The United Nations General Assembly recognized the years from 2005 to 2014 as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). Students perspectives on education for sustainable development and student perceptions on action projects for sustainable development are almost absent from the literature. This thesis presents an analysis of students voices and experiences as a result of Youth Forum 2008 (a forum proposed to support high school students as action leaders in sustainability projects) in three different case locations. The study attempts to understand students challenges with their action projects, examining them in the context of dominant discourses and explores supports that can be put into place to facilitate students navigation toward their goals of completing successful action projects for sustainable development.<p> This qualitative study was composed of a series of focus group recorded conversations with ten high school student participants involved in three different school sites who all attempted to complete action projects for sustainable development. Many themes were identified: time, whether projects were extracurricular or curricular, school community, teacher, teacher education, marks/evaluation, community engagement, youth forum and technology. In the examination and interpretation many attractions and distractions for the student participants were identified. By interpreting the students experiences through the language of the students, a deeper understanding of the dominant discourses of schools and society and how they might limit the students highlights broader ideas about students struggles and triumphs in education and with teaching. In the conclusion, I suggest recommendations and I also suggest further avenues for research.

Abstract - A business to change the world - An analysis of norms Textbooks for International Economics, in Upper-secondary Schools, Sweden 1994-2008   In this paper textbooks, for International Economics in Upper Secondary Schools in Sweden1994-2008, are analyzed with regard to norms related to taking moral responsibility for environment and society. A method for making discourse analysis, previously illustrated by Östman (2008), is used to deconstruct the knowledge content regarding norms about taking responsibility in relation to different social roles.   The first question is: what different norms about taking responsibility can be found, in relation to different social roles? Different social roles that can be found in the studied material are: business-people, consumers, politicians/civil servants and citizens. Norms of taking responsibility in relation to the environment and society are studied in this paper in relation to these different roles.   The second question is whether a discursive change in the material can be found. One case of discursive change can be found which is related to the role of a business. This discursive change implies that the scope of taking responsibility is slightly moved towards a norm that opens for a possibility of taking moral responsibility.   Thirdly, the different norms are discussed in relation to different functions of education (Biesta 2008 &amp; Säfström 2005) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). An argument is that a subjectifying function of education is vital for en education that wants to make change, which is assumed as a central component of ESD.   One argument, as a result of this study, is that a “window of opportunity” can be found when using this method of discourse analysis to discover the scope of different norms for different roles to take responsibility for environment and society.

The aim of this study is four fold: (1) to determine Middle East Technical University (METU) students&rsquo / familiarity and current understandings of sustainable development, and their views on sustainable living at the campus / (2) to explore their attitudes toward sustainable development, behaviors toward sustainable life styles, and environmental values / (3) to examine their perceptions of their own and society&rsquo / s future / (4) to investigate the significant predictors of their environmental values, and attitudes and behaviors toward sustainable life styles. In addition, Faculty of Education students as future implementers of sustainability education were under investigation with regard to sustainability concerns. The data were collected by online administration of measuring tool to 958 METU students in February-June of 2008. This measuring tool was also administered to 688 Faculty of Education students in classroom environment by the researcher. The results showed that there exist some knowledge gaps in university students&rsquo / perceptions toward different aspects of sustainable development. Furthermore, the respondents had favorable attitudes toward sustainable development and intrinsic values toward the environment. However, looking at the personal behavioral changes, their preferred individual ways of living were not necessarily coherent with sustainability. The results revealed that female students having higher tendency to follow media held more favorable attitudes and behaviors toward sustainable life styles, and more intrinsic environmental values. Moreover, attitudes and values were found to be significant determinants of university students&rsquo / behaviors toward sustainable life styles. Interestingly, Faculty of Education students&rsquo / attitudes were not significantly related to their behaviors toward sustainable life styles.

