Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been stated as fundamental in regards to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. This exploratory research aims to contribute to getting more knowledge about how promoting and strengthening ESD in the secondary school level, particularly, through the role of teachers and the way they can be engaged, prepared and supported to deliver knowledge and experiences for effective learning experiences of their students. Specifically, this study explores the benefits of collaboration between teachers within networks in relation to ESD and its limits. Using the lens of Teaching Communities (TC) which considers the theories of Communities op Practice (CoP) and teachers Professional Learning Communities (PLC) for analyzing the data collected. Also, the opportunities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in this field as spaces that help in enabling collaboration are considered. The research is conducted by taking the case of the NGO Eco-Schools which provides a global program for ESD but has not formal learning communities. 10 teachers and 2 National Operators of Eco-schools were interviewed, and the main concepts mentioned were analyzed. The findings showed similarity with the characteristics and conditions of the theories used. However, the exploratory purpose of this research doesn’t have statistical validity, therefore, further research is required. Although, information and communication technology provide valuable insights for developing quantitative tools.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not slideboard training was a more effective method of improving lateral agility than traditional on-ground agility training methods. Twenty-eight college-aged females (N = 28) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a Slideboard training group (N = 1 0), a Sidestep Barrier training group (N = 9), and a SEMO training group (N = 9). Comparisons were made between training groups. Performance criterion comparisons were made on the Anig Modification of the Edgren Side-step Test in a posttest only at the end of six weeks training. The performance measured lateral agility by the time it took to make 10 shifts. A 3 x 3 ANOVA (Treatment x Trials) with repeated measures on the second factor was used to statistically determine if the respective posttest mean scores differed at the .05 level of probability. Results indicated a main effect for trials, F (25,2) = 20.78, p< 0.05. There was no main effect for training method and no significant interaction. These findings suggest, therefore, that Slideboard training is not any better than the Sidestep Barrier and SEMO training when the intent is the improvement of lateral agility.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第20543号 / 地環博第164号 / 新制||地環||33(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎環境マネジメント専攻 / (主査)准教授 SINGER JANE, 准教授 真常 仁志, 教授 宇佐美 誠 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

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Considering the rise in global sustainability challenges and most especially in a continent like Africa, these challenges could pose a grave danger to the population owing to the limited commitment towards sustainability. This requires a proactive and systematic approach in order to propagate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) on the continent. The purpose of this thesis was to support the implementation of Transformational Learning in an African perspective and to see how the TL components can be used to support this learning experience. This was conducted within some selected programs of LEAP Africa. As a case study, the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) and the Transformative Leadership Program (TLP) were examined to explore the transformative learning experiences that these programs provide. The research examines how the program participants perceive and rate the transformational nature of the programs using a mixed-methods approach that includes survey questions and interviews. Through the Transformational Learning theory and the components of Transformational Learning,the findings from the research showed that above 50 % of the participants of the programs, YLDP and TLP considered them as transformative experiences that shaped their perspectives in terms of their knowledge, behavior, abilities, leadership, and personal development. The findings further attest to the importance of an African perspective in promoting Transformational Learning for sustainability. Thus, the study uncovered that some of the components of Transformational Learning; Community, Place, Pedagogy, Concepts and Content, Disorientation, and Hope and Agency are transformational and present within the selected programs though perceived differently across regions and cultures.

