Pre-service Teachers’ Conceptions of Education for Sustainability

Abstract

Environmental education researchers argue that preservice teachers have a limited understanding of education for sustainability. The research described in this article applies a phenomenographic approach to investigating variations in how a representative cohort of 30 pre-service teachers, at various stages of completing an education degree at a small regional Australian university, understands the concept of education for sustainability. The results distinguish four related but distinctive categories of descriptions: (1) education that is continuous; (2) education about ecological systems and environmental systems; (3) education that is active, hands-on, local and relevant; and (4) education for the future. This paper discusses the four categories of descriptions and their implications. Outcomes of the research were used to inform course content, structure and pedagogies with the intention of more adequately preparing pre-service teachers to implement education for sustainability.

The Interdependences between Sustainability and Their Lifestyle That Pre-Service Teachers Establish When Addressing Socio-Ecological Problems

“…In fact, for [63], 'teachers' (and pre-service teachers') pedagogical and environmental beliefs are more important in guiding their teaching about controversial socio-ecological issues than have previously been recognised' (p. 69). Then, if we accept that what teachers know and believe directly affects classroom content regarding EDS [64], and because of the lack of insights into these issues [63,65], more research is needed to go further into the difficulties that pre-service teachers find when they build the relationship between sustainability and their lifestyle.…”

Teacher Identities as Key to Environmental Education for Sustainability Implementation: A Study From Australia

“…Whole-school approaches have been consistently shown to support successful EEfS implementation (Lewis, Baudains, & Mansfield, 2009; Shallcross & Robinson, 2008). Active support from principals has been shown to encourage primary teachers, enabling them to overcome some of the initial hesitancies in implementing EEfS (Evans, Whitehouse, & Hickey, 2012). A study conducted in New South Wales and Victoria (Flowers & Chodkiewicz, 2009) reinforced the credibility of whole-school approaches.…”

Investigation of Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Attitudes towards Sustainable Environmental Education

“…The studies conducted on teachers and pre-service teachers' attitudes towards and beliefs about education for sustainability in recent years focus on the place of the discourse of social gender equality within the framework of the targets of sustainable development (Sharma, 2016), whether pre-service teacher training programs can be a tool for making sustainability more widespread (Ferreira et al, 2009); the effect of pre-service teachers' self-reported ESD on self-efficacy and their attitudes towards ESD (Evans, Tomas, & Woods, 2016); variables affecting how pre-service teachers understand the concept of education for sustainability (Evans et al, 2012); development of sustainability kit (Gardner, 2017). Ajzen (2002, p. 5) defines attitudes towards behavior as "a person's general positive or negative evaluations related to exhibition of the behavior".…”