Atliekų problema šiuo metu yra pripažinta svarbiausia ir sudėtingiausia aplinkos apsaugos sritimi. Atliekų surinkimas ir pirminis rūšiavimas daugiausia priklauso nuo visuomenės narių geranoriškumo ir sąmoningumo, todėl čia ypač svarbus visuomenės švietimas ir mokymas. Atsižvelgiant į tai, kad sėkmingo atliekų rūšiavimo prielaida yra aplinkosauginis švietimas, galima teigti, jog viena iš priemonių jam įgyvendinti yra mokyklų vykdomos iniciatyvos. Tačiau išryškėja problema, jog dėmesys jų įgyvendinimui nėra pakankamas, nes mokyklų atliekų rūšiavimo iniciatyvos nėra vertinamos ir analizuojamos, siekiant nustatyti jų veiksmingumą. Darbe remiantis mokslinės literatūros analize ir empirinio tyrimo duomenimis ši problema išspręsta. Nustatytas darbo tiklas – išanalizuoti ir įvertinti Lietuvos mokyklų atliekų rūšiavimo iniciatyvas. Darbo pirmame skyriuje aptartas aplinkosauginio švietimo vaidmuo, siekiant ugdyti asmenį sąmoningai suvokiantį atliekų rūšiavimo svarbą. Išanalizuoti Lietuvos ir užsienio autorių mokslo darbai. Panaudoti lyginimo ir apibendrinimo metodai bendroms tendencijoms ir įžvalgoms pateikti. Antrame skyriuje, reminatis Tarptautinių, Europos Sąjungos ir Lietuvos teisės aktų analize, išanalizuotas aplinkosauginio švietimo teisinis reglamentavimas ir nustatytas teisinis pagrindas atliekų rūšiavimo iniciatyvų vykdymui Lietuvos mokyklose. Trečiame skyriuje naudojant duomenų analizės metodą nustatytos ir išanalizuotos Lietuvos mokyklose vykdomos atliekų rūšiavimo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The waste problem is now recognized as the most important and difficult area of environmental protection. Waste collection and initial sorting depends largely on the goodwill and awareness of society, so education and training of society are very important. In respect that the environmental education is an assumption for a success of waste sorting, it can be argued that one of the tools to implement it is schools’ initiatives. However, there is a problem that the focus on the implementation of these initiatives is not sufficient because the schools’ waste sorting initiatives are not evaluated and analyzed in order to determine their effectiveness. In this paper this problem is solved on the basis of scientific literature and data of empirical study. In the first section of paper it is discussed the role of environmental education on a purpose to educate a person consciously understanding the importance of waste sorting. Scientific works of Lithuanian and foreign authors’ were analyzed. The comparison and summary methods were used in order to submit the common trends and providences. In the second section on the basis of International, European Union and Lithuanian legislation analysis, legal regulation of environmental education was analyzed, and a legal basis to implement waste sorting initiatives at schools of Lithuania was identified. In the third section using the method of data analysis the waste sorting initiatives implemented by Lithuanian schools were identified... [to full text]

La pedagogia dell’ambiente può offrire nuove prospettive interpretative rispetto a talune rilevanti questioni ambientali. Delineando contributi progettuali sostenibili per formare ad una cittadinanza responsabile in una civiltà planetaria, essa dischiude la possibilità di elaborare una cultura della sostenibilità educativa. Significare un nuovo modello di sviluppo, secondo un pensiero pedagogico orientato alla centralità della persona in stretta congiunzione con la dottrina sociale della Chiesa, caratterizza il quadro teorico della tesi. E’ in questa cornice che si inserisce la presente ricerca, la quale, in una prospettiva pedagogica, compie un’esplorazione orientata ad approfondire il rapporto tra pedagogia e politica dell’ambiente nello scenario dell’Unione Europea. L’elaborato mira a proporre un’articolata disamina critica delle attuali politiche ambientali europee in merito a ricerca e innovazione dell’istruzione e formazione. L’interpretazione pedagogica di emblematici documenti dell’Unione Europea circa l’educazione allo sviluppo sostenibile evidenzia elementi imprescindibili per delineare una progettazione educativa sostenibile finalizzata a generare un cambiamento culturale nel segno della sostenibilità e per elaborare possibili linee di orientamento rivolte a policy makers. / Environmental pedagogy can offer new interpretational perspectives with respect to certain significant environmental issues. By outlining sustainable projects aimed at forming a responsible population in a planetary civilization, environmental pedagogy discloses the possibility to develop a culture of educational sustainability. Representing a new development model, according to a pedagogical thought oriented towards the central nature of the person, in close conjunction with the social doctrine of the Church, characterizes the theoretical picture of the thesis. It is this frame that encloses the present research, which, from a pedagogical perspective, carries out an investigation aimed at deepening the relationship between pedagogy and environmental policy in the scenario of the European Union. The paper intends to propose a well-structured and critical examination of the current European environmental policies on the subject of research and innovation in education and training. The pedagogical interpretation of emblematic documents issued by the European Union concerning education for sustainable development shows elements which are crucial for the purpose of outlining a sustainable educational plan aimed at generating a cultural change in the sign of sustainability and for developing possible guidelines aimed at policymakers.

