Cultivating future guardians: The role of Saudi preschool teachers in advancing education for sustainable development (ESD)
Vol 8, Issue 6, 2024
VIEWS - 103 (Abstract) 78 (PDF)
Abstract
Sustainable development (SD) is an approach that aims to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a key component in achieving this goal, as it equips young people with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to make sustainable decisions. This study investigated how preschool teachers in Saudi Arabia understood (SD) and the state of (ESD) practices. A survey was used to collect data from 230 Saudi preschool teachers. The findings revealed that 90% of teachers lacked awareness regarding SD. The overall evaluation of ESD practices among participants indicated a weak subpar status, with an average score of 2.49 out of 4. Notably, in ascending order, the following three dimensions had weak mean scores: the content aspect (2.38) had the lowest score, followed by the practice aspect (2.54) and the competencies aspect (2.58). Meanwhile, the values aspect (2.63) had an average outcome. Analysing the mean scores of ESD practices based on teachers’ qualifications and school types revealed significant differences, although no variations were observed based on experience. The primary obstacle to ESD implementation in pre-schools was the lack of awareness regarding SD/ESD. The study underscores the significance of expanding teacher training to promote ESD effectively in pre-school settings. The results highlight the need for professional development opportunities to improve ESD implementation in classrooms, educate Saudi preschool teachers about SD, and create instructional materials that align with the principles of ESD.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abu-Muailiq, S. (2020). The degree of the practice of creative management by kindergarten principals in the central Governorate and its relationship to the reality of organisational upbringing there (Arabic). Al-Aqsa University in Gaza: Palestine.
AlArjani, A., Modibbo, U. M., Ali, I., et al. (2021). A new framework for the sustainable development goals of Saudi Arabia. Journal of King Saud University - Science, 33(6), 101477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2021.101477
Aljabreen, H. H., & Lash, M. (2016). Preschool Education in Saudi Arabia: Past, Present, and Future. Childhood Education, 92(4), 311–319. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2016.1208011
Alosaimi, K. H. (2013). The development of critical thinking skills in the sciences [PhD thesis]. University of Dundee.
Al-Shagrawi, S., Al-Daman, F., Al-Atoum, A. (2017). The Role of Sustainable Development in Socialization and Child Care in Primary Schools from the Perspective of Teachers in Hail Region (Arabic). Journal of the College of Education—Al-Azhar University, 36(2), 295–318.
Alshuwaikhat, H., & Mohammed, I. (2017). Sustainability Matters in National Development Visions—Evidence from Saudi Arabia’s Vision for 2030. Sustainability, 9(3), 408. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9030408
Banjarnahor, S., Mujisusatyo, Y., Pangaribuan, W., et al. (2023). Development of Teacher Competence in Improving 21st Century Learning in Santa Lusia Kindergarten. JHSS (JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL STUDIES), 7(1), 036–039. https://doi.org/10.33751/jhss.v7i1.6786
Bautista, A., Moreno-Núñez, A., Ng, S.-C., et al. (2018). Preschool Educators’ Interactions with Children About Sustainable Development: Planned and Incidental Conversations. International Journal of Early Childhood, 50(1), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-018-0213-0
BERA. (2018). Ethical guidelines for educational research, 4th ed. BERA.
Cebrian, G., & Junyent, M. (2015). Competencies in Education for Sustainable Development: Exploring the Student Teachers’ Views. Sustainability, 7(3), 2768–2786. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7032768
Chung, S., & Yu, E. J. (2022). Current Status of Research and Practice in ESD: Focused on the Secondary School Subject Areas. Korean Association for Learner-Centered Curriculum and Instruction, 22(13), 73–93. https://doi.org/10.22251/jlcci.2022.22.13.73
Cheng, C., & Yu, Y. (2022). Early Childhood Educators’ Practices in Education for Sustainable Development in China: Evidence from Shandong Province. Sustainability, 14(4), 2019. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042019
Choi, H., Shim, K., So, K., et al. (2010). A survey of pre-service elementary teachers’ perceptions, attitudes and practical intention toward sustainable development. The Environment Education, 23(2), 129–144.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2002). Research Methods in Education, 6th ed. Routledge: London, Britain. pp. 1–657.
Corney, G. (2006). Education for Sustainable Development: An Empirical Study of the Tensions and Challenges Faced by Geography Student Teachers. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 15(3), 224–240. https://doi.org/10.2167/irgee194.0
El-Hussein, I. A. (2015). The reality of the quality of kindergarten institutions in Al-Ahsa: an evaluation study (Arabic). Journal of the Future of Arab Education, 22(99), 135–188.
Ferdig, M. A. (2007). Sustainability Leadership: Co-creating a Sustainable Future. Journal of Change Management, 7(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697010701233809
Furu, A. C., Heilala, C. (2021). Sustainability education in progress: Practices and pedagogies in Finnish early childhood education and care teaching practice settings. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 8(2), 16-29.
Georghiades, P. (2004). From the general to the situated: three decades of metacognition. International Journal of Science Education, 26(3), 365–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069032000119401
Ghanem, A. M., & Alamri, Y. A. (2023). The impact of the green Middle East initiative on sustainable development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 22(1), 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssas.2022.06.001
Gómez-Marí, I., Sanz-Cervera, P., & Tárraga-Mínguez, R. (2021). Teachers’ Knowledge Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Systematic Review. Sustainability, 13(9), 5097. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095097
Hammad, N. (2021). Kindergarten institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia keep pace with the requirements of sustainable development (A descriptive-analytical study) (Arabic). Journal of the Islamic University for Educational and Psychological Studies, 29(4), 489–514.
