Education For Sustainable Development Principles Research Articles

Education for sustainable development: comparative analysis and prospects at universities in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

The study, conducted in higher education institutions in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, highlights ongoing changes in approaches to education for sustainable development (ESD) in Central Asian countries. This region, exposed to various challenges such as climate change and environmental problems, has recognized the importance and role of education in achieving sustainable development. The study aims to identify the current level of awareness of students and teachers about the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to understand how universities in the region are integrating ESD principles into their educational programs.The results show that students generally have limited knowledge about the global sustainable development goals, while teachers have a higher level of awareness. Most students receive information about the sustainable development goals (SDGs) through social media and the Internet, while it is less reflected in the curriculum. However, there is a trend towards changing this situation, in particular in Tajikistan, where curricula are becoming more focused on environmental education.Finally, recommendations for universities include integrating ESD principles into teacher development, developing teaching methods and materials, and strengthening collaboration at the regional and international levels to promote sustainable development goals.

예비유아교사의 지속가능발전교육(ESD) 내용을 주제로 구성한 통합적 유아동작활동 경험에 관한 연구

Objectives This study aims to examine the experiences of prospective early childhood teachers in integrated children's movement activities centered around Education for Sustainable Development(ESD). The objective is to explore an integrated approach to ESD by analyzing these movement activity experiences.
 Methods To achieve this goal, 45 first-year students enrolled in the Department of Early Childhood Education at University A in Gyeonggi-do participated in early childhood movement education classes from September 1 to December 9 in the second semester of 2022. The curriculum focused on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Integrated children's movement activities were designed and implemented under the theme of ESD. Data collection involved qualitative analysis of each team's children's movement activity plan, movement activity ex-ecution report, open-ended questionnaires, and interview data.
 Results First, the themes of global environment, prosperity, people and peace emerged in that order among the five areas of the Sustainable Development Goals in integrated children's movement activities. Second, pro-spective early childhood teachers showed increased interest in, understanding of, and practical application of sustainable development through the composition of children's movement activities with ESD content. Third, the study confirmed the potential for an integrated approach to ESD as prospective early childhood teachers en-hanced their expertise in creating integrated movement activities based on the sustainable development goals.
 Conclusions The study proposes an integrated approach to early childhood movement education and sustainable development education as a means to enhance the sustainable development education capabilities of prospective early childhood teachers during their training. This approach aims to equip them with the necessary skills to effec-tively integrate ESD principles into their future teaching practices.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): Analysis of System Thinking Competencies of Primary School Learners

Objective: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a 2030 agenda comprised of 17 goals. One of these goals, the fourth, pertains to Quality Education and includes indicator 4.7, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), as one of its achievements. The implementation of ESD in education targets the instillation of systems thinking competencies within learning objectives. Consequently, students are expected to possess systems thinking competencies as a direct outcome of the learning process. The purpose of the research is to find out how good the system thinking competence of students in elementary schools is. Method: This study employs descriptive quantitative methods, analyzing 15 tested items to assess system thinking competencies. The analysis of competency in system thinking involved 65 sixth-grade students at Elementary School 1 Sukaraja. Data collected was analyzed using the Rasch model via the Winstep application. Results: The analysis of the data obtained revealed a notably low interaction between the items and the student's responses, with Cronbach Alpha producing a logit of 0.34. This suggests that students have limited ability to engage with complex systems, as evidenced by the logit number of -0.8. Novelty: The development of systems thinking competency in elementary school students must be continually monitored and fostered as an essential aspect of applying ESD principles to real-life issues to ensure a sustainable future. This is based on an analysis of the data obtained regarding the long-term impact of such an approach on the students' problem-solving abilities.

Analysis of the Implementation of ESD in Online Science Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a program designed to achieve sustainable development goals. In the 2013 curriculum, ESD has been used as one of the bases for teaching science to students. However, the existence of the Covid-19 outbreak in Indonesia has had an effect on science learning activities in junior high schools, so that face-to-face learning has been shifted to online learning. This study aims to analyze activities in online learning, the obstacles experienced by teachers and students, and their effectiveness in implementing ESD principles. The method used is descriptive qualitative to describe online learning at one of the Junior High School (SMP) and Islamic Junior High School (MTs) in West Java. The Researchers used data from the analysis of the teacher's lesson plan and semi-structured interviews with 2 teachers and 2 students. Data analysis was performed by reducing data, presenting data, and drawing conclusions. The results show that online learning is less effective in implementing ESD values because the material presented is limited and learning is only one-way (teacher center). Online learning is carried out using WhatsApp, Google Classroom, and e-learning media with obstacles in the form of internet network instability and a lack of student motivation. Therefore, it is hoped that the teacher can use a learning model that is more attractive, student-centered, and can implement the principles of ESD.

