JournalTOCs

Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability
Journal Prestige (SJR): 0.313

Citation Impact (citeScore): 1
Number of Followers: 24

This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1691-4147 - ISSN (Online) 1691-5534
Published by Sciendo

[389 journals]

Integrating Sustainability Into Curriculum of Legal Education in Latvia:
An Insight Into the Main Issues
- Abstract: For the last few decades, there has been an ongoing academic debate about the integration of sustainability into the curricula of higher education institutions to address various global challenges. Legal education is no exception. Taking into consideration that the new generation of legal professionals will be responsible for the development of regulations as well as for advocating for the individuals’ interests related to global issues, they need to be equipped with knowledge and skills to tackle these complex problems effectively. In this context, teachers1 play a crucial role, since they can instill in their students a sense of responsibility towards the future generations. The aim of this paper is to analyze how the concept of sustainability can be integrated into the curriculum of legal education in general and in Latvia in particular. To achieve the aim, the following research methods are used: legal analysis to examine the meaning and the place of the concept of sustainability in the context of legal education in Latvia and a scientific literature review to investigate the concept of sustainability in the context of integrating it into the curriculum of legal education. The main conclusions of the article: the future strategy for law schools and law faculties in Latvia should involve the incorporation of sustainability into the learning outcomes of law programs and specific courses, teaching strategies, and research opportunities for students; also, by broadening interdisciplinarity of the programs and involving students in collaboration with various stakeholders to promote sustainable development.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Editorial: How do Teachers Promote the Viability of Education'
- PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Training Future Kindergarten Teachers on Ecocentric Action
- Abstract: As education is a powerful means of promoting sustainability, it is necessary to think and act on the (trans)formation of the professional profile of the future kindergarten teacher. As ecocentric educational practices can be a crucial point, ecocentric action competence needs to be developed. In this context, pedagogical traineeship supervisors can play a meaningful role. Accordingly, this study analyzed the didactic-pedagogical potential of a training strategy in science teaching based on reflection-critical thinking about what effective science teaching is. Further, it investigated the mediating role of action research methodology in promoting trainee reflexivity. The findings highlighted the merits of the formative perspective adopted, given the learning evidenced by children and stated in the traineeship report. It is concluded that the role of the supervisor is relevant in the construction of a pedagogical outlook of science teaching aligned with environmental values. It is time to take the traineeship process as a space to understand and identify pathways for empowering ecocentric action.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Sustainable Higher Education Management: Career Drivers of Academic Staff
- Abstract: The quality of higher education (HE) is dependent on many factors, including the quality of teaching. As any profession, teaching is based on internal values and motives of individuals. The goal of the research is to identify the most dominant career drivers of academic staff based on their career motives and values in order to provide HE managers with information relevant to academic staff engagement policies to enable shaping of sustainable education policies at higher education institutions (HEIs). The research goal is grounded in the purpose of human resource management that is designed to stimulate certain employee behavior so that employee actions and intentions could be aligned with corporate strategic goals. If there is a wide gap between the needs and interests of employees and their employer, employee productivity gradually declines, thus decreasing the competitiveness of an organization. The following research question has been formulated: Is there a discrepancy in values between academic staff and managers of HE, who create the work environment for the academic staff' To attain the goal of the research, university lecturers from Ukraine completed Schein’s questionnaire online in 2021, while in 2023 middle- and senior managers of universities from Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania were asked to prioritize career drivers for academic staff. Both groups ranked technical / professional competence and service / dedication to a cause as primary priorities. However, the value of security / stability was prioritized only by academic staff, while autonomy / independence and entrepreneurial creativity were selected by HE managers. The research outcomes indicate converging and diverging points in opinions on the career drivers of academic staff. Having this knowledge, HE managers are in a better position to modify the academic workplace to stimulate academic productivity, and enhance business models and quality assurance policies at their institutions on the path towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 “Quality Education”. The diversity of opinions both within and between the groups of academic staff and HE managers supports the need to design human resource management policies consistent with the theory of personalized human resource management for higher productivity. The findings of the study contribute to the global discussion of career drivers of teachers by providing evidence in support of the increasing importance of professional (technical) competences and creative abilities for quality education.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Analysis of the Ecological Attitude and Sustainable Behavior of Students:
