Grundskollärares uppfattningar av världsarvsundervisning och världsarvet Kvarkens skärgård som lärmiljö.<br/>Compulsory school teachers` conceptions of World Heritage Education and the Kvarken Archipelago World Heritage site as a learning environment

Abstract

The responsibility to preserve our natural and cultural heritage is not just a national issue but also, through international agreements, an international commitment. In World Heritage Education (WHE) students are expected to know, to cherish and to act in favour of World Heritage sites and communities. The aim of this quantitative and qualitative study is to investigate teachers’ views of WHE and the Kvarken Archipelago as a learning environment. A total of 105 teachers within Finnish primary and secondary education answered a questionnaire. The results indicate that teachers struggle to meet Unesco´s aims of WHE. The respondents primarily emphasize students´ knowledge of WH sites. A few respondents highlight the skills and experiences needed to reinforce young students´commitment to preserve WH sites, and to help close the gap between school and society. A more distinct connection to PBL and ESD is discussed as one of the pedagogical implications for the development of WHE.