Teachers’ preparedness to teach environmental science in Bhutan

Environmental science (ES) was introduced in Bhutan as an optional school subject for classes IX-XII to equip young people with the knowledge, values, and skills to protect the environment and promote sustainable and equitable use of natural resources in the pursuit of gross national happiness. Teachers are believed to play a crucial role in the effective implementation of ES, and this paper analyses Bhutanese teachers’ views on how well they have been prepared to implement ES. The interview data from 14 teachers and six principals showed that limited qualifications and professional development in teaching ES have resulted in lack of confidence in teaching ES, lack of pedagogical content knowledge, and lack of clarity about the ES objectives. These results suggest integrating more knowledge about education for sustainable development (ESD) into teacher education program to adequately prepare teachers to teach ES if required and integrate ESD principles into other subjects.

Education for Sustainable Development – Practical-Apply Aspects

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a priority in school practice. It is a tool for achieving sustainability and aims to prepare young people for a balanced, harmonious and sustainable world for the present and future generations. The concept of sustainable development is constantly evolving and enriching. ESD is based on a three-component system: environment, society and economy. The paradigm for sustainable development is becoming increasingly popular in the education system. It integrates ESD principles into all levels of education. One of its goals is to form competencies for sustainable development. The research uses the methods of pedagogical research: critical review of the literature, content analysis of curricula, methodological modeling. The research focuses on the methodology for effective implementation of ESD in school practice. The purpose of the present study is to interpret highlights from the content of ESD; explore opportunities for the formation of competencies for sustainability in school practice; present models reflecting the main components of ESD and the interrelationships between them. This article contributes to expanding the debate on ESD and operationalizing the competencies for sustainability in a specific subject area.

Framing and facilitating complex problem-solving competences in interdisciplinary megaprojects: an institutional strategy to educate for sustainable development

PurposeProblem-based learning (PBL) has been suggested as an approach to education for sustainable development (ESD); however, the integration of interdisciplinarity is continuously challenged as it requires transfer and collaboration across disciplinary boundaries, as well as integration into an often already-overflowing curriculum. Even in formalized PBL universities emphasizing student responsibility for defining relevant problems, envisioning sustainable solutions and developing transversal competences, interdisciplinary collaboration is still often “relocated” to extra-curricular activities. This paper aims to explore Aalborg University (AAU) Megaprojects as a case for systematically integrating principles of ESD, and particularly interdisciplinarity, into PBL at scale.Design/methodology/approachThe paper proposes a framework for analysing potentials and challenges concerning interdisciplinary framing and facilitation in large-scale projects based on PBL- and ESD-related research and presents findings from a case study on the first three rounds of megaprojects at AAU in 2019 and 2020.FindingsThe findings indicate that interdisciplinary megaprojects have the potential to motivate students to engage in sustainable development; however, they require systematic framing and guided facilitation, particularly in the early stages, for students to take ownership, prioritize collaboration and see the contribution to and connection between disciplines. They also need prioritization at all institutional levels to succeed as an institutional strategy of ESD.Originality/valueThe paper provides insights into the potentials and challenges of framing and facilitating large-scale megaprojects as an approach to integrate the SDGs and interdisciplinary collaboration into higher education. Hence, it aims to provide new insights, concepts and practices for ESD and PBL for sustainability.

Measuring System Competence in Education for Sustainable Development

This paper presents the development of an instrument for the assessment of system competence in the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Based on an already existing, more complex model of system competence for the school subject geography, we have developed a test that refers to central themes and principles of ESD using exclusively closed answer formats. Building on the results of cognitive laboratories and expert feedback from various fields, the instrument was (further) developed in an iterative process of feedback and revision. We conducted a quantitative pilot study with N = 366 8th and 9th grade students. The results indicate that the development of our system competence test was successful—the overall test yielded a high reliability and only very few items were not working as intended. Furthermore, the difficulties of the items were appropriate for the ability levels of the students and the results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggest that the newly developed test measures system competence with one dimension. As the test is compact, easy to interpret, and yet reliable, it is particularly suitable for monitoring purposes in the field of ESD.

