' experiences in three Ghanaian universities

AbstractTeaching and learning in higher education have increasingly become digitalized and associated with innovative pedagogical methodologies over the past decades. Following the sudden onset of the pandemic in March 2020, several studies tended to focus on traditional students' experiences with emergency remote education while literature is scarce on non‐traditional students (or adult learners) pedagogical experiences in Distance Education contexts. Using a qualitative case study approach, this study explored how digital technologies mediated instructors' and adult learners' educational experiences during COVID‐19 and their first‐time experiences with blended learning. Between October 2021 and July 2022, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 40 adult learners and 20 instructors in three selected public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana. Data analysis followed Braun and Clarke's (2012) thematic analysis approach. The results showed that the transition to blended learning was supported by the adoption and integration of varied virtual online technologies. The themes highlight the positive and negative impacts of technology in mediating the educational experiences of instructors and adult learners in blended learning environments. The themes which reflected both instructors' and adult learners' experiences were enhanced course delivery and pedagogy, competency development, technological issues and poor‐quality pedagogy. Blended learning facilitated by technology could be the ‘new normal learning’ post‐pandemic for adult learners pursuing Distance Education in Ghana. The study recommends the implementation of agile strategies and policies by HEIs to ensure sustainable quality education in distance learning. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic The COVID‐19 pandemic necessitated the adoption of innovative pedagogical approaches in higher education contexts. Technological transformations in information and communication technology (ICT) have enhanced remote teaching in higher education institutions globally. The educational experiences of educators and learners differ in blended learning contexts. What this paper adds Instructors and adult learners' positive experiences with navigating a variety of web‐based technologies during the educational process are negatively impacted by technological difficulties during online instruction. Participants' experiences of blended learning are mixed with a preference for face‐to‐face dimension of blended learning instead of the online dimension. The paper identifies four themes that characterize instructors and adult learners' experiences with technology‐enhanced learning including enhanced course delivery and pedagogy, competency development, technological issues and poor‐quality pedagogy. Implications for practice and/or policy The study provides evidence‐based information on the relevance of digitizing distance education for sustainable development and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for distance education students. The research recommends that higher education institutions (HEIs) implement agile policies to facilitate a seamless shift to distance learning. HEIs may adopt open distance learning frameworks to streamline 21st century pedagogical and learning practices in distance‐blended learning environments for quality course instruction. The study highlights the potential distance learning modalities that HEIs can consider for Distance Education students to sustain effective quality teaching and learning.

Implementation of sustainability principles in landscape architecture education: an examination of faculty attitudes and course syllabi

Purpose This study aims to investigate the integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) into landscape architecture (LA) programs in North American universities to understand its benefits and challenges and provide insights into the implementation of sustainability principles, pedagogies and teaching methods. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzed survey data from 128 LA faculty members from 85 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture member schools. The survey assessed the implementation of sustainability principles, pedagogies, teaching benefits and challenges to integrating sustainability into their courses. To complement the survey data, 62 LA course syllabi were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to identify the topics covered, learning objectives and learning activities. Findings The study revealed that LA programs incorporate sustainability topics in various courses using project-based and interdisciplinary learning approaches. Integrating ESD into LA curricula promotes sustainability literacy, improved understanding of sustainability concepts and the development of sustainability skills. The study also found positive correlations between teaching methods, the enhancement of sustainability literacy and the development of design and planning skills. Originality/value This research examined the effects of teaching methods on student learning outcomes and the challenges instructors faced, providing practical insights into the integration of ESD in LA education. It offers recommendations to enhance the ESD knowledge of future LA practitioners, considering the inclusion of ESD as a core value of the standard by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board.

