The efficacy of real-world experiences and service learning for fostering competences for sustainable development in higher education

Molderez, Ingrid; Fonseca, Elsa

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.04.062

Cited by 145 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In this sense, assuming sustainability is, as Zamora et al declared, "a new paradigm of humans-Earth relationship" ( [17], p. 4), new and more human-centered methodologies are required to teach it efficiently. Service-Learning could possibly be one of them because of its multiple, polyhedral perspectives [29,35,36,54,[71][72][73]].…”

Section: Of 23mentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching Down to Earth—Service-Learning Methodology for Science Education and Sustainability at the University Level: A Practical Approach

et al. 2020

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The Bologna Process and the European Higher Education area require the application of new active methodologies in the classroom that place the student at the center of his or her learning process. In the present work, we analyze the application of a Service-Learning (SL) methodology in the context of a Final Degree Dissertation (FDD) in the degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of Extremadura (Spain). The project deals with an isolated Kichwa community in Ecuador and involves the development of alternative science education materials for the capacitation of in-service science teachers. This paper evaluates how an FDD carried out according to Service-Learning (SL) principles can help in the acquisition of so-called “soft skills” and how these can be focused in the promotion of the sustainable development goal (SDG) knowledge and achievement. To this end, a qualitative study of the experience and a deep evaluation, followed by a final reflection, were carried out. According to the preliminary results, we can conclude that Higher Education should include SDGs in its teaching praxis and could do this successfully using the SL methodology.

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Section: Of 23mentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching Down to Earth—Service-Learning Methodology for Science Education and Sustainability at the University Level: A Practical Approach

et al. 2020

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“…Concrete examples could include the integration of external stakeholders and real-world experiences in relevant issues in teacher professional development [129][130][131]. These real-world experiences might connect the cognitive input with interdisciplinary characteristics of the issues and needed affective appeals [132]. For the issue at hand, this would ideally mean to invite stakeholders into the lessons.…”

Section: Affective and Ultimately Transformative Teacher Professionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Pre-service Teachers Dance with Wolves? Subject-Specific Teacher Professional Development in A Recent Biodiversity Conservation Issue

2018

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Biodiversity conservation issues are adequate topics of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), as they involve ecological, economic and social aspects. But teaching about these topics often challenges teachers due to high factual complexity but also because of additional affective dimensions. As a consequence, teacher professional development in ESD should address these affective components, to better qualify and motivate teachers to integrate conservation issues into their teaching. To investigate behaviourally relevant factors, we selected the context of natural remigration and conservation of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) in Germany and surveyed 120 pre-service biology teachers (M = 23.2 years, SD = 3.3 years) about contextual factors and their motivation to teach about the issue. Participants reported more positive attitudes, higher enjoyment and an increased perceived behavioural control towards teaching the issue in future teachers when they perceived a smaller psychological distance to the issue and an overall higher motivation to protect the species. As this motivation was grounded in more fundamental personality characteristics like wildlife values and attitudes towards wolves, we discuss the central role of these traits as a basis for transformative learning processes and the necessity of a holistic and subject-specific teacher professional development in ESD.

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“…Project-based learning is one such method, integrating multidimensional SD by learning in a context of complex real-world situations, applying cross-curricular approaches, and working with relevant stakeholders and into the broader society [40]. Other methods that could support higher-order learning outcomes include self-directed learning [23], collaborative learning [23], problem-based learning [16,23], experiential learning [54], and in-service learning [14].…”

Section: The Objectives Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing Learning for Sustainable Development: Digital Practices as Boundary Crossers and Predictors of Sustainable Lifestyles

Starčič

Terlevic²,

Lin

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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Sustainable development (SD) is a multidimensional issue. However, research findings report a divide between students' awareness and behavior. It is identified that study programs are designed more for awareness outcomes, and not so much for behavioral outcomes. For higher-order learning outcomes manifested in a sustainable development behavior, the authors argue for a model based on an understanding of learning as boundary crossing. Based on this model, learning for sustainable development occurs in relating social practices, lifestyles, academic practices, professional practices, and students' digital practices. To inform teachers' approaches to teaching as an important driver of institutional change, we conducted a survey among students of urban and spatial planning in Slovenia. Examined factors included personal, academic, and digital predictors for sustainable development awareness, lifestyle, and behavioral intention. We hypothesized that a significant predictor for sustainable development behavior, which was measured as sustainable lifestyle and sustainable development behavioral intention, would be learning in social practices, and that learning in social practices would predict preferred teaching methods. The findings of hierarchical regression analysis indicated personal factors as the most important predictors of SD behavioral intention, and academic predictors as the most important factors for SD awareness. Digital practices were found to be the most important predictors of a sustainable lifestyle. Social practices of sustainable lifestyle, digital practices, and perceived teaching methods predicted students' preferred teaching methods. We discuss the future directions of sustainable development education, considering digital social media practices as essential boundary crossers.

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The efficacy of real-world experiences and service learning for fostering competences for sustainable development in higher education

Cited by 145 publications

References 35 publications

Teaching Down to Earth—Service-Learning Methodology for Science Education and Sustainability at the University Level: A Practical Approach

Teaching Down to Earth—Service-Learning Methodology for Science Education and Sustainability at the University Level: A Practical Approach

Do Pre-service Teachers Dance with Wolves? Subject-Specific Teacher Professional Development in A Recent Biodiversity Conservation Issue

Designing Learning for Sustainable Development: Digital Practices as Boundary Crossers and Predictors of Sustainable Lifestyles

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