rss_2.0Sciendo RSS Feed for Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainabilityhttps://sciendo.com/journal/JTEShttps://www.sciendo.comhttps://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/64722f9b215d2f6c89dbeeb5/cover-image.jpghttps://sciendo.com/journal/JTES140216https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0001ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00012023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0008<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Tourism for its intrinsic character of people, planet and profit has been an enduring area of research for sustainable policy and practices. Planning and implementing sustainable tourism in India are largely shaped and groomed in the classrooms. Currently, over two hundred universities across the country offer tourism programs. The current study involves a two-stage process. Available literature was first summarized into items of sustainability components required of a program structure such as sustainability aspects; viz. socio-economic, environmental, and business, case study approach, interaction with stakeholders, research &amp; practices in local settings and timely update of the syllabus. Such components in the second stage of the research formed the basis of the questionnaire used for qualitative research involving senior academics responsible for designing the syllabi. Findings present a model on the effective integration of sustainable tourism theories and practices into tourism curricula.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00082023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0004<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Pre-service biology teachers’ environmental literacy is still generally low. It is necessary to improve their environmental literacy through the innovation of open inquiry learning kits. There are two primary aims of this study: (1) to develop appropriate open inquiry learning kits that can foster pre-service biology teachers’ environmental literacy in environmental education courses, (2) to examine the effectiveness of open inquiry learning kits in improving environmental literacy. This study used the procedure of the 4-D Thiagarajan model, i.e., four stages: (1) define, (2) design, (3) develop, and (4) disseminate. The products produced are open inquiry lesson plans, student worksheets, and environmental literacy test instruments. The product validation was carried out by experts in the field of environmental education and biology teaching and learning. The preliminary field testing and the main field testing were carried out in environmental education courses. The data were collected through observation, questionnaires, and written tests. The data were analyzed in a quantitative descriptive way through the calculation of the gain score. The results obtained from the research and development are open inquiry learning kits to improve the environmental literacy of students, which as a whole are suitable to use in environmental education lectures based on expert judgment. These open inquiry learning kits are not very effective in improving students’ environmental literacy based on the calculations of the gain score due to various shortcomings.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00042023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0006<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The modern approach to teaching in schools is based on encouraging pupils’ activity in learning about the natural and social phenomena; the pupil is an active participant in the teaching process. The “Nature and Society” subject curriculum emphasizes the use of ICT technologies and various teaching methods. The teacher, their practice, emotions, personality, and competencies play an important role in achieving the learning outcomes in school subjects, as well as in cross-curricular topics, such as is the Sustainable Development Curriculum. This paper presents a study that examined teachers’ Love and Care for nature as an important component of promotion of ESD and the practice of using modern approaches in teaching of the subject “Nature and Society”. The results of the study show that there is a statistically significant relationship between teachers’ Love and Care for nature and modern approaches to learning and teaching the subject “Nature and Society” and the implementation of ESD in primary schools in Croatia.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00062023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0009<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The demand for outdoor recreational activities is rising. Therefore, it is important to pay more attention to their environmental impact and sustainability. However, there is a lack of methodology for measuring the impact of novel recreational activities, such as disc golf. This research aimed to address the existing environmental problems with disc golf in Estonia and elaborate on the methodology for assessing the environmental impact of disc golf courses and using it as a teaching tool for rising environmental awareness of the students. Based on existing research, the environmental impact assessment methodology for disc golf areas was developed and tested. The developed methodology is relevant for discovering negative impacts and for minimizing them. It could be used as an assessment tool for service providers and destination managers. Using the methodology as practical exercise proved to be an effective tool for rising the student’s environmental awareness.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00092023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>There is a common understanding among researchers and practitioners that the learning environment is a key aspect of the adjustment and well-being of students and teachers. There is a necessity to translate the findings of individual studies on building positive learning environments to a comprehensive and integral framework to sustain and promote a positive school climate using a holistic approach. Sustainability in this theoretical paper is approached as a dynamic, continuous, and long-term process of consciously and consistently implementing actions, strategies, and values at all levels and in all environments to facilitate and maintain a positive climate in educational settings. This conceptual approach, based on action research in the fields of education and psychology, will help to broaden perspectives on both positive school climates and sustainability to improve the understanding and practices of all stakeholders in education. As such, this article presents a conceptual framework as well as guidelines for the assessment of sustainably promoting a positive school climate.