Integrating education for sustainability in pre-service teacher education

Education for Sustainability (EfS) has been prioritised in the School of Education at James Cook University (JCU). This paper presents a case study that explores the ways in which teacher educators integrate EfS in their teaching in the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) (Primary) at JCU, and their perceptions of enablers and constraints. Two key findings arose from the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with four subject coordinators, and their subject outlines: (1) teacher educators at JCU integrate EfS in different ways through their choice of assessment, content and/or pedagogy; and (2) constraints operating at the School level, namely teacher educators' perceptions and understanding of EfS, were perceived to be salient challenges to the integration of EfS in the program. Vision, leadership and funding at the University level were also identified as enabling factors that warrant further investigation. Findings contribute to existing literature regarding the integration of EfS in pre-service teacher education, and serve to inform practice at JCU and universities more broadly.

Australian Journal of Environmental Education

Australian Journal of Environmental Education

29

0814-0626

N/A

2

13