A Green Campus Model, the Case of the University of Medellín, Colombia
- Abstract: Environmental education has an important role in higher education institutions as it leads to understanding the importance of sustainability, thus creating a positive impact on students. This impact extends beyond the classroom, inspiring them to actively engage in environmentally responsible behaviors and become conscientious stewards of our planet. The aim of the research was to analyze the environmental perception and ecological attitude of university students at the University of Medellín, that is, this study consisted of examining whether environmental education programs positively influenced the perception of the green campus and the ecological attitude. A structural model was proposed to empirically contrast this phenomenon at a university accredited as a green campus. The results explored that the universities that carry out environmental programs and that offer educational activities on this topic generate a responsible attitude towards sustainability and ecology in their students. This has short, medium and long-term impacts for the university.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Exploring the Influences of Teacher Professional Identity on Teachers’
Emotion Among Vietnamese Secondary School Teachers
- Abstract: Education for sustainable development recognizes the ways, in which teachers improve education, by utilizing their skills to the fullest extent and reconsidering the conditions of the teaching profession. The relationship between teachers’ professional identity and teachers’ emotions is an issue that needs to be studied as a basis for improving the effectiveness of their professional activities. Thus, a standardized questionnaire was used to describe the characteristics of Vietnamese secondary teachers and the influence of teacher professional identity (TPI) on working emotions. The study was conducted in Vietnam using two survey instruments aimed to determine the role of TPI contribution in the different dimensions of teachers’ emotions (anger, fear, joy, love and sadness). Findings revealed that a higher level of TPI social dimension was among participating Vietnamese teachers, and a lower level was towards career with negative emotions such as anger, fear and sadness. In addition, higher levels of the institutional dimension of TPI were associated with lower levels of teachers’ feeling of joy in their career; and when the level of the personal dimension of TPI was higher, teachers’ sense of love towards their profession was higher. Three implications of the study are proposed to help promote teacher identity, in ways that contribute to positive emotion in executing their teaching task. In other words, when teachers had a higher motivation, satisfaction, and commitment, they could perceive teaching as a noble job and be full of positivity. This made teachers ready for professional development in compliance with sustainability education goals.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Analyzing the Energy Awareness of Pre-Service Teachers Using the Word
Association Method
- Abstract: Energy awareness education as part of sustainability education is the joint task of schools and society as a whole. However, only teachers who themselves possess this competence can educate students in energy awareness. Accordingly, the aim of the research was to examine the energy awareness of pre-service teachers. To achieve the aim, the research attempted to find answers to the questions of what kind of knowledge about energy awareness the pre-service teachers in the sample had, whether students showed the interdisciplinary characteristics of sustainability in their knowledge, and what relationships could be observed in this knowledge system. The research was conducted in the autumn of 2021 at three universities in the North-East region of Hungary with 272 pre-service teachers participating voluntarily. The word association method was used for the study. Greatest association frequency was measured. The analysis of association fields proved the interdisciplinary nature of the students’ knowledge of energy awareness. The highest association frequency was measured in the area of renewable energy sources and their use, while the least association frequency was measured in the area of empathy. The association graphs showed no meaningful difference in relationships between the studied student groups. The results showed definitive, unrelated knowledge.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Practitioners’ Professional Development Needs From a Sustainability
Perspective: The Impact of Some Demographic Features
