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.

The central role of education for sustainable development (SD) has been emphasized since the 1990s. SD involves the three areas of environment, economy and society, with a focus on the relationships between environmental protection and human development. Education for sustainable development (ESD) takes a holistic view on the environmental, economic and social dimensions of SD and aims to empower students to engage in the democratic development of society in a more sustainable direction. Policy-level and research community discussions have addressed the ways in which ESD has been implemented internationally. This study focuses on upper secondary students, and investigates their views on sustainability and the ways they make decisions related to SD. The study aims to address the interdisciplinary and multidimensional content embraced in the concept of SD and the development of competences often associated with ESD. A survey investigating students’ (n=638) sustainability consciousness (SC) and their decision-making in a number of SD related contexts was conducted in 15 Swedish upper secondary schools. The results show that students attending schools with an ESD profile are characterized by stronger SC than students attending regular schools; however the difference is small and mostly related to the economic dimension of SD. Furthermore, students who prioritize environmental decisions in SD dilemmas show stronger SC than students giving priority to economic reasons. When environmental, economic and social dimensions are introduced separately, social aspects are given the highest priority by the students. In contrast, environmental aspects are up-graded when the dimensions are introduced in an integrated manner. However, different dimensions are prioritized in different contexts. The study provides empirical support for using multiple contexts and including both harmonious and conflict-based perspectives on SD in education. It also contributes knowledge to the discussion about the implementation of ESD in Sweden in terms of outcomes among students. / This study addresses the interdisciplinary and multidimensional content embraced in the concept of sustainable development (SD) and the development of competences often associated with education for sustainable development (ESD). A survey was conducted among 638 students from 15 upper secondary schools, investigating their sustainability consciousness (SC) and their decision-making in relation to a number of sustainability dilemmas. The results showed that students attending schools with an ESD profile were characterized by stronger SC than students attending regular schools; however the difference between the groups was small and mostly related to the economic dimension of SD. Students who prioritized environmental decisions in SD dilemmas showed stronger SC than students who prioritized economic reasons. The SD dimensions were given varying importance depending on the context and whether a harmony-based or a conflict-based perspective on environmental, economic and social dimensions was used. The study provides support for using multiple perspectives and including both harmonious- and conflict-based perspectives on SD in education. It also contributes knowledge of the implementation of ESD in Sweden in terms of the student sustainability consciousness in the two groups.

Cette recherche s’inscrit dans une dynamique d’évaluation de la qualité et de l’applicabilité de l’ERE dans le programme scolaire des deux premiers cycles du niveau fondamental en Haïti, tout en tenant compte de ce qui se fait en France et au Canada (Ontario). Des comportements irresponsables à l’égard de l’environnement constituent des facteurs aggravants ayant des incidences directes sur l'ensemble de la population. La dégradation écologique accélérée de la République d'Haïti est une préoccupation majeure qui oblige à tourner le regard vers des actions plus concrètes et durables susceptibles de contribuer grandement à la résolution de ces nombreux problèmes. Ce constat impose une autre approche, une autre forme de pensée. Il s’agit d’orienter l’éducation et l’enseignement vers de nouveaux paradigmes incluant l’ERE consacrée par les instances internationales comme un outil important dans la résolution des problèmes environnementaux et dont la finalité est de créer des citoyens dotés d’une vraie conscience écologique. L’analyse des curricula des sciences à l’élémentaire des trois pays étudiés permet de constater que les systèmes scolaires s'orientent plus vers une éducation qui tend à transmettre et à faire acquérir des connaissances en ERE plutôt que de placer l'enfant dans un contexte réel d'apprentissage où il peut développer des rapports étroits avec l’environnement. Cette observation nous amène à interroger 50 responsables d’établissements scolaires et 212 enseignants des écoles fondamentales en Haïti sur leur vision, leurs connaissances et la place réservée à cette notion dans leurs planifications pédagogiques. Le résultat de l’analyse de ces données démontre une grande méconnaissance de la notion dans le milieu scolaire étudié et qu'en outre l’ERE vient élargir le fossé des inégalités scolaires déjà criantes en Haïti. / This research is part of a dynamics of quality assessment and applicability of education on the environment in the science curriculum in elementary Haiti, while taking into account what is being practiced in France and Canada (Ontario). The analysis of the content of curricula of experimental sciences of these three (3) countries has served to mark such an approach. Irresponsible behaviors towards the environment faced with serious problems are aggravating factors that directly affect the entire population. Accelerated environmental degradation of the Republic of Haiti is a major concern that requires to look for more concrete and lasting actions in order to greatly contribute to solving these numerous problems. These findings require a different approach, a different way of thinking. It is a matter of orienting education and teaching to new paradigms including education on the environment enshrined in international forums as an important tool in the resolution of environmental problems and whose aim is to create citizens endowed with genuine environmental awareness. The analysis of the sciences curricula of elementary schools of the three countries under study allows to see that the school systems are moving more towards an education which tends to transmit and to make acquire knowledge about EE for the environment instead of placing the child in the real learning environment where he may develop close relationships with the environment. This observation led us to interview 50 school officials and 212 teachers of the fundamental level in Haiti about their vision, their knowledge and the place reserved to this concept in their teaching schedules. The result of the analysis of these data shows great ignorance of the concept in the school environment under study and in addition to that EE just widens the gap of school inequalities already obvious in Haiti.