Engineering education for sustainable development (EESD) has emerged as a significant focus since the early 1990s, driven by the broader integration of sustainable development (SD) across education. SD has gained global attention and support from governments, businesses, and organizations. Still, education for sustainable development is emergent in engineering, and varies globally. Scandinavian countries, for example, have made significant progress in EESD with research and growth in courses and curricula, while the United States has seen more localized efforts. Prior research on EESD has focused heavily on course content and student learning, with far less attention to faculty attitudes and experiences. To advance global integration efforts, this study provides a deeper understanding of faculty engagement with EESD. Drawing on Lattuca and Pollard's (2016) model of faculty decision-making to engage in curricular change, this study compares the perspectives of faculty at two universities, one in the U.S. and one in Denmark, to explore the influences that shape engineering faculty choices to engage in EESD. To operationalize EESD, the study focuses on faculty who incorporate the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their courses. Denmark and the U.S. were selected because of the wide divergence in national policies and practices relative to SD. The two institutions, however, are similar in engineering program size, research orientation (both very high research), and scope of engineering programs. The research used a case study approach and included interviews with five to seven engineering faculty and two to three key informants at each site, along with available texts such as university mission statements, program descriptions, course syllabi provided by interviewees, and national policies or declarations. Lattuca and Pollard's model posits three levels of influence: external (outside the institution), internal (within the institution and the department), and individual (within the person) Findings suggest that all three categories of influence are present in each case, but the salience of each category, the specific factors within each category, and the interactions across categories differ markedly. Where the Denmark case had a more consistent alignment across the three levels of influence, with a largely top-down direction of influence, engagement in EESD in the US case was largely an individual, bottom-up phenomenon with some alignment to, but limited drivers from the external and internal levels. This study captures the importance of strong external and internal influences in shaping faculty engagement in EESD and underscores the limitations of relying solely on individual influences. The findings highlight the role of national policies and cultural norms in creating a supportive environment for faculty to integrate sustainability into their teaching. Where external influences are limited, institutions need to actively align their vision, culture, and resources with the principles of sustainable development to foster a widespread and consistent practice of EESD. While individual faculty have been shown to act as change agents in the absence of strong external and internal influences, their efforts alone are limited in their impact on the practice of EESD. / Doctor of Philosophy / Engineering education for sustainable development (EESD) has become an important focus in recent years as the concept of sustainable development (SD) has been increasingly integrated into education. Broadly, SD works to meet our current needs without harming future generations, and it has widespread global support from governments, businesses, and organizations. While the idea of teaching sustainable development is becoming more common in engineering programs, its implementation varies around the world. Scandinavian countries like Denmark have made significant progress in this area with research and the development of courses and curricula. In contrast, the United States has seen more localized efforts. Most research on EESD has focused on what students learn in their courses, but with less work exploring why faculty members choose to include SD in engineering courses. To better understand why faculty members engage with EESD, this study looks at the perspectives of engineering professors at two universities: one in the U.S. and one in Denmark. In particular, it explores what influences faculty decisions to include the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their courses. Denmark and the U.S. were chosen for this study because they have very different national policies and practices related to sustainable development. However, the universities in both countries are similar in size, focus on research, and the variety of engineering programs they offer. Data for this study includes interviews with five to seven engineering faculty members and two to three key informants at each university. Documents like university mission statements, program descriptions, course outlines provided by interviewees, and national policies related to education were also collected. Though faculty at both universities talked about influences outside the university, influences within their institutions departments, and their individual beliefs and values, both the specific factors at each level and the interactions between factors varied. In Denmark, strong national and institutional policies, values, and norms in support of sustainable development broadly and EESD in particular were key sources of influence, while in the U.S., where sustainable development is more contested, individual faculty beliefs and commitments were more prominent, though these commitments often aligned with broader institutional values and some external drivers. The study underscores the importance of both external factors, like national policies, and individual factors, such as personal beliefs, in shaping how faculty members integrate sustainable development in engineering. It highlights the role of government policies and cultural norms in creating an environment where faculty feel supported in integrating sustainability into their teaching. When external support is lacking, universities need to actively align their vision, culture, and resources with the principles of sustainable development to encourage consistent teaching of EESD. While individual faculty members can make a difference on their own, their impact is limited without strong external and internal support.

Arbetet är skrivet i syfte att undersöka hur lärare undervisar i hållbar utveckling i lågstadiet med fokus på miljöfrågor. Undersökningen utgår från frågor om vilket undervisningsinnehåll lärare väljer för att undervisa i området för hållbar utveckling i lågstadiet och vilken undervisning lärare upplever sig ha förmåga att bedriva inom hållbar utveckling i lågstadiet. Arbetet söker ett generellt perspektiv på lärares beprövade erfarenhet av hållbar utveckling i svenska skolor. Studien hade ett kvantitativt tillvägagångssätt via en enkätundersökning och för att analysera datan användes SPSS ett analysprogram samt ett pragmatiskt vetenskaplig perspektiv. Resultaten i undersökningen visar att lärare de flesta lärare som undervisar om hållbar utveckling använder ämnesinnehåll utifrån den ekologiska dimensionen. Därtill visade resultatet att lärare upplever sig ha mer kunskap i den ekologiska dimensionen än resterande dimensioner och deras syn på sin ämneskunskap var beroende av deras arbetserfarenhet. Till exempel upplevde lärare med längre arbetserfarenhet att de hade mer kunskap för att undervisa om hållbar utveckling i lågstadiet än de lärare med kortare erfarenhet. Ett annat resultat visade att lärare känner sig säkra i vilka pedagogiska metoder de kan använda i undervisningen och att undervisningsinnehållet som lärare beskrev skedde både genom praktiska och teoretiska metoder. Ytterligare ett resultat visade att lärare upplever sin undervisning bidra till att eleverna utför aktiva handlingar i skolans kontext.