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AS A GUARANTEE OF QUALITATIVE PRIMARY EDUCATION IN A NEW UKRAINIAN SCHOOL

The article provides rational importance of education for sustainable development in modern society. The authors identify the subject and the aim of the research: peculiarities of the implementation of theoretical principles of education for sustainable development in Ukraine and evaluation of pedagogical influence of the use of author's methodological concept of advanced environmental education on the development of primary schoolchildren’s environmental competence. The article represents experimental materials, according to which the authors make conclusion that education for sustainable development and advanced environmental education as its key part occupy the dominant position in the New Ukrainian School, as they provide high quality of primary education and prepare young learners for life in sustainable models of balanced development. У статті розкрито раціональне значення освіти для сталого розвитку в сучасному суспільстві. Висвітлено особливості впровадження теоретичних засад освіти для сталого розвитку в Україні та надано оцінку педагогічного впливу використання авторської методологічної концепції екологічної освіти на розвиток екологічної компетентності молодших школярів. Презентовано експериментальні матеріали, згідно з якими автори статті доходять висновку, що освіта для сталого розвитку та випереджувальна екологічна освіта як її ключова частина посідають провідне місце в Новій українській школі, оскільки забезпечують високу якість початкової освіти та готують молодших школярів до життя в стійких моделях збалансованого розвитку.

The Impact of Education for Sustainable Development on Romanian Economics and Business Students’ Behavior

Education for sustainable development (ESD) has presented long-lasting interest for researchers and policy makers. Despite a significant body of research, more in depth empirical studies are required for a better understanding of how sustainable development goals are applied in higher education and how sustainable behavior could be shaped via ESD. The need for this kind of research arises from, first, the scarceness of existing studies that explore economic and business higher education, and, second, the necessity to properly assess the connection between ESD principles and students’ behavior. Following this rationale, the present paper aims to provide an overview of how students’ sustainable behaviors are shaped via their perception of sustainable campus initiatives, teaching staff involvement and curricula. Statistical and econometric analysis applied on data collected via a survey on students from Bucharest University of Economic Studies (N = 1253) provides findings on the extent to which the awareness of sustainable development-specific issues acquired through education leads to sustainable behavior among students. According to the results, we argue that an increasing share of sustainable development topics combined with teaching staff involvement to raise awareness of sustainability issues are crucial to students’ sustainable behavior. However, on-campus actions are unlikely to change behavior unless they are optional rather than compulsory. Our findings ratify that, since education is one of the main drivers of sustainable development, there is an urgent need for coherence in shaping higher education according to sustainability issues.

Understanding of Sustainability and Education for Sustainable Development among Pre-Service Biology Teachers

Sustainable development (SD) is one of the global and central aims of today’s politics. As stated in Agenda 21, education must play an essential role in achieving a sustainable society. The present research is focused on Slovenian and Austrian biology teacher students’ understanding of SD and education for sustainable development (ESD). The research was carried out at the University of Ljubljana and the University of Vienna. Altogether, 60 Slovenian and 60 Austrian pre-service biology teachers participated in the questionnaire-based study. Pre-service biology teachers answered a set of Likert-type and open survey questions. Less than half of the pre-service biology teachers from Slovenia and Austria had a good understanding of the environmental aspects of SD, but they lack understanding of the interconnections between the environmental, economic and social dimensions related to SD. They describe and connect ESD with environmental education and environmental awareness. Students from both countries know some pedagogical principles of ESD, such as active learning and transformative education. Analysis with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in focus showed that only some of them were mentioned by the teacher students. The results of the research contribute to the evaluation and development of curriculum for middle and high school biology teachers.

