Methodology to Analyze the Effectiveness of ESD in a Higher Degree in Education. A Case Study

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology to evaluate (1) to what extent students of a higher degree in the field of education acquire sustainability competencies, and (2) to determine whether the subjects that develop Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) achieve their learning objectives. The methodology is applied to a case study. The instruments used are the sustainability survey and the sustainability presence map developed by the EDINSOST project. The survey consists of 18 questions, and has been answered by 104 first-year students and 86 fourth-year students belonging to the Bachelor Degree in Primary Education Teaching at the University of Seville. The Mann-Whitney U test has been used to compare the results of the two students groups, and Cohen’s D has been used to measure the effect size. Students only obtain significant improvements, with 95% confidence, in three questions: Q4 (I know procedures and resources to integrate sustainability in the subjects), Q5 (I analyze the opportunities presented in the subjects to plan educational projects to integrate sustainability) and Q6 (I design educational projects from the perspective of sustainability), all concerning critical thinking and creativity. An improvement is also detected in question Q11 (I know how to develop myself satisfactorily in community educational projects, encouraging participation), with a confidence of 90%. Surprisingly, no subject in the curriculum develops the learning outcomes concerning questions Q4, Q5 and Q6, and only one subject develops the learning outcomes regarding question Q11. However, up to five subjects declare development of the learning outcomes regarding questions in which there is no improvement in student learning. These results suggest that the subjects are failing to reach their ESD learning objectives, and that the students are either trained in sustainability outside the university or the subject learning guides do not reflect the work done by the students throughout their studies.

Education for Sustainable Development in Spanish University Education Degrees

“…The EDINSOST sustainability questionnaire for education degrees [19] has been used to answer these research questions. The questionnaire can be consulted in Appendix A at the end of the paper.…”

Design and Implementation of a Virtual Laboratory for Physics Subjects in Moroccan Universities

“…In addition, the education system is the key instrument to achieve the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development [36,37]. There is an accord that higher education institutions play an essential role in accomplishing sustainable development goals [2,38], while an inefficient educational system not only influences learners' learning but also impacts the entire society [39]. Educational technology and online learning have become the pillars of the education of the 21st century and very particularly for ensuring the education for sustainability [2,40].…”

Analysis of Sustainability Knowingness, Attitudes and Behavior of a Spanish Pre-Service Primary Teachers Sample

“…Teaching and learning methods should be modified since the introduction of sustainability competences in the syllabus [25]. This methodological change is also encouraged by the Bologna Process, where the educator role begins as facilitator and should guide students through their own meaningful learning process [26].…”