A Study on the Perceptions of Pre-service Early Childhood Teachers on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) In South Korea

A Study on the Perceptions of Pre-service Early Childhood Teachers on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) In South Korea

The Importance of International Education at Various Educational Stages from the Perspective of Sustainable Development Education

The Importance of International Education at Various Educational Stages from the Perspective of Sustainable Development Education

Sustainable development of Chinese higher education through comparison of higher education indices

The purpose of this study is to undertake a comparative study of higher education indices in China and between the 31 administrative divisions of China with the international evaluation system. The analysis includes a comparison of higher education indices between China and six continents and several key countries in the world, as well as a comparison between internal regions in China and Malaysia, both of which are in Asia. The numbers and rankings of higher education institutes (HEIs) of various countries and regions listed in the QS World University Rankings (QS) over 13 years from 2010 to 2023 form the basis of corresponding higher education indices obtained through several calculation formulas. These indices are the QS Higher Education Density Index (QSHEDI), QS Higher Education Quality Index (QSHEQI), QS Higher Education Composite Index (QSHEI), and Relative QS Higher Education Composite Index (RQSHEI), and they reflect the index calculation results of the density, quality, and composite of higher education relative to the regional population. Based on the comparative analysis of the indices from multiple perspectives, this study found that there is a large gap between higher education in China and other countries, and there is also a significant imbalance in the geographical distribution of higher education resources among Chinese provinces based on the population proportion and economic impact. These disparities will hurt the sustainable development of higher education in China. Therefore, paying more attention to the international evaluation system and recognition standards like the QS Rankings becomes necessary to guide the balanced development of higher education among provinces according to the population proportion. It is also vital to improve the international influence of HEIs in China according to internationally recognized requirements so that China's higher education can develop sustainably in the process of global internationalization.

Education for Sustainable Development: Mapping Socio-legal and Eco-cultural Sustainability Topics in English Learning

This research aimed to identify socio-legal and eco-cultural values through the participatory mapping (PM) of local wisdom in supporting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher education, which can potentially be applied to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning. The research involved 14 English students at a private university in Bali, Indonesia. The participants were selected to take part in participatory mapping (PM) with community members at a remote village. The results of this study are documented in two major findings. First, with their collective knowledge gained from PM, the English students were able to identify socio-legal and eco-cultural values and utilize them contextually in their report writing. Second, undertaking participatory mapping prior to completing writing tasks in their EFL course could help students to better express their ideas and strengthen their English writing skills. The insertion of two aspects of sustainability in the EFL tasks involved incorporating local values into EFL learning. Through English students experiencing PM prior to completing their writing task, EFL learning can be conducted more authentically with the students paying greater attention to the local culture and values. By exploring socio-legal and eco-cultural sustainability as the core activity of PM in this research, the study contributes to our understanding of the way in which the integration of local values into EFL activities in Indonesia makes a tangible contribution to ESD.

DEVELOPMENT OF INTEGRATED EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DIGITAL TEACHING MATERIALS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY TO FACILITATE STUDENTS' CRITICAL THINKING ABILITIES

This research is motivated by Indonesia's impending energy crisis, where education is seen as one of the solutions to achieve sustainable development in the energy field. Therefore, there is a need for the concept or use of integrated Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) digital teaching materials in the physics subject on the topic of renewable energy. The research aims to determine the process of developing integrated ESD digital teaching materials, to assess the validation results of content and media experts on the teaching materials, and to understand students' responses to the acceptance of the teaching materials. The research method used is Research and Development (R&D) with the Thiagarajan 4-D research model modified with the define, design, and development stages. This study has developed integrated ESD digital teaching materials on renewable energy topics to facilitate students' critical thinking abilities in digital form through the assistance of the fliphtml5 website, which is categorized as very suitable. The expert validation results for content yielded a percentage of 87.6%, which was categorized as very suitable; the expert validation results for media yielded a percentage of 84.6%, which was also categorized as very suitable. Students' responses to accepting the teaching materials were 87.8%, categorized as very suitable.