Inoue, M., O’Gorman, L., & Davis, J. (2016). Investigating Early Childhood Teachers’ Understandings of and Practices in Education for Sustainability in Queensland: A Japan-Australia Research Collaboration. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 32(2), 174–191. https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2016.4
Iqbal, A., Zenchenkov, M. (2014). Market tested business education: corporate sector perceptions of Saudi graduates competencies. Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 15, 91-106.
Kagawa, F. (2007). Dissonance in students’ perceptions of sustainable development and sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 8(3), 317–338. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370710817174
Korkmaz, A., & Yildiz, T. G. (2017). Assessing preschools using the Eco-Schools program in terms of educating for sustainable development in early childhood education. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 25(4), 595–611. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293x.2017.1331074
Leicht, A., Heiss, J., Byun, W. J. (2018). Issues and trends in Education for Sustainable Development. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Available online: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000261954 (accessed on 9 March 2024).
Liu, J., Jiang, Y., Zhang, B., et al. (2022). Paths to Promote the Sustainability of Kindergarten Teachers’ Caring: Teachers’ Perspectives. Sustainability, 14(14), 8899. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148899
Maidou, A., Plakitsi, K., & Polatoglou, H. M. (2019). Knowledge, Perceptions and Attitudes on Education for Sustainable Development of Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers in Greece. World Journal of Education, 9(5), 1. https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v9n5p1
Martins, A. A., Mata, T. M., & Costa, C. A. V. (2006). Education for sustainability: challenges and trends. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 8(1), 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-005-0026-3
Mckeown, R., Hopkins, C. A., Rizzi, R., et al. (2002). Education for sustainable development toolkit, Energy, Environment and Resources Center, 2, 1–142.
Mitranic, N., Miskeljin, L., Breneselovic, D. (2019). Education for sustainable development and preschool teachers’ competencies. In: Quality of Education: Global development goals and local strategies. Belgrade: Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade and Centre for Innovation in the Early Years, Ghent University. pp. 63-81.
Mongar, K. (2022). Bhutanese Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives on Approaches to Teaching ESD Through Environmental Science. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 18(2), e2272. https://doi.org/10.21601/ijese/11894
Movahedazarhouligh, S. (2021). Evidence-Based, Empirically Supported, or Scientifically Unsupported? An Overview of the Research to Practice Gap in Early Childhood Special Education. Journal of Educational Studies and Multidisciplinary Approaches, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.51383/jesma.2022.23
Phajane, M. H. (2020). Understanding Teachers’ Professional Development of Preschool Teachers in North West Province of South Africa. Transylvanian Review, XXVII(49).
Park, E., Kim, H., & Yu, S. (2016). Perceptions and Attitudes of Early Childhood Teachers in Korea About Education for Sustainable Development. International Journal of Early Childhood, 48(3), 369–385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-016-0176-y
Sagdic, A., Sahin, E. (2016). An Assessment of Turkish Elementary Teachers in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development. International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education, 6(2), 141-155.
Salonen, A. O., & Tast, S. (2013). Finnish Early Childhood Educators and Sustainable Development. Journal of Sustainable Development, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v6n2p70
Samuelsson, I. P., Kraga, Y. (2008). The contribution of early childhood education to a sustainable society. UNESCO; Paris, France.
Siraj-Blatchford, J., Smith, K. C., Samuelsson, I. P. (2010). Education for sustainable development in the early years. Buenos Aires, Argentina: OMEP, World Organization for Early Childhood Education.
Somerville, M., & Williams, C. (2015). Sustainability education in early childhood: An updated review of research in the field. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 16(2), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949115585658
Stevenson, R. B., Lasen, M., Ferreira, J. A., et al. (2017). Approaches to embedding sustainability in teacher education: A synthesis of the literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63, 405-417.
Straková, Z., & Cimermanová, I. (2018). Critical Thinking Development—A Necessary Step in Higher Education Transformation towards Sustainability. Sustainability, 10(10), 3366. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103366
Summers, M., Childs, A., & Corney, G. (2005). Education for sustainable development in initial teacher training: issues for interdisciplinary collaboration. Environmental Education Research, 11(5), 623–647. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620500169841
Taimur, S. (2020). Student engagement: a catalyst to achieve the sustainable development goal. In: Quality Education, Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.
Tilbury, D., Coleman, V., Garlick, D. (2005). A National Review of Environmental Education and its Contribution to Sustainability in Australia: School Education. Canberra: Aries.
UNESCO. (2005). United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014). International implementation scheme; UNESCO: Paris: France.
UNESCO. (2017). Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives; UNESCO: Paris. France.
United Nations. (2015). Ten Years of the UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development: Evaluation report on the implementation of the UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development from 2005 to 2015. New York: United Nations.
Urrea-Solano, M., Hernández-Amorós, M. J., Merma-Molina, G., et al. (2021). The Learning of E-Sustainability Competences: A Comparative Study between Future Early Childhood and Primary School Teachers. Education Sciences, 11(10), 644. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11100644
Vare, P. (2018). A rounder sense of purpose: developing and assessing competencies for educators of sustainable development. Open Journal per la Formazione in Rete, 18(2), 164-173.
Vásquez, C., Seckel, M. J., & Alsina, Á. (2020). Belief system of future teachers on Education for Sustainable Development in math classes. Uniciencia, 34(2), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.15359/ru.34-2.1
Vision. (2030). (2018). First Voluntary National Review Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Available online: https://bit.ly/3hjYNzs (accessed on 9 March 2024).
World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). (1987). Our Common Future. The Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i6.5101
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2024 Badiah N. M. Alnasib
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.