The Role of Experiencing Self-Efficacy When Completing Tasks—Education for Sustainable Development in Mathematics

Michael Meyer (), Carolin Kammrad and Ruben Esser
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Michael Meyer: Institute of Mathematics Education, Department of Didactics of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Cologne, Herbert-Lewin-Str. 10, 50931 Cologne, Germany
Carolin Kammrad: Institute of Mathematics Education, Department of Didactics of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Cologne, Herbert-Lewin-Str. 10, 50931 Cologne, Germany
Ruben Esser: Institute of Mathematics Education, Department of Didactics of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Cologne, Herbert-Lewin-Str. 10, 50931 Cologne, Germany

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: A wide variety of requirements can be placed on tasks that deal with education for sustainable development in mathematics lessons. They should be as authentic as possible, use real problems as the mathematical learning material, and stimulate action, among other qualities. This article discusses the role of self-efficacy and the experience of self-efficacy when working on modelling tasks that are geared towards a sustainable future. High school students in Germany worked in a STEM learning environment on different aspects of climate change and species extinction, including plastic waste, recycling, rainforests, and their deforestation. These aspects were analysed from a geographical, biological, physical, and mathematical perspective. In mathematics, specifically, tasks were used to address the learners’ self-efficacy. After completing the tasks, a questionnaire was distributed to assess the interest and motivation of the learners. The results show that even a slightly different use of self-efficacy, whether by focusing on what has already been achieved (sustainable successes that promote positive emotions) or on what can still be achieved, can influence the learners’ interest in completing the tasks. The learners’ experience of self-efficacy seems to have a positive influence on their willingness to solve tasks. Additionally, the results indicate a complex relationship between motivation and interest on the one hand and self-efficacy on the other.

Keywords: self-efficacy; STEM; climate change; interest; motivation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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