För pedagoger är det viktigt att se det som skapar framgång och ger positiv perspektiv. Min undersökning kan hjälpa till att fördjupa förståelsen för vilka faktorer som främjar utbildning för hållbar utveckling. Syftet med studien är att ta reda på faktorer som är viktiga för att främja och förbättra utbildning för hållbar utveckling. Enligt styrdokumenten är hållbar utveckling en nödvändig komponent i utbildning. Materialet erhölls genom kvalitativa djupintervjuer med 6 lärare, inkluderar förskollärare, grundskollärare, gymnasielärare, representanter från Håll Sverige Rent, Naturskolan som har av erfarenhet i praktiskt arbete med hållbar utveckling inom framgångsrikt Grön Flaggs certifieringsprogram. Det analyserades och sammanställdes sedan i löpande text. Genom SWOT- analys identifieras och kategoriseras starka sidor, svaga sidor, möjligheter och hot bland faktorer som främjar utbildning för hållbar utveckling. Starka sidor och möjligheter betraktas som framgångsfaktorer.  Resultaten visar vilka faktorer som är viktiga för att främja och förbättra utbildning för hållbar utveckling utifrån lärarens perspektiv. Den studien belyser framgångsfaktorer för utbildning för hållbar utveckling i praktiskt arbete. Min förhoppning är att min undersökning ska öka förutsättningarna för att utveckla en internationell dialog och samarbete inom kompetensutveckling inom utbildning för hållbar utveckling.

Biosphärenreservate bilden Modelllandschaften, in denen überprüft werden soll, mit welchen Methoden und Mitteln nachhaltige Entwicklung möglich sein kann. Neben dem Schutz, der Pflege und der Entwicklung der geschützten Kulturlandschaften sind gleichrangig sogenannte logistische Funktionen wesentlicher Bestandteil der Aufgaben eines Biosphärenreservates. Innerhalb dieser Funktionen bilden die Umweltbildung und das Umweltmonitoring eine zentrale Rolle. Die Aufgabe dieser Arbeit bestand darin festzustellen, inwieweit der Einsatz von GI-Technologien in der Umweltbildung möglich ist. Dazu wurden Analysen auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen durchgeführt. Der Einsatz solcher Technologien setzt die Bereitschaft der verantwortlichen Mitarbeiter in den einzelnen Biosphärenreservaten voraus. Die Untersuchungen zeigen, dass eine solche Bereitschaft grundsätzlich vorhanden ist. Die dafür notwendigen und derzeit häufig noch einschränkenden Randbedingungen wurden erörtert. Neben den Biosphärenreservaten, die als Anbieter von Bildungsmaßnahmen in Schulen verstanden werden können, ist ebenfalls ein Blick auf die Schulen selbst und die dort tätigen LehrerInnen notwendig, um auch deren Bereitschaft zur Nutzung von GI-Technologien zu analysieren. In diesem Schnittbereich zwischen dem Angebot externer Anbieter von Umweltbildung und der Nachfrage – im Sinne der Bereitschaft an den Schulen, solche Angebote auch zuzulassen – besteht die Möglichkeit des Einsatzes von GI-Technologien. Das Ziel dieses Einsatzes liegt dabei vordergründig nicht in der neuen, interessanteren Ausgestaltung des Unterrichtes. Die Nutzung von GI-Technologien muss sich an den zu vermittelnden Kompetenzen orientieren. Welche Rolle Kompetenzen in diesem Zusammenhang spielen, wird in der Arbeit ausführlich dargestellt. Es werden die Ergebnisse der Analyse der drei Elemente: • Umweltbildung / Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung • Geoinformationen / GI-Technologien • Biosphärenreservate vorgestellt und miteinander in Beziehung gesetzt. Daraus leiten sich sowohl Zielstellungen als auch notwendige Maßnahmen ab. Als Schritt zur Umsetzung der erarbeiteten Vorschläge wurde in den Jahren 2008 bis 2010 an zwei Mittelschulen das Konzept „Umweltmonitoring an Schulen – Kulturlandschaftsentwicklung in Biosphärenreservaten“ realisiert. Dabei stand nicht nur im Vordergrund, die Nutzung von GI-Technologien in den Unterricht von Schulen zu bringen und damit SchülerInnen aktiv an Forschungsarbeit teilhaben zu lassen, es war auch die Aufgabe, diese Bildungsmaßnahmen einer empirischen Forschung zuzuführen. Damit ist es das zentrale Anliegen dieser Initiierungsphase, Forschungsarbeit zum Bildungsgegenstand zu machen und gleichzeitig diese Bildungsarbeit zum Forschungsgegenstand werden zu lassen.

