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Education is seen to have a central role in the transition towards a sustainable future. Education for sustainable development (ESD) has been heralded by the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development as a tool for achieving global sustainability. The Scottish Government also advocates ESD as the means to providing society with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to live more sustainable lives. Whilst considerable progress has been made in Scotland’s schools, particularly primary schools, and to a lesser degree in university education, there has been limited evidence of the same success in Scotland’s colleges. There has been limited widespread investigation or published work on the advances of ESD in the Scottish college curriculum. This research aimed to explore if an ESD Practitioner could enhance the ESD landscape in Scotland’s colleges by producing learning and teaching materials for curriculum development that could be used by both staff and students. The research also planned to investigate the ESD backdrop in Scotland’s colleges, against which the intervention of curriculum development was set. To explore this, a survey was issued to all Scottish College Principals to determine their opinions of ESD at a senior management level. The survey also asked about the use of the learning and teaching materials within their college. Three colleges were then utilised as case studies to evaluate the use of the learning and teaching materials, within the curriculum, with staff and students. During the research period, the Scottish college sector underwent a major restructuring of college mergers, making this the most volatile period in Scottish college history. These changes impacted upon the research, frequently restricting the research process. Nonetheless, the research established that ESD development in Scotland’s colleges still requires significant work. Moreover, whilst the learning and teaching materials were found to have a modest impact upon the sustainability ethos of those who engaged with them, (particularly upon the students), it was established that effective ESD requires a multi-faceted approach to be successful. Curriculum development on its own will not achieve the step-change that is required for a future thinking society faced with the environmental challenges that are the result of a growing consumerist population, anthropogenic climate change and increasing social injustice. To meet these challenges in Scotland’s colleges, curriculum development must be linked to effective policy, management and drive, as well as campus management, and the recognition of all interested parties and stakeholders as co-constructors of ESD development. Not only is senior management support vital, there also needs to be a recognised sustainability staff member or group, or an ESD Practitioner, helping to drive the ESD agenda forward. Only then will Scotland’s colleges be effective in producing the sustainability focused society that is required.

Despite being ranked according to narrow measures of pupil achievement, many schools aim to become more sustainable. Faced with indicators suggesting the rapid degradation of social-ecological systems, these schools would prefer not to be part of the problem. However, environmental education/education for sustainable development (EE/ESD) in schools does not reflect the transformative rhetoric of academic discourse. Research into this ‘rhetoric-reality gap’ has focused either on academic discourse or the psychology of individual teachers; there is a lack of critical research on teachers-in-context. This enquiry explores the notion of inherent contradictions in developing a sustainable school (however subjects define this). It applies an Activity Theory framework designed to identify contradictions within ‘activity systems’ (e.g. schools). The primary method is a semi-structured interview conducted with fifteen teachers/headteachers in twelve schools (primary and secondary). The thesis offers a resource-efficient qualitative interview process that can bring Activity Theory to school-based research with minimum disruption and outlines a streamlined process of dilemma analysis. The data highlights contradictions in the way that schools conduct EE/ESD noting that these are often not recognised by educators themselves. Five different responses to contradictions are identified, including ‘expansive learning’ that redefines the activity itself. In terms of an ESD1/ESD2 framework, this might be termed ‘ESD 3’. Four approaches that schools may adopt in relation to sustainability are also outlined. An empowering vision of schools – and society – as autopoietic systems, i.e. as both products and producers, suggests that social reality is not as inevitable as it seems. By confronting contradictions, educators demonstrate the adaptive capacity required by young people if they are to engage in remodelling their world. Finally, the thesis proposes combining a two-sided conception of ESD with Activity Theory, potentially to the mutual benefit of both. Investigating this further is one of a number of options for further research.

Through case study research, two pioneering schools in Canada that developed whole-school approaches to education for sustainability were investigated to illuminate how conceptual root metaphors resonate with ecological philosophy and educational practices. The study considers philosophy, policy formation, organization/ management structures, buildings/ grounds and resources, curriculum development, and teaching and learning practices at each of these schools. The findings are highlighted and further informed by what the administrators, teachers, community volunteers, parents, and students perceive to be the successes, obstacles and needs they faced in trying to establish their pioneering approaches. These insights provided methodological triangulation as they reinforced the literature review and analysis of findings. The case study includes an Independent school founded and designed specifically around bioregionalism so as to promote sustainability, and a government-run elementary school that decided to teach and model sustainability. The analysis reveals differences in the underlying conceptual metaphors and the significant extent to which these metaphors resonated with practice. This research suggests that root conceptual metaphors are significant and can be associated with various intentions and enactments of the whole curriculum. Ecological and mechanistic metaphorical perspectives have been found to be associated with policy formation, organization and management structures, decision-making and communication; curriculum development; community involvement; changes to the buildings and grounds; and teaching/ learning practices. Although this research suggests that where ecological metaphors were in play school practices were more strongly associated with an ecological model in education for sustainability, it has also shown that this may not be sufficient. Being aware of the underlying conceptual root metaphors in all aspects of the educational approach is also a critical step. The context within which a school operates may preclude or act as a strong obstacle to change. Simply grafting a sustainability program imbued with ecological metaphors onto the accepted educational system, one founded on contradictory ‘mechanistic’ metaphors, may not be as effective as intended as metaphors seem to seep into the school’s culture and systems. This, however, implies that there needs to be freedom and room to challenge significant systemic obstacles. There would need to be noteworthy changes in the socio-political structure that is in play. Accordingly, for schools to lead the change towards an ecological worldview or paradigm shift, schools would need to be free to adopt an alternative vision of education, ethos and particular organizational structures.

This study aimed at determining whether participating in an environmental education programme (GLOBE) was positively reflected in participants' environmental perceptions, attitudes and level of environmentally responsible behaviour. An ecologically homogeneous sample consisting of 40 Grade 8 GLOBE participants and 40 non-GLOBE participants was selected. Pearson correlation coefficients, multiple regression analyses and t-tests were employed to compare the research groups. Results showed that GLOBE participants were more positive in their attitudes and actions toward the environment than non-GLOBE participants. GLOBE participants were however not environmentally more perceptive than non-GLOBE participants. Analysing responses of the GLOBE participants in terms of gender and place of residency was fruitless as the sample was too small to yield meaningful results. It was recommended that a more controlled and extended replication of this study, paying specific attention to initial motivations for participation/non-participation in the GLOBE programme, be considered. / Psychology / M.A.

This study aimed at determining whether participating in an environmental education programme (GLOBE) was positively reflected in participants' environmental perceptions, attitudes and level of environmentally responsible behaviour. An ecologically homogeneous sample consisting of 40 Grade 8 GLOBE participants and 40 non-GLOBE participants was selected. Pearson correlation coefficients, multiple regression analyses and t-tests were employed to compare the research groups. Results showed that GLOBE participants were more positive in their attitudes and actions toward the environment than non-GLOBE participants. GLOBE participants were however not environmentally more perceptive than non-GLOBE participants. Analysing responses of the GLOBE participants in terms of gender and place of residency was fruitless as the sample was too small to yield meaningful results. It was recommended that a more controlled and extended replication of this study, paying specific attention to initial motivations for participation/non-participation in the GLOBE programme, be considered. / Psychology / M.A.