Education embedded in sustainable development – English teachers’ experiences of pitfalls and opportunities

Abstract

Education is acknowledged as the most effective way to change social behaviour and reduce negative impacts on the planet. The Core curriculum in Norway states that pupils shall learn to think critically and act ethically and with environmental awareness. Moreover, they have the right and responsibility to participate in decision-making for the future. The question discussed in this paper is how five EFL teachers in the fifth to tenth grade prepare learners for the uncertain future through education embedded in sustainable development. Through interpretative phenomenological analysis and semi-structured interviews, educators reveal their understanding of education for sustainable development and their choices of methods, teaching material, and content in sustainable teaching. The thesis also evaluates schools’ professional development facilitation. The analysis shows several challenges that arise as a result of unexpected problems such as the pandemic and through the application of interdisciplinary teaching and whole-school approaches. The conclusion is that due to complex relations inside and outside of schools the level of implementation and the strategies for reaching the goals of the curriculum varies considerably.