Environmental education for sustainability in the curriculum of primary teacher training in Spain

Abstract

In this study, we analyse, first, what competences regarding environmental sustainability are envisaged in the curricula of primary teachers at Spanish universities and, second, to what extent these competences guide the aims and content of the subject matter and the topics in the syllabi. From an analysis of the 79 competences which, according to ministerial regulations, should direct primary teacher training, three are directly related to environmental sustainability. The analysis of the content of the curricula from a sample made up of 23 Spanish universities indicates that these three competences have been taken into account in all of them, and that in 73% of the curricula other competences directly related to environmental sustainability are also incorporated. In a few cases, however, their degree of precision is vague. In only 26% of the curricula studied is a specific subject of environmental education À always optional À envisaged, and this topic is where the main educational efforts regarding sustainability are focused. In the absence of studies that analyse other more detailed curricular planning documents, the curricula of future primary teachers in Spain does not seem to ensure good training with respect to environmental sustainability.

Evaluación de las competencias ambientales del profesorado de primaria en formación inicial: estudio de caso

“…En una investigación basada en el análisis de contenido de los planes de estudio del GMEP de una muestra de 23 universidades españolas (Sureda-Negre, Oliver-Trobat, Catalan-Fernández y Comas-Forgas, 2014), se alcanza la conclusión de que estas tres competencias se han tenido en cuenta de manera muy diferente en los currículos de las universidades españolas que imparten el GMEP. La mayoría de universidades contemplan estas tres competencias en sus planes de estudio, aunque en numerosas ocasiones de forma vaga y poco concreta.…”

“…It is a case study in a medium-sized Spanish university (University of the Balearic Islands, UIB) within the framework of its curriculum. According to a recent study (Sureda-Negre, Oliver-Trobat, Catalan-Fernández & Comas-Forgas, 2014), the majority of Spanish universities contemplate in their curriculum three competences that can be considered to be directly related to environmental sustainability, although in many cases in a vague and unspecific way. In the university taken as a case study, some of these environmental competences are not incorporated.…”

Environmental Education in Pre-Service Teacher Training: A Literature Review of Existing Evidence

“…The ecological concept prevailed, and it was noted that there was little presence of EE in educational projects (Suárez & Teixé, 2007). A later study (Sureda, Oliver, Catalan, & Comas, 2014) carried out an in-depth analysis of the situation in different Spanish universities after the process of convergence emerged from the European higher education area. These authors analysed the inclusion of environmental competencies in the primary teacherís degree plans in 23 Spanish universities.…”

La “ambientalización” de los estudios de ciencias ambientales en España

“…Como hemos anticipado, dicho estudio podría enmarcarse en la tipología de evaluación de programas, existiendo escasos precedentes similares en el ámbito español (Sureda et al, 2014), así como en el de la percepción ambiental (Gil, 2004).…”

“…Ello no impide que otros profesionales de la educación formal y no formal asuman igualmente ese papel en los niveles obligatorios de la enseñan-za, para lo cual sus correspondientes grados y posgrados de formación inicial debieran contemplar una formación básica y eficiente en EA (Gutiérrez y Perales, 2012;Sureda et al, 2014), condición necesaria si se pretende que en el futuro tales profesionales puedan incorporar los principios y métodos de la EA a su docencia habitual. Estas recomendaciones, junto con otras para los distintos niveles educativos, ya fueron formuladas en el año 1999 en el "Libro de la Educación Ambiental en España" (MMA, 1999), aunque muchas de ellas siguen pendientes hoy día de su concreción práctica.…”