Integrating education for sustainability into secondary science classes: Practices and perceptions of New Zealand teachers

Abstract

Global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss necessitate a collective shift towards sustainable living. Education for Sustainability aims to equip students with the essential knowledge, skills, attitudes and agency to meet sustainability goals and forge a better future. It is a holistic approach, yet single-subject school structures at the secondary level mean it must be integrated into subjects such as science. However, there is limited research, particularly in New Zealand, on how this integration is practiced in secondary science classes.

Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, this study interviewed five New Zealand secondary science teachers to understand their conceptualisations of sustainability and sustainability education. It explored how their understanding was translated into practice through detailed descriptions of lessons and units. The study provides insights into how these teachers integrate sustainability across junior science, the new National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level One science standards, and senior science subjects, while also elaborating on the benefits they believed students received and the challenges they faced in this integration.

This research found that these New Zealand teachers had a broad understanding of sustainability and recognised key components of sustainability education. They saw sustainability as a way to make science engaging and to develop scientific literacy among their students. To incorporate sustainability into science, they had all designed units which included place-based approaches, integrated topics, considered multiple perspectives, and interwove mātauranga Māori, or New Zealand indigenous knowledge. The boundaries of science as a subject, senior-level assessment requirements, and the time needed for some sustainability-focused activities were noted as challenges to sustainability’s integration.

The research recommends that for the effective integration of sustainability, support is required, particularly regarding teacher education and the provision of resources that exemplify sustainability in science. Furthermore, curriculum and assessment changes designed to incorporate sustainability must remain clear about the required science content to ensure students are robustly prepared for senior science studies.