In 2002, the United Nations designates 2005-2014 as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. In China, Education for Sustainable Development [ESD] has been recognized as an important component in the new educational reform. However, there is an implementation gap between government policy and classroom practice. Teachers play a pivotal role in curriculum implementation. Therefore, knowing what teachers' think about ESD is the first step towards understanding the implementation of ESD. / Key words. sustainable development; education for sustainable development; teacher's belief; geography teacher; instrument development; values; teaching belief; China / Quantitative research methods supported by interview are used in this research. After analyzing relevant literature on ESD and interviewing 16 Beijing geography teachers, it is found that the ESD beliefs comprised two components: sustainability values [VESD] and teaching beliefs of ESD [TESD]. Based on ESD principles and some environmental beliefs instruments, a first draft of VESD instrument was developed and piloted among Yinchuan and Beijing geography teachers. A second draft was then developed and tested with over 300 Guangzhou and Changchun geography teachers. The final VESD instrument with four dimensions has been found with a stable structure and acceptable reliability and validity. These four dimensions are respect and care for the community of life; ecological integrity; social and economic justice; democracy, nonviolence and peace. / The aim of this research is to develop an effective and easy-to-use ESD instrument to reveal teacher's beliefs about ESD. In the process of developing the instrument, it is essential to study: What are teachers' ESD beliefs? Are ESD beliefs made up environmental values and teaching beliefs? What are the structure and content of the values and teaching beliefs of ESD? / The TESD instrument is found to have three factors with good reliability and validity. These three factors are namely: relevance to daily life, student's need in the future, and integrated teaching. / With these two instruments which can be used to tap teacher's ESD beliefs in China, researchers interested in ESD implementation can conduct future researches on teachers' beliefs about ESD and the potential implementation problems. / 楊光. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2006. / 參考文獻(p. 256-274). / Adviser: Chi Chung Lam. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-03, Section: A, page: 0867. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / School code: 1307. / Lun wen (zhe xue bo shi)--Xiang gang Zhong wen da xue, 2006. / Can kao wen xian (p. 256-274). / Yang Guang.