Opportunities and Challenges of Liberal Arts Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligenc

The era of artificial intelligence has brought opportunities and challenges to liberal arts education. In terms of opportunities, personalized learning becomes possible, the application of intelligent educational tools to improve the teaching effect, the rich diversity of teaching resources to promote the diversification of teaching content, and the innovation of teaching mode to stimulate the innovation of education methods. However, liberal arts education also faces many challenges in the era of artificial intelligence. Data privacy and security concerns threaten the rights of students and teachers, the role of teachers needs to be redefined to meet the challenges of technological development, and algorithmic bias and discrimination can affect the equity and quality of education. Therefore, liberal arts education in the era of artificial intelligence needs to grasp the opportunities while seriously addressing the challenges, through strengthening data security protection, promoting teacher professional development, promoting the integration of technology and humanities and other measures to achieve sustainable development and progress of liberal arts education.

Effects of play-based education for sustainable development of young children’s environmental preservation knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors - Focus on environmental dimension

Effects of play-based education for sustainable development of young children’s environmental preservation knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors - Focus on environmental dimension

Educational Reform and Innovation of Art Design Professional Group in the Digital Age

With the rapid development of digital technology, art and design education is experiencing an unprecedented change. This change has brought both development opportunities and challenges. The traditional education model has been difficult to adapt to the fast-changing market demand and industry development trends, and it is urgent to carry out in-depth reform and innovation. This paper focuses on the current educational situation of art design professional group in the background of digital age, and analyzes the problems and shortcomings of the current educational model, the purpose of this paper is to explore new educational models and innovative paths to meet the needs of the digital age. It is expected to provide useful reference and reference for the Reform and innovation of Art and Design Education, and promote the sustainable development and progress of Art and design education in the digital era.

Education for Sustainable Development in Secondary School: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Education for sustainable development (ESD) should be implemented at all levels of education, including secondary schools. This article aimed to give a thorough bibliometric assessment of the literature on “education for sustainable development in secondary schools.” The article was discovered in the Scopus database. The Scopus database reviewed in this study yielded 100 papers from 1998 to 2022. The VOS viewer software was then used to organize, classify, and visualize the selected references. Overall, this evaluation serves as a good starting point for more research into secondary school “education for sustainable development.” Keywords: education for sustainable development, secondary school. a review, bibliometric analysis

Closing the Gap: The Tripartite Structure of Sustainability as a Tool for Sustainable Education—A Systematic Literature Review

(1) In an era where sustainable behavior is increasingly crucial, understanding the discrepancy between individuals’ sustainability-oriented values and their actual behaviors, known as the inner–outer gap, is vital. This systematic literature review explores the potential of the Tripartite Structure of Sustainability (TSS) framework to address this gap within the context of sustainable education. By reviewing the literature from the APA, ERIC, and Web of Science databases, searched on 25 October 2020, the factors influencing sustainable actions were systematically examined. Articles had to be relevant to the topic (sustainability, morality in relation to sustainability, or morality in general) and report on empirically validated factors that have an impact on the inner-outer gap. (2) By employing a qualitative content analysis approach, 56 articles over a 15-year period were analyzed, identifying 83 factors that either bridged or reinforced the inner–outer gap. These factors were categorized within the TSS framework, which segments sustainability-oriented actions into individual, social, and self-transcendent domains, alongside their activation points: stable, situational, or automated. (3) The analysis revealed that self-focused factors often reinforce the gap, suggesting they are a hindrance to sustainable behavior. Conversely, self-transcendent factors consistently bridged the gap, promoting sustainability. Social factors showed variable impacts based on the ethical and sustainable context they were placed in, suggesting that the social environment’s orientation significantly influences sustainable behavior. (4) This study concludes that the TSS framework offers a promising approach to advancing education for sustainable development (ESD) and contributes insights into how to promote the required paradigm shift towards holistic and interconnected perspectives.

