Early childhood education and care teacher students’ experiences of learning for sustainable development through social entrepreneurship

Abstract

Faced with the global challenges of our time, higher education institutions are expected to be at the forefront in enabling transformation and capacity building for a more sustainable future. However, it has been argued that this necessitates a significant shift in higher education towards education that facilitates collaborative, problem-based, interdisciplinary, and student-active pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning. Using a multimethod approach and thematic analysis, this article draws attention to how social entrepreneurship and innovation in Early Childhood Teacher Education (ECTE) can help foster a sustainable mindset, enabling learners to develop knowledge, skills, and motivations needed to engage in shaping a sustainable development in their communities. The article offers insights into how sustainability-driven entrepreneurship in ECTE can be a driving force for a transformation towards a sustainable future, by giving hands-on experience in creating sustainable solutions through collaborative work in real-world learning environments.