Exploring and developing student understandings of sustainable development

Abstract

There has recently been significant emphasis placed on environmental education through the United Nations’ Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). One of the aims of the DESD is to ‘prepare young people for a lifetime of sustainable living’, and yet, despite this, there is a lack of evidence to suggest whether or not the aims of ESD have been achieved within schools. This paper presents findings from a longitudinal study investigating one class of 14‐ and 15‐year‐old Geography students in England%s understandings of sustainability and their attitudes towards sustainable development. The research used dialogic diaries and semi‐structured interviews to explore the students’ understandings of sustainability, within a case study framework. The study found that the students’ understandings of sustainability became more nuanced across the year, with a focus on the environmental perspective of sustainable development. Many students also appeared to feel a growing sense of responsibility towards sustainable development which is significant given the DESD%s aim of developing young people%s pro‐sustainable behaviour. However, despite this, it is argued that more work needs to be done with young people to develop their understanding of sustainability, and to encourage them to fully engage with issues of sustainable development in today%s society.

Designing Powerful Learning Environments in Education for Sustainable Development: A Conceptual Framework

“…Both of them recognise the environmental dimension most. This was the case among sixth and twelfth graders in Sweden (Berglund et al, 2014) and among UK geography students at the age of 14 and 15 [25,26]. However, Berglund and Gericke [27] found that when students deal with the dimensions separately, they give priority to social factors.…”

“…Student teachers in science and geography in UK studies [23,28], student teachers in New Zealand [29,30] Turkish science student teachers [31] and science and social science teachers in Sweden also recognise the environmental dimension the most. The economic dimension is less recognised by students [12,25] and students have vague perceptions of how economy is related to SD [27]. In line with students' conceptions of the economic dimension [27], teachers feel unsure about economic factors related to SD issues [31].…”

“…Borg et al [31,33] and Boeve-de Pauw et al [22] showed that there is an absence of good practices to inspire teachers as well as a lack of expertise on SD. At the same time, it could also be claimed that the environmental aspect is less complex and thus easier for students to grasp [25,34]. Research on this has showed that: (a) students often recognise the three pillars of SD but they have only a superficial understanding of them [35] and (b) students have problems in describing relationships between the three aspects of SD [34].…”

The Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire: The theoretical development and empirical validation of an evaluation instrument for stakeholders working with sustainable development

“…Kopnina, ), and other ways of understanding the relationships between the dimensions have been suggested (e.g. see Giddings et al, ; Walshe, ). However, during the 20 years following the Rio meeting, the three‐ring model was widely endorsed by international organizations such as UN, and has been adopted by national governments and organizations (Lehtonen, ).…”

Exploring the Role of the Economy in Young Adults’ Understanding of Sustainable Development

“…A similar conclusion concerning tensions within the SD concept was drawn by Summers et al [36] in their study from UK. However, Walshe [37] found that during a one-year geography course in United Kingdom (UK), the students developed a more holistic view of SD and became more able to recognize tensions. Economic activities affect and are affected by social and environmental dimensions in an intertwined and dependent way.…”