This thesis contributes to knowledge about how Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as educational online platforms can be utilized in achieving the purposes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Starting out from a view that, in the face of global challenges every individual is an important actor with agency to drive for necessary social changes, the overall ambition of this thesis is to investigate the role of MOOCs, as a specific form of online learning, in empowering and enabling learners to acquire the competences needed to take responsible actions and informed decisions in a rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world. More specifically, this thesis aims at providing a deeper insight into the question of whether the pedagogic approaches used in ESD (learner-centered, action-oriented and transformative learning) and the learning processes that they promote, can be incorporated in the MOOC environment. This issue holds importance due to the global and intergenerational character of ESD where providing access to training and learning for sustainable development for all is vital. In this respect, MOOCs have been envisioned as revolutionary in the provision of access to education to a wider audience. Nevertheless, the “massive” part of MOOCs could pose a challenge in connection to ESD, due to the fact that ESD is not easily generalized and aims at upholding local relevance. Therefore, this thesis also looks into the question of the implications posed by scale and the issue of scalability when investigating how MOOCs can enable the application of ESD pedagogic approaches, thus also contributing to the achievement of the purposes and learning objectives of ESD and Climate Change Education as its constituent part. Utilizing a case study methodology, the MOOC in Climate Change Leadership at Uppsala University is chosen as a case example of the MOOC learning environment and learning circumstances. By conducting a content analysis of the MOOC materials as presented on the online platform, and developing an analytical framework based on the ESD pedagogic approaches, this thesis reaches the conclusion that some aspects of the ESD approaches benefit from the networked environment and large-scale participation in the MOOC environment, while the incorporation of others is more challenging and asks for further research and improvement of the MOOC learning environment in order for them to provide for the optimal learning circumstances and outcomes in connection to ESD.

Det här är en kvantitativ studie som undersöker hur lärare i skolans tidigare år arbetar med hållbar utveckling i sin undervisning. För att besvara studiens syfte har fyra stycken frågeställningar utformats, dessa undersöker undervisningens innehåll, arbetsmetoder, svårigheter samt om hållbar utveckling genomsyrar elevernas skolgång. Studien baseras på en internetenkät, publicerad i medlemsgrupper på Facebook.com som är riktad mot lärare och arbetande inom skolan. Totalt har 66 personer besvarat enkäten, vidare har tre stycken av dessa besvarat sex stycken följdfrågor om vilka svårigheter de upplever med undervisning om hållbar utveckling.Studiens resultat visar att det ekologiska perspektivet av hållbar utveckling är det som deltagarna anser att de har mest kunskaper om. Detta visas både genom deltagarnas egen utvärdering av sina kunskaper men också utifrån vad deras undervisning om hållbar utveckling innehåller. Arbetsmetoderna varierar mellan både praktiskt och teoretiskt arbete där undervisningen främst sker inomhus, men vid vissa tillfällen även utomhus. Till viss del genomsyrar hållbar utveckling elevernas skolgång, främst handlar det om återvinning av material samt källsortering. Av de 66 respondenterna upplever 66.2 % stora svårigheter, att det är svårt eller några svårigheter med att undervisa om hållbar utveckling. Det deltagarna anser gör undervisningen om hållbar utveckling svår är deras egen kunskap i området, att veta vad eleverna ska lära sig samt att få eleverna att förstå ett sådant komplext innehåll.Studiens kommer fram till att deltagarnas undervisning om hållbar utveckling främst riktas mot det ekologiska perspektivet genom att använda både praktiska och teoretiska arbetsmetoder och växelvis inomhus och utomhus. Hållbar utveckling ses till viss del som ett ständigt arbete som sker i skolan, där främst källsortering och återvinning av material är dagliga inslag. Att respondenterna upplever undervisningen om hållbar utveckling som svårt beror främst på bristande kunskap, vilket även gör det svårt för lärarna att utforma undervisningen innehåll. Studiens slutsats är att hållbar utveckling är ett komplext och invecklat undervisningsområde och många av de som deltagit i studien anser att de skulle behöva mer kunskaper om området för att inte uppleva den som svår.

Many higher education institutions (HEIs) have started to incorporate sustainable development (SD) into their system. A variety of sustainability assessment tools (SATs) have been developed to support HEIs to systematically measure, audit, benchmark, and communicate SD efforts. In recent years, stakeholders have increasingly asked HEIs to demonstrate their impacts on SD. These impacts are the direct and indirect effects an HEI has outside of its organizational boundaries on society, the natural environment, and the economy. This study analyzes to what extent SATs are capable of measuring the impacts that HEIs have on SD. A mixed-method approach, using descriptive statistics and an inductive content analysis, was used to examine 1134 indicators for sustainability assessment derived from 19 SATs explicitly designed for application by HEIs. The findings reveal that SATs largely neglect the impacts HEIs have outside their organizational boundaries. SATs primarily use proxy indicators based on internally available data to assess impacts and thus tend to focus on themes concerning the natural environment and the contribution to the local economy. Updating existing SATs and developing new ones may enable HEIs to fully realize their potential to contribute to SD.