Sustainable development and education for sustainable development are something that characterizes our society today. Every day we are fed from different media about the future of our world and that we should think sustainably in everything we do. In the curriculum of the compulsory school it is mentioned in several places that the school should work on sustainable development (Skolverket 2019). Today´s teachers have a greater responsibility to teach students to become democratic citizens who are thinking and acting for sustainable development. Students should think sustainably in everything they do. Everything from sharpening a pen just enough to not throwing away food.The purpose of the study was to illustrate the teachers' perceptions of learning for sustainable development and to see how it is implemented in teaching that is education for sustainable development. Based on the purpose of the study, a qualitative study was conducted. Seven teachers, from a school in a mid-Swedish town, that works expcitly with education for sustainable development.The results indicate the importance of cross-disciplinary work with a certain complexity, where professional development and teachers working teams are important parts of the teaching and learning strategy. It also appears that school cultivation and other practicalities are of great importance to education for sustainable development along with the students' impact on the environment in the classroom and their sustainability thinking in everything they do during the school day.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) provides a framework for reorienting education towards sustainability. The ESD framework is criticized for reproducing rather than transforming unsustainable systems, thus a critical analysis of the framework is crucial to understand its role in reorienting education towards sustainability. To this end, we contribute to an understanding of the role of ESD through the lens of experts who are reorienting education towards sustainability. These experts use various approaches at regional, national, and/or international levels. Based on thirteen semi-structured interviews, we find two strands in the understanding of ESD. The first strand reflects the importance of the framework in reorienting education, and the second strand reflects on ESD as part of a larger movement. Furthermore, we flag a critical need for a democratic process of reorienting education towards sustainability, to progress transformative change through ESD. Lastly, our findings suggest a need to consider the individual experience of those involved in bringing ESD into practice.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) faces the enormous challenge of educating students to handle so called wicked problems, i.e., problems that lack true or false solutions and with inherent conflicts of interests and which characterizes the great questions of our time. ESD is internationally a diverse practice with many different approaches to the challenge described above. At the same time the United Nations among others emphasizes the crucial role of educations in developing the action competence needed for the transformation of society towards a more sustainable world. A unique student led initiative started at Uppsala university as a counter-reaction to prevailing traditions within higher education and with the goal of creating an education that does not destroy the planet. The purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about this student led teaching practice by investigating two aspects of learning that are key in developing desired action competences: firstly, desired subject positions which then will be discussed in the light of the second aspect desired educational functions. The study makes use of three central theoretical and methodological perspectives that has shaped the design of the study; Dewey’s transactional perspective is used as an overall starting point that enables an in situ study of actions. Foucault’s conception of power and governance is used to understand how power – in the sense of “actions upon actions” – is manifested in the educational practice. And to make visible and discuss how ESD functions in the teaching practice in relation to the aims of that practice, Biesta’s three dimensions of educational functions – education as qualification, socialization and subjectification, is being used. In accordance with these theoretical perspectives and the aim of the study a qualitative case study of group discussions in the student led classroom was conducted using audio- and video recordings during a university course. The student transactions were analyzed in two steps. The first step consisted of an overall analysis of the explicit aim or focus of the teaching practice where three main focus was found; “learning from each other”, “taking a stand” and “to be critical and creative”. The second step consisted of a specified analysis of desired subject positions which were then discussed in the light of educational functions. Here the students’ actions were found to limit their own and each other’s learning processes, by for instance avoiding conflicting views and facts. The analysis also shows how the students’ emotional reactions on the other hand enable their own and each other’s learning processes by creating “interruptions” thus making space for an existential dimension of environmental and sustainability issues. Education as qualification and socialization often was put to the foreground in the practice. But in the students’ transactions in their group discussions two unique tools for learning was identified which teachers may not possess, and which have the potential to enable room for subjectification. These tools were identified as the student’s possibility to be private and to have continuous conversations.

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.

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

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.

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This thesis explores the strategies compulsory school teachers employ to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into their teaching practices in Sweden. Given the increasing importance of sustainability in education, this study investigates how ESD is incorporated into the curriculum and the challenges educators face. The research is framed within the Swedish education system context, which mandates ESD inclusion under the national curriculum guidelines. Using qualitative methods, including interviews with teachers and analysis of educational practices, the study identifies key factors that drive and hinder the effective integration of ESD. The findings reveal that while teachers are motivated by a solid commitment to sustainability, they often encounter obstacles such as a lack of resources, insufficient training, and the interdisciplinary nature of ESD, which contrasts with traditional mono-disciplinary teaching methods. The thesis contributes to the theoretical understanding of ESD by highlighting teachers’ resilience and adaptive strategies for overcoming these challenges. It also provides practical recommendations for enhancing ESD integration through improved teacher training, policy support, and curriculum development.