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Some Sustainability Pathways in Sweden

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Educating Science Teachers for Sustainability

Part of the book series: ASTE Series in Science Education ((ASTE))

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Abstract

Education for sustainable development (ESD) should since 1994 be included in all subjects in compulsory school in Sweden. It is seen as an important assignment in the national curriculum, but not yet fully implemented. This six year longitudinal interview study focuses on how nine science teachers describe changes in their educational practice related to ESD. The ideas of transformative learning and professional capital elucidate the change processes and contribute to an understanding of how the teachers develop approach ESD. Four different pathways describing teachers’ reflections on teaching sustainability issues are constructed and elaborated in the study. One important conclusion is that dilemmas and complexity perceived by the teachers are found to increase during that time, whereas opportunities for informed decisions and interdisciplinary collaboration, vital parts of teachers’ professional capital, are found to decrease. The findings indicate that integrating sustainability issues in science education challenges the educational system.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Ingela Bursjoo

Authors
  1. Ingela Bursjoo
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Correspondence to Ingela Bursjoo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Childhood and Early Childhood Education, State University of New York at Cortland, Cortland, New York, USA

    Susan K. Stratton

  2. Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, North Carolina, USA

    Rita Hagevik

  3. Department of Teaching and Learning, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Allan Feldman

  4. Department of Biology, Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Texas, USA

    Mark Bloom

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Bursjoo, I. (2015). Some Sustainability Pathways in Sweden. In: Stratton, S., Hagevik, R., Feldman, A., Bloom, M. (eds) Educating Science Teachers for Sustainability. ASTE Series in Science Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16411-3_18

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