Predictors of Student Teachers’ ESD Implementation Intention and Their Implications for Improving Teacher Education

Julia Stössel, Rebecca Baumann and Elisabeth Wegner
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Julia Stössel: Institute for Educational Science, University of Freiburg, Rempartstr. 11, 79085 Freiburg, Germany
Rebecca Baumann: Institute for Educational Science, University of Freiburg, Rempartstr. 11, 79085 Freiburg, Germany
Elisabeth Wegner: Institute for Educational Science, University of Freiburg, Rempartstr. 11, 79085 Freiburg, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-25

Abstract: Recently, the German state of Baden-Württemberg included ESD as a guiding perspective for all school curricula. Consequently, teacher education needs to empower and motivate student teachers to implement ESD in schools. In previous ESD research, however, the motivational dimension rarely has been investigated. Psychological theories stress the importance of developing an intention for the actual realization of a behavior. Therefore, we investigated, in an online survey ( N = 366), which factors influence student teachers’ ESD implementation intention. Furthermore, we investigated how student teachers understand the guiding perspectives and what influences the actual ESD implementation from the respondents’ point of view. Via structural equation modelling, we found direct effects of subjective task value, expectation of success and ESD knowledge, as well as indirect effects of SD attitudes and ESD implementation beliefs on ESD implementation intention, but no effects for subjective norm and perceived costs. Analyses of open answers revealed complex understandings of ESD, but also misinterpretations mainly in terms of ESD as equivalent to environmental education. Furthermore, student teachers expected barriers (e.g., lack of time) and formulated support needs (e.g., teaching material) for implementing ESD in schools. Our findings stress the importance of advancing ESD implementation in teacher education.

Keywords: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB); Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT); predictors; implementation intention; student teachers; teacher education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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