- Abstract: Professional development for sustainability in early childhood care and education (ECCE) has been perceived by experts as education that supports the workforce to acquire the right skills, attitudes, and knowledge that resonate through their practices to the benefit of the sector. Professional development for sustainability is aimed at providing quality and continuing development to the ECCE workforce to equip them with the relevant skills to perform their duties for the benefit of the children and society. This paper discusses practitioners’ (n=211) professional development needs from a sustainability perspective and the impacts of some demographic features. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and questionnaire. The study found that practitioners’ professional development was germane to the sustainability of the ECCE sector. The study further found that practitioners’ perceptions of their professional development needs were independent of their marital status and age. Practitioners suggested that the transformation of communities depended on the sustainable provisioning of ECCE by a highly trained workforce.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
A More Sustainable Approach to Evaluating Teacher’s Work
- Abstract: The evaluation of teacher’s work has traditionally been a cornerstone of educational systems worldwide, driven by the need to maintain educational standards and ensure teacher accountability. Recognizing the limitations of conventional evaluation practices, a growing movement advocates for a more sustainable and inclusive approach that values the complex nature of teaching.The aim of the research is to analyse ways for incorporating a more sustainable framework in the assessment of teacher’s daily work.The data of 73 observed lessons protocols allow concluding that the recorded statistical data provide only a general overview of classroom practices. Qualitative data serve as a valuable tool for gaining in-depth insights into the context of the classroom problems and the direction toward possible solutions.The main findings of the study: prioritizing student learning and promoting their sustainable development, with an emphasis on independent learning and developing meta-cognitive skills are significant factors of our proposed approach to teacher’s work evaluation, as well as taking into consideration teachers’ beliefs, experience and attitudes in line with the observers’ subjectivity.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Learning and Teaching of Climate Change, Sustainability and Disaster Risk
Reduction in Teacher Education in England and Japan
- Abstract: This paper reports the study which explored the learning and teaching of the topics of climate change, sustainability and disaster risk reduction in secondary-level teacher education programs in England and Japan. Through interviewing teacher educators, the study particularly probed how teacher education programs used local knowledge and collaboration in discussing the above topics. Geography tends to be the main subject area for these global agendas, but its crammed curriculum is “an ongoing challenge” for teacher education. Some researchers demonstrate that university-based initial teacher education has “ignored” training teachers on how to implement environmental and sustainability education at schools. Besides, the inquiries into how initial teacher education equips geography teachers for the learning and teaching of disaster risk reduction are still scarce. This paper aims to fill this gap by bringing together the fields of geography education, climate change and sustainability education, disaster risk reduction education and initial teacher education.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Nonlinear Natural Scientific Thinking and Ecological Consciousness for
Sustainability
- Abstract: The article investigates sustainable development from the holistic perspective, taking into account the complex nature of the world and the dynamism of the socio-economic systems. The study is interdisciplinary, as it addresses the issues of economics, mathematics and physics with the main focus on the modern perspective of sustainable development offered in the field of education. The article focuses on key questions concerning the expansion of the educational processes and deepening of ideas and knowledge about the dynamism and diversity of the planetary system. The holistic approach implies the interaction of various nonlinear features that have been used in the paper to build a mental model and a causal relationship schema. The understanding of the interaction of energy flows in socio-economic systems has been used by the authors to explain the underlying connection of various processes. The authors of the article propose a systemic dynamic model of sustainability, which can open up an understanding of some of the reasons for changes in the potential of the industrial sector. Modeling results have been obtained and interpreted using historical USA statistical data from 1949 to 2019. In the article, the authors reveal the relationship between nature, society and human from the point of view of promising and methodological approaches of the “new” and “old” world. The diversity of experiences makes it possible to question the dominant approaches of traditional teaching in education. This creates the need to look for new foundations that can promote the development of more sustainable learning for the future.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Attractiveness of the Workplace Environment of Educational Institutions in
the Context of Sustainable Development