This thesis aims to investigate what strategic guidance can be given to design transformative ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) programs in order to bring about the necessary shift away from our dominating mechanistic and transmissive educational model towards one that is transformative. ESD programs are of high importance when moving towards a more sustainable society, however, a lack of a strategic, full systems approach for planning in the field of complexity can be observed. This gap can be bridged by the use of the FSSD, the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, which is used as a conceptual framework throughout this paper. The field of transformative education was researched by using a mixed-methods approach, revealing what key elements and best practices are present that enable transformation to happen. The Cocoon model presented in this paper is derived from the results and intends to give strategic guidance for program designers on how to create a transformative ESD program. It is a process model that aids program designers to create the space for transformational learning to occur by strategically putting into place the elements that are conducive to transformation.

Hållbar utveckling är idag ett aktuellt begrepp, men vad betyder det egentligen för undervisningen? Miljöundervisningen i sig är inget eget ämne, utan ska ses som en övergripande del i all undervisning. Följande kvalitativa studie undersöker hur fem grundlärare i årskurserna 4–6, som undervisar inom de naturorienterande ämnena, beskriver sin miljöundervisning, samt vad de värderar mest inom området. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer har lärarna fått berätta om sin undervisning. Studien har ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv och använt en innehållsanalytisk metod. I resultatet framkom det att samtliga lärare arbetar med flera teoretiska och praktiska delar i undervisningen. Vad som är gemensamt för samtliga deltagare är att litteratur samt film och media används i miljöundervisningen. Även samtalet ses som en viktig del i undervisningen, då eleverna får lyfta fram sina egna tankar och idéer. / Sustainable development is a topical term, but how does it affect the teaching? In Sweden, environmental education is not a school subject. Instead, it shall be seen as an overall topic. This qualitative study includes five middle school teachers, who educate in science, and investigates how they describe and what they value most in their environmental education. The teachers have answered questions based on semi-structured interviews. This study has been inspired by a hermeneutic perspective and applies a content analysis method. It appears that all teachers work with several theoretical and practical elements. What’s common for all participants is that literature, film and media are used in their environmental education. Discussions is also seen as an important part of teaching, as students can highlight their own thoughts and ideas.