Implementation of education for sustainable development principles in the training of future software engineers

The article examines the professional training of future software engineers in higher education institutions in the context of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN General Assembly, as well as the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) principles. A number of contradictions that arise in the course of this training are mentioned on the example of training of future object-oriented programming engineers. The UNESCO documents on education for sustainable development, scientific sources on the professional training of future software engineers, as well as the integration of sustainable development into relevant educational programs are analyzed. The methodology and results of experimental work carried out with the aim of overcoming existing contradictions, promoting sustainable development of information technology education and implementation of ESD principles in the process of professional training of future software engineers are presented. In particular, the organizational and methodological conditions, that were implemented into the educational process, and experimental data are presented. The effectiveness of the experimental work was proved by statistical verification of the reliability of the obtained data.

Promoting sustainable development and universities cooperation

The article presents experiences in developing key sustainability competences in the context of universities’ collaboration projects. Examples of education for sustainable development principles’ implications in the process of teaching foreign languages are described. The analyses of cooperation of a Russian university with a regional university and an international university are given. The emphasis is made on possibilities of using modern digital technologies and online technologies for students’ communication at distance. Students’ perception of participating in cooperation projects is outlined. Ways of teaching staff collaboration are discussed and analysed. The results demonstrate the possibility of establishing mutually beneficial academic relationships allowing effective implementing principles of sustainable development in practice.

INTEGRATION SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INTO HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has beenpromoted by UNESCO to create a sustainable society in thecontext of achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) onthe global agenda 2030. Higher education plays an important rolein formation and development of human resources, producingstudents with sustainability awareness, who understandinterrelationship between environment, economy and social.Constant functions of university as a higher education institutionremain fovused on missions: teaching, research, and communityservice. University students with such a sustainability awarenessare agents of change, who are expected to support the SDGsachievement. Therefore, ESD needs to be integrated into highereducation programs to increase knowledge, influence attitudesand behavior of students towards sustainable development andenvironment. Integration of ESD concepts and principles intohigher education curriculum is an important important endeavour.This artcle addresses matters around the issue and trend of thedevelopment of higher education curricula in various countrieswith various options and approaches to its implementation.

Reviewing Vietnam Geography Textbooks from an ESD Perspective

This paper examines how Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is transmitted in the context of geography education by investigating the extent to which geography textbooks in Vietnam promote ESD principles. At the same time, the paper helps clarify how ESD is anchored in formal education and how ESD is contextualized in the specific context of Vietnam. This study involved a qualitative analysis supported by MAXQDA software (VERBI, Berlin, Germany), where geography textbooks from grade 6 to grade 12 in Vietnam were analysed to determine (1) how sustainable development (SD) issues are integrated into the content of the textbooks and (2) the extent to which questions and tasks in the textbooks promote competencies regarding the demands of ESD. The findings show that the textbooks somewhat promote ESD through their content and didactic approach. However, there are still some drawbacks. In terms of content, the textbooks’ main approaches to both SD content and geography core knowledge are description and indoctrination. In terms of their didactic approach, almost all questions/tasks ask students to memorize and reproduce information and rote learning rather than helping them promote ESD competencies. This reconfirms that ESD remains an add-on issue to an overcrowded curriculum, and the geography textbooks reflect an instrumental approach to ESD.

Extending communities of practice: a partnership model for sustainable schools

Eco Schools was established in 1994 following the UN Earth Summit in 1992 and the publication of the outcome document, Agenda 21. This began a sustainable approach to school management, with the implementation of an ISO-based Environmental Management System (EMS). At this time, EMSs were also beginning to be used formally in the industrial sector and were proving quite effective. However, in the school sector, there were many challenges including the technical aspects of facilities management and also the added necessity of addressing curriculum requirements. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was also an outcome theme of the UN Earth Summit, and to date, the literature and national documents are still citing challenges facing teachers in the implementation of effective ESD. This paper proposes a conceptual model of a triadic partnership between school Communities of Practice, higher education institutions and local industry, with the aim of facilitating a sustainable approach in schools, while simultaneously supporting teachers to embed ESD principles in the curriculum, thereby increasing the sustainability literacy of both current and future generations.