- Abstract: Overcoming the challenges of Covid-19, every person at an educational institution has faced changes in the workplace environment from working time, scope and content to the transformation of psychological, emotional and physical relationships. The attractiveness factors of workplace environment are essential in thinking of, developing and accepting sustainable attitude, sustainable education and sustainable development in everyday life. The aim of the article is to present the results of the research on the attractiveness factors of workplace environment and organizational culture of educational institutions from the point of view of teachers and heads of educational institutions, evaluating them in the context of sustainable development of education, based on theoretical analysis of literature sources and empirical research. Quantitative research method – survey – was used in the study. 97 participants (teachers (n=84) and heads of educational institutions (n=13)) from different educational institutions of one of the biggest cities in Latvia, Daugavpils, took part in the study. The data were processed in accordance with research ethics and personal data protection, visualized on the basis of numerical data units.The gained data indicate that the most important factors for the attractiveness of the workplace environment for both teachers and heads of educational institutions are relationships, work fit and security. Respondent groups cite ‘responsibility’ and ‘location’ as the least important factors in making the workplace environment attractive. Workplace attractiveness factors are a combination of workplace environment and organizational culture, and they are interrelated concepts. The results of the study show that both teachers and heads of educational institutions value an innovative culture in the organization that is characterized by the following statements: ‘willing to take risks, a result-oriented, creative, stimulating, challenging’ and they appreciate a supportive culture in the organization that is characterized by the statements ‘willing to cooperate, encouraging and sociable, recognizing personal freedom’. There are statistically significant differences in opinions on the attractiveness of the workplace environment (such as ‘contribution’, ‘recognition’, ‘innovation’ and ‘responsibility’) among teachers and heads of educational institutions.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Parental Involvement and Academic Achievement: Keys to Translating No
Poverty and Quality Education SDGs in Philippine Peripheral Communities
- Abstract: The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program to alleviate socio-economic conditions in the Philippines, addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 (No Poverty) and 4 (Quality Education). It attempts to address poverty, which is a risk factor to education among Filipinos. However, the program impact on education and economy remains understudied. This paper investigated the recipients of the CCT and analyzed parental involvement and its influence on students’ academic achievement. In this study, parental involvement refers to parenting, learning at home, volunteering, school decision-making, collaborating, and communicating, while academic achievement pertains to the students’ academic performance in the core learning areas: Science, Mathematics, English, and Filipino. Using a descriptive-correlation method, the respondents were randomly selected comprising 306 parents and 306 students in Tarragona District, Davao Oriental, Philippines. The data were analyzed using Spearman Rho Correlation and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The results showed there was no statistical correlation between parental involvement and student’s academic achievement. Parents had low involvement in learning at home, volunteering, and school decision-making. On the other hand, the students demonstrated high academic achievement in the core learning areas. The significant step of the Philippine government for education through the CCT is an effective approach to keeping children in school. Emphasis must be placed on strengthening parental involvement in children’s education to ensure academic success.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT
Editorial: Does Sustainability Languish in Education'
- PubDate: Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Tracing the Sustainability Components in the Indian Tourism Curricula: An
Exploratory Study
- Abstract: 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 & 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.
  PubDate: Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT
The Effect of Environmental Education Open Inquiry Learning Kits on the
Environmental Literacy of Pre-service Biology Teachers
- Abstract: 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.
  PubDate: Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Teachers’ Connectedness to Nature, Education for Sustainable Development
and the Contemporary Teaching of the Subject “Nature and Society” in
Croatian Schools
- Abstract: 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.
  PubDate: Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Developing an Environmental Impact Assessment Methodology for Disc Golf
Courses
- Abstract: 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.
  PubDate: Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT
A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Promotion of a Positive School
Climate: Context, Challenges, and Solutions
- Abstract: 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.
  PubDate: Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT
Effectiveness of Interdisciplinary Instruction in Pre-service Teacher
Education for Sustainability: Issues From the Big History and the Study of
Climate Change
- Abstract: 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.
  PubDate: Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT

HOME > Browse the 73 Subjects covered by JournalTOCs
Subject	Total Journals