Skolverkets styrdokument definierar vad som ska undervisas i skolan. Eftersom ett styrdokument består av ord och undervisningen ska omsättas i konkret praktik, finns utrymme för lärares olika gestaltning i den praktiska undervisningen ute i klassrummen. I detta arbete har 8 lärare på gymnasiets Teknikprogram intervjuats kring deras gestaltning av kursen Teknik1 och med specifikt fokus på gestaltning av begreppet Hållbar utveckling som är inskrivet genomgående i styrdokumenten. Hållbar utveckling kan tolkas på flera nivåer inom skolan. Som kunskap och förmågor inom kursen specifikt, men även som övergripande för undervisning för hållbar utveckling generellt. De teoretiska referenserna för arbetet är därför dels för undervisning inom hållbar utveckling, dels hållbar undervisning i allmänhet och dels teknikundervisning i synnerhet. Analys av intervjusvaren visar på relativt stora variationer hos lärarna i vald gestaltning av kursen Teknik1 respektive förståelse av begreppet Hållbar utveckling. Kategorisering av insamlad data visar på skillnader i hur ”det nya” eller ”det gamla” är en utgångspunkt för vald teknikdidaktik. Förståelsen av begreppet hållbar utveckling är hos sju av åtta lärare utifrån miljöperspektivet och endast en av de åtta lärarna beskriver hållbar utveckling utifrån helhetssynen som definierar begreppet med även sociala och ekonomiska perspektiv inkluderade. En avslutande diskussion utifrån resultatet, ger perspektiv på resultatet i dialog med pågående forskning kring undervisning inom hållbar utveckling i allmänhet och teknikdidaktik i synnerhet. Avslutningsvis ges implikationer för praktiken, som kan ge hållbar utveckling en roll att medverka till helhetssyn och kreativitet i gestaltning av teknikundervisningen. Istället för att sprida lärares gestaltning, bli en gemensam plattform att mötas kring för ämnesöverskridande undervisning.

Utbildning pekas ofta ut i såväl internationella som nationella styrdokument som centralt för att kunna skapa hållbar utveckling. Det saknas dock fortfarande en hel del kunskap om hur utbildning kan utformas och genomföras för att stärka handlingskompetens och miljömedvetenhet hos elever och studenter. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur en grupp lärare i grundskolans årskurs f-5 uppfattar begreppet lärande för hållbar utveckling och hur de uttrycker att de förhåller sig till det i  sin egen undervisningspraktik samt om och på vilket sätt deras uppfattningar förändras under en kompetensutvecklingsinsats utformad som en studiecirkel som pågår under ett års tid. Studien är genomförd med blandad metod. Forskningsdesignen är en före-efter experimentell design med en kvalitativ uppföljning till den experimentella delen av datainsamlingen. En enkätundersökning genomfördes före och efter studiecirkelns genomförande och analyserades med SPSS icke-parametriskt Wilcoxon signed rank-test. De uppföljande intervjuerna analyserades med en fenomenografisk ansats. Resultaten visar att lärarna ändrade sina uppfattningar om vad lärande för hållbar utveckling kan vara till både innehåll och uttryck. Lärarna ger uttryck för ett större mod att utveckla sin undervisning att bli mer utmanande för elevernas tänkande och innehålla fler inslag av verkliga kontexter. Det går däremot inte att säga något om vad som faktiskt händer i deras undervisning och vad det som sker i undervisningen gör för elevernas förståelse, utveckling av nyckelkompetenser, motivation och engagemang för att arbeta för en hållbar framtid.

The aim of this study was to generate knowledge about how teachers embark on new subject content and how their understandings of ecosystem services evolve and change in teaching practice, and also what it means to be able to discuss the relationship between the ecological and social in terms of ecosystem services in a teaching practice in middle school. The teachers used the learning study model and variation theory to explore the object of learning, by trying to design an instruction that offers fifth grade students the possibility to develop their knowledge of ecosystem services. The learning study model is an interventionist approach, where the focus is on an object of learning. A group of teachers worked together and tested students, planned lessons and implemented, evaluated and refined the lessons in an iterative process. The theoretical framework, variation theory, is a theory of learning that focuses on how discernment of aspects affects the way we perceive our world and how variation can be used to promote learning. However, since the study aims at contributing to enhancing our knowledge of how teachers can develop their skills and their meanings of a new content in practice, the empirical data from learning study was then analyzed with the help of activity theory, and the cycle of expansive learning. The result of the study shows that it can be complicated to introduce a new educational content. However, the learning study model proved to be aneffective tool for developing teachers' knowledge of ecosystem services and how to teach this. Ecosystem services were developed as teachers worked systematically with the content in their practice. For example, when the students did not respond to the exercises and to the reasoning of the ecosystem services that the teachers had planned, contradictions were created and changed the learning object's meaning for the teachers. The recordings from the lessons made the contradictions that arose during the lesson visible. Ecosystem services were developed from being primarily a tool to describe the human needs of the non-human nature to a tool to be able to discuss sustainability issues and the relationship between ecological, economic and social dimensions.