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00052023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0002<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The paper analyzes the impact of interdisciplinary instruction on the perception, awareness, and knowledge about climate change of 102 Spanish pre-service primary teachers using a pre- and post-test design. Our findings demonstrate that pre- to post-test scores significantly increased in all the studied categorizations and that students’ academic background influences score improvement. Data also reveal that there is a positive and significant correlation between teaching capability perception and knowledge, suggesting that knowledge instruction is crucial for teachers’ confidence in climate change education. The study also confirms the opportunity to explore sustainable teacher education from an interdisciplinary perspective, carrying out congruent teaching from different approaches on a complex phenomenon to understand it in a holistic way.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00022023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0011<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This paper offers reflections on the development and potential of a transformative teacher education project as one component of the Professional Development Programs (PDPs) at the Faculty of Education of a comprehensive Canadian university. The work of our teacher education program is set in Vancouver and utilizes the lenses of social ecology and environmental diversity (or SEEDs) to examine the roles of teachers in bringing an awareness of local/global sustainability issues to student learning experiences. Using auto-ethnographical methods our project reflects on a critical and place-based teacher education agenda highlighting democratic and participatory methods in its approach. We use our experiences combined with relevant literature to explore what inspirations might be drawn from our evolving approach. Drawing from Bookchin’s social ecology, our teacher education practices are based on the conviction that most of our present ecological problems originate with/in deep-seated social problems. It follows, from this view, that ecological problems cannot be understood, let alone solved, without a more careful understanding of our existing society and the irrationalities that often dominate it. In our most recent work, our teacher education candidates identified strongly with the related theoretical notions of Social Ecology and Diversity; hence, our identity (as seeds or seedlings) is in a state of flux as we continue to move and adapt to our current socio-political conditions.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00112023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0010<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The Covid-19 pandemic has left significant consequences at every level of education, including adult education. In order to adapt to the restriction caused by the pandemic, adult education institutions all around the world were forced to transform the way how the educational process was being organized. By introducing various web-related technologies, the physical place of teaching and learning processes has become a less significant factor, thereby, potentially, contributing to the inclusiveness of education and, as a result, to sustainable development.</p> <p>The paper aims to analyze how the recent transformation of adult education caused by the pandemic between 2020 and 2022 contributed to the sustainable development of Latvia.</p> <p>To achieve the aim, the following research methods are used: a scientific literature review to investigate the concepts of sustainable development and online adult education as well as their potential correlation, a survey of adult education institutions in Latvia, as well as statistical data analysis of adult education indicators.</p> <p>The main findings of the article: during the pandemic when the in-person teaching process was restricted, the Latvian adult education sector experienced unprecedented digital transformation. The transformation positively contributed to the improvement of not only the digital skills of teachers and learners but also to the sustainable development of Latvia by facilitating access to potential learners living in rural areas and regions.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00102023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0007<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>University education, in terms of its social and environmental responsibility, plays an important role in promoting local and global sustainability from its fundamental corporate principles: “Mission, Vision and Values”. Four dimensions associated with fourteen values related to blue and sustainable entrepreneurship were considered in this study: “Entrepreneurship values”, “Personal values”, “Social values” and “Environmental values” (the variables that are the object of this diagnostic study), which enabled the internal correlations that occurred between them to be seen, according to their level of presence in degree qualification syllabi at public universities in the region of Andalusia (Spain). The main conclusion we have found is the importance of prioritizing the “Personal” dimension in university education as an exogenous variable that conditions the social and entrepreneurship values, which also has a direct effect on the values related to the “Environmental” dimension, with the purpose of achieving a balanced and significant presence of values related to blue and sustainable entrepreneurship.