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.