What does the research evidence base tell us about the use and impact of sustainability pedagogies in initial teacher education?

Abstract

Many sustainability education scholars argue that active, participatory and experimental pedagogies, known as sustainability or ESD pedagogies, provide the most effective strategies for developing learners’ understanding, thinking and ability to act for sustainability. However, factors that impact learning are complex and the extent to which some pedagogies are more effective than others for promoting student learning is contested. The work on sustainability pedagogies has tended not to be problematized. This paper interrogates the literature on sustainability pedagogies in initial teacher education to determine the extent to which the current level of evidence supports pedagogical assumptions held by sustainability education scholars. The findings suggest that factors that impact student teacher learning for sustainability require additional exploration in order to draw reliable conclusions and inform pedagogical decisions that can best support the development of prospective teachers’ understanding, thinking and ability to employ sustainability pedagogies.

Keywords:

• Sustainability pedagogies
• ESD pedagogies
• initial teacher education
• pre-service teacher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Neus (Snowy) Evans

Dr Snowy Evans is a Senior Lecturer in Education at James Cook University's Cairns campus. Snowy's research background lies in Education for Sustainability in school and initial teacher education and, more recently, in the application of the systematic review method to the social sciences. Snowy's research interests overlap with her teaching in the areas of pedagogy, curriculum and sustainability education in pre-service teacher education. She's particularly interested in the intersection between teacher professional practice and sustainability education theory and policy.

Jo-Anne Ferreira

Associate Professor Jo-Anne Ferreira is Director of the Centre for Teaching & Learning and Academic Director, SCU Online at Southern Cross University. She is responsible for enhancing teaching quality and the student learning experience, both face-to-face and online. Prior to this, she was Director, Teaching & Learning in the School of Education at Southern Cross University. She began her teaching career as a secondary English and Geography teacher in South Africa and Australia. Jo-Anne has developed and delivered award winning professional development programs in Australia, South Africa and across the Asia-Pacific region to teachers and student teachers. She has also taught in universities in South Africa and Australia. Her research interests are in online education and the sociology of education with a special interest in post-structuralist theories of identity, embodiment and power, in systems-based change, and in environmental and sustainability education. She has most recently led a decade-long research project on systems-based change as a strategy for embedding sustainability education in teacher education.