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00072023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-0003<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Education for sustainable development (ESD) flourishes with student-centered learning methods, including project-based learning (PBL). These methods are still new to Saudi Arabian university students who tend to experience teacher-centered approaches. Saudi Arabia’s recent policy decision to shift to a knowledge-based economy that respects sustainability will benefit from PBL-enhanced learning. This small-scale qualitative study investigated faculty and students’ feedback on their experience with PBL. Four faculty members (three female, one male in accounting, sports management, and information management) and six female students (financial sciences or accounting) from an Eastern Province university college were interviewed (45 minutes) in 2020–2021 using Zoom. Without exception, the instructors were in favor of PBL as a teaching strategy, and students’ overall experience could be described as positive. A thematic analysis (89 % inter-rater reliability coefficient) generated three themes: (a) beneficial learning strategy, (b) beneficial but challenging learning strategy with room for improvement, and (c) sustained student support over the semester with exceptions. Saudi universities are encouraged to employ PBL in all courses and use assessment methods conducive to student-centered learning. Universities are encouraged to streamline the project approval process, which was quite involved herein. Communications with community partnerships are important, and faculty and students should be thoroughly in-serviced and oriented to PBL.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jtes-2023-00032023-06-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0018-1<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>The Didactical Aspects of Integrated Natural Science Content Model for Secondary School Education</title><p>The main aspects of democratic system of education are a humanistic approach, individualization, and differentiation. Ongoing discussions focus on the best way to teach natural sciences for pupils in humanitarian, social or vocational education programs in the context of sustainable development. For these types of programs, the natural science curriculum should provide all learners with the opportunity to achieve scientific and technological literacy (STL) that is to develop pupils' capacities to function as responsible citizens in the world increasingly affected by science and technologies. This paper highlights specific guidelines for the development of science curricula that are both interdisciplinary and socially relevant. The author emphasizes the context of interaction between human beings, society, and environment. These aspects are introduced in the new school science curriculum of Latvia. The survey of teachers' attitudes towards integrated natural science curriculum and study of pupils' achievements reflects the possibility of promoting scientific literacy of pupils.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0018-12009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0017-2<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Characteristics of Sustainable Changes for Schools</title><p>The article discusses some aspects of the concept of sustainable development and its educational manifestation - education for sustainable development. The concept of education for sustainable development is broadly accepted, but less attention has been paid to the extent to which innovations or changes are sustained over time, what characteristics or factors support their sustainability. The article introduces a model of six characteristics of sustainable changes in schools and changes concerning sustainable development in Estonian schools have been analyzed using qualitative research methods. The model consists of the following characteristics: depth, endurance, justice, diversity, conservation, and capital. According to the model, the positive changes in Estonian schools have been about the national curriculum, internal evaluation system as the basis for autonomy and self-management. The areas requiring greater change are justice or interdependence, diversity - respect for other people and the connections between formal and non-formal education as well as between schools and teacher training institutions.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0017-22009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0020-7<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Career Education for Teachers: Reflections on ESF Project Implementation in Latvia</title><p>In Latvia, the issues of career education are most often addressed by school teachers. In 2003, the Standards of Teacher Profession adopted by the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia provided the list of teachers' duties, tasks, and specific skills. One of such skills is to help pupils to understand the professional activities and to teach them career planning. This issue is given insufficient attention in teacher professional education. The article aims to use the context of sustainable education to analyze the activities carried out within the National Program Project Career Education Activity Provision in the System of Education co-financed by the European Social Fund. The questionnaires were designed to determine the needs for teacher education in relation to learner's career education. The data were obtained from in-service teachers (N=228) involved in career advising activities for their pupils in all regions of Latvia and were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results approve and elaborate on a necessity of integrating career education issues in the teacher education curriculum.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0020-72009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0016-3<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Education Policies and Teacher Education Programs: Meeting the Millennium Development Goals</title><p>This paper explores the present situation regarding the education policies and teacher education programs in Nigeria in light of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cited in the 2000 United Nations Millennium Declaration. The MDGs declaration helped awaken nations to the need for structural features that empower education policy makers and planners in creating effective educational systems. A survey was used to gather data from teachers and school administrators in Nigeria. The data suggested that both teachers and school administrators are discontented with the lethargic policies and implementation of programs in meeting global standards. In particular, the empiric data could be useful for education policymakers, planners, administrators, and researchers who need information that might help them to improve their activities and deal with the controversial issues.