Science Studies teachers’ selection of content when teaching for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) advocates a holistic teaching approach, acknowledging social, economic, and environmental perspectives and their relations in striving for sustainable development (SD). It is through understanding these unique perspectives and their interrelations that solutions to SD problems, resolution of SD conflicts and ways to sustainability can be found. Holistic teaching can pose challenges for teachers when choosing what teaching content to include when teaching sustainability. Additionally, the literature does not clearly define what content is to be included within ESD. This study conducted focus group discussions to investigate what content 11 Science Studies teachers chose and whether their teaching approach was holistic when teaching for SD. The findings identified four themes of taught content. The participating teachers included different relationships between the environmental, societal, and economic dimensions of SD. However, the teachers had challenges with the relationships connected to the economic dimension of SD.