Tom 15 (2013): Zeszyt 1 (June 2013)

This paper draws on the narratives of three teaching staff as they collaborate to transform student teachersí thinking and praxis about sustainability through a bicultural perspective that acknowledges indigenous and Western ideologies. It will discuss some of the experiences that the student teachers found to be transformational such as: whakapapa (our connectedness to all things, both living and non-living) and a mini action research project on the ërubbishí generated on their class days. The question the co-researchers pose: How is the [bicultural] conceptual framework visible in our teaching and learning about sustainability? Our findings suggest that student teachers become articulate and passionate about sustainability through engagement in activities that challenge the ëtakenfor- grantedí everyday practices. As confidence and competence increases, student teachers can realise their potential to make significant curriculum changes as they work alongside children and their families to care for planet earth.

This study focuses on the experiences of young people who are leaders of change in the environmental field. This study views environmental activism as a personal commitment towards pro-environmental behaviour. The motivations and challenges of such work are viewed as important to learn more not only about volunteering in environmental organisations, but also about pro-environmental behaviour. The main research problem was to explore these individualsí present and past life experiences, in the light of their activism, towards the issue of climate change. Narrative inquiry was chosen as a methodology for this research as it gives importance to experience and facilitates the study of an issue in all of its wholeness and complexity. The research involved in-depth interviews with three participants as well as living alongside the participants in an effort to build a relationship with them and to experience being an environmental activist. The participants were members of a local environmental organisation ñ Friends of the Earth (Malta). The outcomes of this study provide an opportunity for reflection on the factors that affect pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour and their implications on environmental education. This reflection will enable informed efforts to engage more young people in environmental activism. From the narratives produced, it is clear that there is no single factor that is optimal for promoting pro-environmental behaviour and environmental activism. These are, in fact, determined by a combination of interrelated factors.

This research investigates a model for developing meta-cognitive tools to be used by pre-service teachers during apprenticeship (student teaching) experience to operationalise the epistemological model of Cook and Brown (2009). Meta-cognitive tools have proven to be effective for increasing performance and retention of undergraduate students. Postulating that the student teaching experience is a new type of learning ñ learning about practice (knowledge in action), instead of learning curriculum or pedagogy (knowledge possessed) ñ we suggest that a meta-cognitive tool set may prove similarly useful. Before studying the effectiveness of a tool set, however, a model which enables different programmes to evolve and develop appropriate tools is necessary. This case study research explores a model for the development of a context-specific tool set over 18 months, incorporating user feedback, researcher reflection and multiple-tool development. The model showed promise as a starting point for understanding and operationalising complex interactions with theory and practice.

This paper focuses on the expansion of design-oriented pedagogy that encourages approaching global phenomena such as sustainable development from the perspective of local environments, cultures and associated ways of doing things. It aims to determine how project members and teachers from eight different European countries (n = 221) who had participated in the project ìCase Forest ñ pedagogy towards sustainable developmentî experienced the pedagogical model and evaluated its usability from the perspectives of their own educational cultures. The main sources of both theory and data-driven qualitative content analysis are the reports obtained from each country and transcripts of the oral presentations and collaborative discussions. The results indicate that the teachers find current school practices, belief systems and traditional teaching models problematic and see the model as one way to change their schoolsí practices towards sustainable learning.

The accumulation of knowledge and its use have become important factors that promote economic development as they contribute to a countryís competitiveness in the global economy. The basic significance of research is obtained by defining new approaches in the organisation, function and efficiency of the higher education system (HES) by emphasising its qualitative aspects. The aim of the article is to describe the influence of education reform on economic competitiveness, paying a special attention to analysing and evaluating international experiences from an interdisciplinary perspective, including economics, pedagogy, etc. Quantitative indicators are used to characterise specific features of the HES and the interaction of this system in the overall context of state development. Some aspects of the Latvian HES are also analysed. The economic activity of inhabitants often directly depends on their level of education. In order to reorganise the Latvian HES and increase its competitiveness and efficiency, thus ensuring quality and availability, the Latvian education system must define a middle-term (4ñ5 years) and long-term (10ñ15 years) development plan that is coordinated with national economic development.

The purpose of the research was to monitor opinions of learners, parents and teachers on the aspects of coping at the second level of primary school in both Estonian-medium and Russian-medium schools. The research was carried out from 2006 to 2011. The research used a questionnaire which was administered to 652 learners and their parents in Forms 4 through 6 at both Estonian-medium and Russian-medium general education schools. In the second part of the research, 30 teachers from the same selection were interviewed. The results of the research show that the learners, parents and teachers who took part in the research in both Estonian-medium and Russian-medium schools link the aspects of coping with academic success. Additionally, teachers in schools with Estonian as the language of instruction consider the learnersí skills of social coping also important. Both the Estonian-medium and Russian-medium school teachers consider home and parents the main factors that influence coping skills. According to the teachers, changes in society have changed common beliefs, attitudes and the way of thinking among the parents and the learners, causing difficulties in learnersí academic as well as social coping. Based on the rapid changes in society, it is important to reorient teacher education. Social skills, forming the basic skills of learning, and accessing different websites for studying will become crucial in teaching the new generation.

With this article, the author intends to outline a legitimising basis for implementing education for sustainable development (ESD) in early childhood education, in juridical, pedagogical and political terms. Starting from our current ecological crisis, the ontological assumptions of modern culture are considered obstructive to possibilities for mitigation. The author affirms a need for constructing new conceptual frameworks in the field of ESD suitable also for the youngest children. The very logic of the reigning notion of knowledge requires revision in order to secure successful implementation as well as fostering citizens with the moral agency required to meet calamity. Ontological insights from deep ecology are suggested integrated with the more practical epistemological concept of ecological habitus. Possible gains are not exclusively related to sustainability, but also include positive impacts on the life quality of young children as such.