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0016-32009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0015-4<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Student Interpretations of Student Roles: What About Sustainability?</title><p>The goal of this article is to investigate the relationship between the contemporary humanistic ideology and the student roles as perceived by young people themselves. First, the traditional humanist ideas of education as a relational term and its contemporary features are analysed. Theoretically, a good education today offers young persons positive experiences for developing and is dialogical in nature. After this discussion, the interpretations of young people from different school types and age groups on their perceived role at school and their relations attributed to that role are described. These young people see their role in a very traditional way, meaning that the most important goal is to behave in manner that best insures their receiving good grades. This paper shows that there is no congruence between the currently desired image of education and the described role of student</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0015-42009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0019-0<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Teaching Left-Handed Primary School Pupils in Estonia</title><p>At the primary school level, can children distinguished by their skills/abilities be sure that by acknowledging their differences they can be guaranteed a sustainable education? To what extent are they given equal treatment? The goal of this study was to identify the number of left-handed pupils in different classes of Estonian primary school and to discover what knowledge and skills are needed to teach the left-handed children. Results show that a significant number of elementary school children (9%) are left-handed, justifying a need to pay more attention to their uniqueness. In contrast, 46% of surveyed teachers report not having the necessary knowledge and skills to teach this population. While left-handedness has not been researched much throughout the world, including Estonia, it is necessary to recognize that a significant number of students are left handed and teacher knowledge about how to anticipate and prevent their difficulties in a school setting should be taken into consideration to guarantee the success of these children at school and in everyday life.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0019-02009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0013-6<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Social Aspects of Education for Sustainable Development in Primary School in Estonia</title><p>The purpose of the article is to analyse the circumstances of applying of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Estonian educational actuality. Empirical part of the study comprehends a comparative content analysis of UNECE strategy of ESD and the chapters of the text of the Estonian National Curriculum valid from 2002. The discussion concentrates on the social aspects of ESD because their significance was pointed out by the experts of ESD. The topic of the article is confined to the issues concerning the primary education, i.e. the grades from 1st to 3rd. Conclusions are made about the opportunities to apply ESD more effectively than at present. Statements of experts on textbooks and curriculum have been taken into account as additional sources besides the documentary analysis.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0013-62009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0011-8<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Are Teachers Tired of Responsibilities?</title><p>Estonian educational life is at a crossroad. Schools and their educational functions have become the focus of public discussion because of the worrisome tendencies in childhood and adolescent life (dropping out of school, deteriorating mental and physical health, increase in self-destructive behaviour, etc.). Many teachers are overtaken by tiredness and apathy. To the amazement of colleagues, even the best teachers are suffering from burnout and leaving school. What are the reasons for these phenomena? The general context of this article is the problem of sustainability in education and, consequently, the sustainability of society. This paper focuses on how teachers perceive themselves as subjects and how they can promote learners' becoming subjects and is based on 48 narrative essays. The author has interpreted the outcomes relying on the works of A. Maslow, L. Vygotsky, V. Peavy, and M. Fullan. The most significant conclusion is that there is a contradiction between the teachers' strong feeling of mission and responsibility which contrasts with the diminishing possibilities of implementing these priorities in their real work. Teachers assume they are accepted as decisive and responsible professionals. Furthermore, they expect other participants of educational processes to share responsibility.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0011-82009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0014-5<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>The Agentive Role of Children's Views in Sustainable Education</title><p>The environment and peoples' ideas of the environment are intertwined in the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The environment has an effect on the educational content and people have an effect on the environment. Thus, sustainable education includes producing culture by children and with children. Sustainable learning should include finding ways to consider the effects of actions. The theoretic framework presented in the article was operationalized and studied in four Finnish kindergartens. The results bring children forward as producers of educational content. Children's views have an effect on the educational setting. In agentive learning children learn things that they themselves have been taking part creating. In discussion, the emerging roles of a teacher for ESD are considered. To be balanced, ESD may not only consider the equilibrium between accommodation and assimilation, but also the equilibrium between adaptation and agency.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/v10099-009-0014-52009-05-04T00:00:00.000+00:00en-us-1