Green Chemistry on the Ores Leaching Processes Using Organic Acids: A Qualitative Pedagogical Content Analysis Study

Ores leaching projects aimed to recover toxic and valuable metals from industrial residues. Organic acids like acetic acid and methanesulfonic acid were chosen as leaching agents because they have high selectivity on low concentrations of metals and low toxicity. This study aimed to obtain scientists’ conceptions of ores leaching using organic acids presented in concept maps and Teaching Learning Sequence (TLS). The method used in this study was qualitative content analysis consisting of literature collection, descriptive analysis, category selection, and material evaluation from textbooks, review articles and research articles. The result of this study was in the form of a concept map, and TLS illustrate five sequences of learning materials consisting of mineral products in Indonesia, valorization of industrial process residue with green chemistry-oriented, industrial process residue treatment steps, organic acid properties, and examples of the ores leaching process. The leaching process of ores using organic acids in learning is contextual learning that integrates the concepts of acids and bases, redox reactions, and the principles of solubility learned by high school students. This process also applies the principles of green chemistry, preventing waste in the process and using safe solvents. The results of the concept map and Teaching Learning Sequence (TLS) showed the application of green chemistry in learning, which is expected to be used as a design for teaching materials and didactic designs that can support education for sustainable development. Keywords: Green Chemistry, Organic Acids, Pedagogical Content Analysis

Global Education Development Plan to Build Sustainable Education Based on Artificial Intelligence

Global education is an important aspect in preparing a generation ready to face the challenges of the future. In an effort to develop sustainable education, the use of artificial intelligence is one of the interesting potentials to consider. The research aims to explain the design of global education development aimed at developing AI-based sustainable education through library studies. The study uses a library study method by collecting, analysing, and synthesizing research, scientific articles, reports, and other relevant literary sources. The research focuses on three important aspects in the design of AI-based global sustainable education development, namely, learning personalization, adaptive curriculum development, and student progress assessment and monitoring. The library study results show that the use of AI in education can enable more effective learning personalization. With AI, learning materials can be tailored to individual student needs and preferences, enhancing their engagement and understanding. Furthermore, AI-supported adaptative curricular development allows learning experiences that are adapted to student development and capabilities. Student progress evaluation and surveillance can also be enhanced through the application of AI. This technology can provide more objective and comprehensive assessment of student progress, helping teachers to provide more timely feedback and support better decision-making in learning planning. While the potential for the use of AI in sustainable global education is promising, there are challenges and consequences to bear in mind. Ethical aspects, student data privacy, and fairness in access and use of AI technology should be key concerns in designing sustainable global education development. The study provides insight into the design of AI-based sustainable global education development through library studies. These findings could provide a basis for further research and provide practical guidance to stakeholders in adopting and implementing AI technologies responsibly to develop sustainable education at a global level.

UGDYMAS TVARIAM VYSTYMUISI PRADINĖJE MOKYKLOJE: BŪSIMŲJŲ PRADINIŲ KLASIŲ MOKYTOJŲ POZICIJA

The results of the survey showed that a large proportion of pre-service teachers, when assessing the situation over the next 10 years in nine key areas (air pollution, deforestation, biotic crisis, greenhouse effect, water scarcity, radioactive waste, GMOs, water pollution, global warming), predicted that the situation would worsen in all areas. It is clear that such scenarios are mostly dependent on the socio-economic development of humanity and what measures/actions will be taken at national and international level to minimise the consequences of such predictions for humanity. The results of the study show that in the national context, sprawl and solid waste are seen as the most pressing environmental problems. Endangered species, deforestation, exotic plants and/or animals are not considered to be a pressing issue in Lithuania. The vast majority of preservice teachers consider their knowledge of sustainable development to be insufficient and say that much more is needed. These findings oblige curriculum designers and implementers to take this into account when improving/restructuring/developing curricula and constructing the content of individual subjects. The results suggest that the majority of respondents consider teaching about sustainable development at an early age to be very important. The latter variable is directly correlated with the need for knowledge about sustainable development. Respondents who emphasise the importance of teaching about sustainable development have a correspondingly higher need for knowledge about sustainable development. In addition, it is found that the majority of the respondents have a positive attitude towards sustainable development and only a small number of respondents have a neutral attitude towards it. The study certainly has some limitations. Firstly, the sample size of the study is small, despite the fact that it is in principle in line with the requirements of a preliminary/pilot study. Due to the homogeneity of the population studied, possible gender differences were not analysed. Keywords: education for sustainable development (ESD), quantitative survey, primary school, pre-service teachers, sustainable development

