Knowledge, Perceptions and Readiness of Nigeria's Beginning Teachers for Sustainability Education

Beginning teachers should be adequately prepared for their roles as propagators of sustainable development core messages. Using a mixed method approach, this study assessed current knowledge, perceptions and readiness of beginning teachers for sustainability education. Two hundred (200) randomly selected final-year undergraduates from the Faculty of Education of the Nigerian University participated in the study. Results revealed gaps in the awareness and understanding of sustainability concepts and issues among the respondents. However, a high level of interest in handling the core issues was expressed. The respondents differed according to gender and age, but there were no significant differences according to mode of entry. The study recommended infusion of sustainability concepts in teacher education curricula and promotion of sustainable development issues through students' activities within and outside university campuses to address knowledge gap and sustain interests in sustainability education among beginning teachers.