Dealing with the multidimensionality of sustainability through the use of multiple perspectives – a theoretical framework

Abstract

The concept of perspectives is important in discussions about the multidimensionality of sustainability problems and the need to consider many different aspects when dealing with them. This paper aims to facilitate discussions among both educators and researchers about didactical approaches to developing students’ abilities to deal with the multidimensionality of sustainability challenges through the use of multiple perspectives. For this purpose, a theoretical framework was developed that describes perspectives in terms of a set of general characteristics, as well as a number of ways in which students can develop and reflect on perspectives. Development of the framework was supported by a qualitative content analysis of transcripts from interviews with undergraduate engineering students in Sweden.

Keywords:

• education for sustainable development
• engineering education
• perspectives
• holistic thinking
• systems thinking
• normative competence

About the authors

Johanna Lönngren is a PhD student in the Engineering Education Research group at Chalmers University of Technology. She holds a MSc degree in Engineering Nanoscience from the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University in Sweden. Her main research interest is engineering education for sustainable development, particularly students’ approaches to wicked sustainability problems.

Magdalena Svanström is an Associate Professor in Chemical Environmental Science at Chalmers University of Technology and the Director of Chalmers Learning Centre. Her research interests are within sustainability assessment, in particular, environmental assessment of technologies under development, and within education for sustainable development, especially competences in engineering education. She was a member of the UNECE expert group on educator competences for education for sustainable development and she has written a textbook for engineers on sustainable development.

Åke Ingerman is a Professor in Science and Technology Education at the University of Gothenburg. His primary research interest concerns the qualitative investigation of variation in expressions of knowing key phenomena in science and technology education. That refers to variation across moment-to-moment development as well as groups of students, in different contexts and from different perspectives.

John Holmberg is a Professor at Chalmers University of Technology, where he holds the position of Vice President. He also holds a UNESCO-chair in Education in sustainable development. He is a member of the steering committee for the Global University Partnership for Environment and Sustainable development (GUPES), a member of the UNESCO expert panel for the United Nations decade for Education for Sustainable Development, and the chairman of the jury for the Gothenburg award for sustainable development.

Notes

1. The names are fictitious to protect the anonymity of the participants.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Board of Undergraduate and Master's Studies at Chalmers University of Technology.