School Culture Promoting Sustainability in Student Teachers’ Views

Eija Yli-Panula, Eila Jeronen and Sanna Mäki
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Eija Yli-Panula: Department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
Eila Jeronen: Faculty of Education, University of Oulu, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
Sanna Mäki: Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-26

Abstract: School culture includes values, principles, and criteria. It is an integral part of sustainability education, of which climate change education (CCE) is seen as a way to improve students’ ability to take action to mitigate climate change. This survey aimed to investigate Finnish student teachers’ views of factors important in implementing CCE in school culture and their abilities as teachers to promote CCE. Thirty-six student teachers wrote essays regarding the implementation of school culture and responded to a questionnaire concerning their ability to act as climate change (CC) educators and the challenges they identified in teaching and learning about it. Inductive content analysis was used to study the essays. In student teachers’ answers, six themes to implement in school culture were identified: elements, work community, teacher’s impact, students in the centre, actors outside the school, and challenges. The student teachers highlighted challenges, such as views that deny CC and challenge the transformation of school culture to support sustainable development. The suggested ways to support CCE in daily school life that were very concrete, such as recycling and food education. Student teachers found their own ability to act as climate educators to be relatively good. They identified challenges, especially in motivating students to learn about CC and to participate and take action towards a climate-friendly lifestyle. Students’ conflicting attitudes, values, and beliefs related to CC, reinforced by their inner circle, were seen as challenges in teaching and learning about CC. Despite these challenges, transforming a school culture to support CCE should be the goal of every school.

Keywords: climate change education; educator; school culture; work community; teacher’s impact; inductive content analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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