Fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs

This is a mixed-methods case study aiming to understand teachers` self-efficacy beliefs for sustainability education in the context of climate change education. Therefore, we studied teachers` self-efficacy beliefs from their own perspective as well as the connection between self-efficacy and relat...

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Main Authors: Jaana Herranen, Maija Aksela
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: LUMA Centre Finland 2024-02-01
Series:LUMAT
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.helsinki.fi/lumat/article/view/2085
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author Jaana Herranen
Maija Aksela
author_facet Jaana Herranen
Maija Aksela
author_sort Jaana Herranen
collection DOAJ
description This is a mixed-methods case study aiming to understand teachers` self-efficacy beliefs for sustainability education in the context of climate change education. Therefore, we studied teachers` self-efficacy beliefs from their own perspective as well as the connection between self-efficacy and related concepts, perceived content knowledge (pCK) and perceived pedagogical content knowledge (pPCK). Twenty-two teachers from 18 countries participating on a climate change education professional development camp answered to a questionnaire, and 19 of them were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The results of this study show that, according to the interviews, the studied teachers have willingness to continuous learn and develop their sustainability teaching. They have beliefs not only about sustainability education but also about themselves as sustainability educators, which is something that the future instruments on teachers` beliefs should acknowledge. The questionnaire results however showed that teachers had the lowest self-efficacy beliefs on supporting students` actions for sustainability. Teachers` pCK and their pPCK were shown to correlate with their self-efficacy, especially with items related to action. In conclusion, teacher education could focus on supporting teachers pCK and pPCK to develop teachers` action-related self-efficacy beliefs thus supporting students to act for sustainability.
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spelling doaj.art-2a523bfe182e42f28c9793638873c8112024-02-22T07:49:36ZengLUMA Centre FinlandLUMAT2323-71122024-02-0112310.31129/LUMAT.12.3.2085Fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers' self-efficacy beliefsJaana Herranen0Maija Aksela1LUMA Science Helsinki, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki and Ressu Upper Secondary School, FinlandLUMA Science Helsinki, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland This is a mixed-methods case study aiming to understand teachers` self-efficacy beliefs for sustainability education in the context of climate change education. Therefore, we studied teachers` self-efficacy beliefs from their own perspective as well as the connection between self-efficacy and related concepts, perceived content knowledge (pCK) and perceived pedagogical content knowledge (pPCK). Twenty-two teachers from 18 countries participating on a climate change education professional development camp answered to a questionnaire, and 19 of them were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The results of this study show that, according to the interviews, the studied teachers have willingness to continuous learn and develop their sustainability teaching. They have beliefs not only about sustainability education but also about themselves as sustainability educators, which is something that the future instruments on teachers` beliefs should acknowledge. The questionnaire results however showed that teachers had the lowest self-efficacy beliefs on supporting students` actions for sustainability. Teachers` pCK and their pPCK were shown to correlate with their self-efficacy, especially with items related to action. In conclusion, teacher education could focus on supporting teachers pCK and pPCK to develop teachers` action-related self-efficacy beliefs thus supporting students to act for sustainability. https://journals.helsinki.fi/lumat/article/view/2085sustainability educationclimate change educationself-efficacy beliefsteacher educationmixed-methods
spellingShingle Jaana Herranen
Maija Aksela
Fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs
LUMAT
sustainability education
climate change education
self-efficacy beliefs
teacher education
mixed-methods
title Fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs
title_full Fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs
title_fullStr Fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs
title_full_unstemmed Fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs
title_short Fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs
title_sort fostering teachers as sustainability and climate change educators through understanding of teachers self efficacy beliefs
topic sustainability education
climate change education
self-efficacy beliefs
teacher education
mixed-methods
url https://journals.helsinki.fi/lumat/article/view/2085
work_keys_str_mv AT jaanaherranen fosteringteachersassustainabilityandclimatechangeeducatorsthroughunderstandingofteachersselfefficacybeliefs
AT maijaaksela fosteringteachersassustainabilityandclimatechangeeducatorsthroughunderstandingofteachersselfefficacybeliefs