Values-Based Education for Sustainable Development (VbESD): Introducing a Pedagogical Framework for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Using a Values-Based Education (VbE) Approach

It is widely recognized that quality and sustainable education is a key enabler for all the SDGs, and that affective education significantly enhances such education. However, while certain pedagogical approaches have been found to support the competencies and skills within Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), there is no tangible framework to facilitate ESD in classrooms. This paper introduces and demonstrates Values-based Education for Sustainable Development (VbESD): a comprehensive, replicable, and actionable pedagogical framework that explicitly and holistically fosters sustainability as an intrinsic value by using the principles of Values-based Education (VbE) in an ESD context. The VbESD framework presents eight pillars—modelling, Inner Curriculum, reflection, atmosphere and ethos, curriculum, leadership, ethical vocabulary, and sustainable school operations (MIRACLES)⁠—that holistically facilitate the development of intrinsic positive values into quality education for sustainable development. Using a deductive-inductive approach with two mixed-method surveys and 157 responses, VbESD was developed and validated with significant interest in, support for, and willingness to implement the framework. All surveyees responded neutrally or positively to valuing sustainability, believing it is important as an intrinsic value, incorporating sustainability into the educational system, and implementing the VbESD framework. This study proposes VbESD as a potential method for primary educational institutions and educators to nurture resilient, ethically intelligent change-leaders who can champion the social change needed for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.

Context-Based Teaching through Education for Sustainable Development in Philippine Secondary Schools: A Meta-analysis

Integrating sustainability into pedagogical strategies can potentially catalyze the promotion of sustainable development knowledge and practices, thus making it an imperative trend for educational institutions. The context-based teaching through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was instrumental in achieving sustainability competencies and in bringing positive education outcomes in various educational milieus. Studies on its implementation in the Philippine context are still limited. This paper examines the effectiveness of Context-Based Teaching (CBT) through ESD on the science performance of secondary students in the Philippines. It reviewed pedagogical strategies applied to embed Sustainable Competencies (SCs) in the teaching-learning process. Results revealed its effectiveness and highlighted key SCs that were mostly developed and those that were least emphasized. However, the indicated variables did not influence its effectiveness. For further research, other indicators of learning that may potentially affect its successful implementation can be critically investigated.

Building Capacity for Sustainability Education: An Analysis of Vocational Teachers’ Knowledge, Readiness, and Self-Efficacy

In contributing towards the discourse on developing teachers’ capabilities for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), this study examines the relationships between sustainability knowledge, readiness, and self-efficacy for teaching sustainability concepts among vocational teachers in Malaysian colleges. Grounded in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, the research assesses the combined effect of teachers’ sustainability knowledge and readiness on their ability to teach sustainability effectively. Using a cross-sectional survey design, a sample of three hundred and seventy-five (375) vocational college teachers and structural equation modeling (SEM), the results indicate no significant link between teachers’ sustainability knowledge and their readiness for ESD. However, a positive relationship between teachers’ readiness and their self-efficacy was found. The study shows that while sustainability knowledge does not directly enhance readiness for ESD, it is a strong predictor of self-efficacy in teaching sustainability. Moreover, readiness has a greater effect on self-efficacy than sustainability knowledge alone, highlighting the importance of conceptual understanding in building teachers’ confidence and competence in sustainability education. Despite focusing specifically on Malaysia and using self-reported data, which to some extent limits the study’s findings, the outcomes offer practical insights for educational policymakers, vocational institutions, and educators. They underscore the need for a comprehensive educational approach beyond just knowledge transfer. This research contributes to the sustainability education discourse and suggests areas for future studies, including exploring contextual differences and adopting longitudinal study designs to better understand the dynamics between sustainability knowledge, readiness, and teaching self-efficacy in vocational education.