A Case Analysis of the Visibility of Sustainability in a TVE Teacher Training Program: Evidence from the Program Curriculum of an HEI

In the post-DESD (Decade of Education for Sustainable Development) era spearheaded by the United Nations, evidence of the progress of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) integration across disciplines have been recorded. Developed nations have made substantial progress in reorienting their educational systems to reflect ESD. Some developing nations have also begun to integrate ESD into their education systems. Malaysia is one of such nations who has pledged commitment towards the ESD goal and has taken some steps to develop a general philosophy with which higher education institutions can begin to model best practices for ESD. Irrespective of this pledged commitment towards ESD by the Malaysian government through its Ministry of Education, evidence of the extent of ESD integration in Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) teacher training programs have not been reported. As a result, it is difficult to ascertain whether TVE programs were preparing future teachers for ESD. Therefore, this study explores through a Qualitative Documentary Analysis approach, the extent to which ESD is reflected in the TVE program curriculum using a university of education in Malaysia as a case study for the analysis. Findings revealed that some elements of ESD were minutely reflected in the TVE program. Meanwhile, several opportunities to embed ESD content and principles were identified through existing course offerings in the program. Hence it was recommended that TVE institutions begin to model best practices used by western universities in their attempt to embed ESD into TVE programs.

Educating academic staff to reorient curricula in ESD

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a professional development experience for higher education academic staff within the framework of an international Tempus project focused on reorienting university curricula to address sustainability. The project included revising curricula to phase sustainable development principles into university courses. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used to examine perceived professional development. Focus groups have been conducted with the academic staff who participated in the project. Findings The results provided evidence that revising their curricula offered the participants an opportunity to discuss different principles, teaching methods, didactic processes and practices in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Several strategies emerged during curricula revision such as a positive attitude towards meta-cognitive strategies and a goal-oriented approach to curriculum planning. Moreover, the project induced the academic staff to reconsider their teaching methods. Research limitations/implications The main limitation is the restricted generalisability of the findings, because of the small number of participants. Further research is needed to confirm the theoretical model that emerged. Implications of the results for professional development and the induction of change in academic staff are also discussed. Originality/value There is little information about training experiences for enhancing professional development in academic staff using ESD principles, and this study provides a starting point. According to the results, the project had an impact on the participants’ attitudes, teaching principles and methods, course design skills and assessment approaches.

ESD principles in higher education from a perspective of Central and Eastern European countries

PurposeThis paper aims to reflect education for sustainable development (ESD) principles and their manifestation in higher education (HE) in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries which share a similar policy situation owing to post-socialist transition processes.Design/methodology/approachObservations from comprehensive mapping of ESD in professional development of university educators in CEE within the University Educators for Sustainable Development project provided the initial input for this research. To justify the findings, a questionnaire was distributed among informed respondents and assessed qualitatively. ESD success factors were identified to support the interpretation of the results within the overall HE policy context.FindingsOpportunities for educators’ competence development are lower and less diverse in the CEE region than in other parts of Europe. Historical reasons and the policy context may contribute to this situation; the most important factor being the underfinanced HE sector which is currently undergoing profound structural transformation.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of respondents is not representative; they are informed experts in ESD. The results are of an illustrative nature; different sources of information are combined to draw a broad picture.Social implicationsUniversity educators in CEE have considerable know-how and experience in ESD and thus represent significant potential for the development of this field under more favourable conditions.Originality/valueThis research is based on more than two years of cooperation within a broad partnership of European universities; it represents a contribution to the debate from a specific regional perspective. It shows opportunities for critical, creative and participatory approaches in HE, analyses current trends in historical and policy contexts and provides impulses for theoretically and practically oriented efforts.

Re-visioning Curriculum and Pedagogy in a University Science and Technology Education Setting: Case Studies Interrogating Socio-Scientific Issues

We present reflections on case studies in which a team of researchers and student researchers at the Copperbelt University in Zambia carried out real-world context investigations. The case studies involve estimating the greenhouse gas emissions associated with activities in the university, exploring agro-applications of biotechnologies, investigating chemical pollutants that are potential endocrine disruptors in the environment and in fish, and modelling how to mainstream the socio-scientific issues into curriculum and pedagogy for science educators and teachers. The analysis using the lenses of education for sustainable development (ESD) and ‘learning as connection’ lead to the suggestion of re-visioning curriculum and pedagogy. This re-visioning entails that the learning of the technical content of science subjects is balanced with a consideration of socioscientific issues and ESD processes. Project-based learning provided the model for integrating the concepts and principles of ESD and ‘learning as connection’ into the curriculum and pedagogy.