Turning off lights. How sustainable development becomes embedded in primary schools’ everyday life
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Date
26/11/2014Author
Paulos, Margarida Ramires
Metadata
Abstract
Focusing on the ‘Sustainable schools’ strategy, a programme launched in 2006 by the former
United Kingdom government, this thesis examines the relationship between sustainable
development and schools. It analyses how the abstract and contested concept of sustainable
development (Scott & Gough 2003), is translated into education practices in state-funded
primary schools in England and Portugal. The collection of data in two different countries is
explained by the fact that it was in England that the ‘Sustainable schools’ policy was
developed. Portugal was selected due to a requirement from my Portuguese sponsor,
providing a valuable opportunity to explore the role of the context in the development of
education for sustainable development (ESD) in primary schools.
Taking a sociological approach, this study explores the practices of education for sustainable
development and the factors that shape those practices. It looks at the way schools make
choices, what they prioritise, and what the key elements influencing the development of ESD
are. ‘What does one want ESD for?’; this is the underlying question behind the research, and
so practices are contrasted with motivations, interests, agendas and expected outcomes.
There is no single definition of ESD, given the complexity involved, and so to accept the
importance of the concept of sustainability for education is to accept something that
constitutes a problem (Corcoran & Wals 2004). Sustainability itself is a normative ethical
principle, not a scientific concept as such, and since it has both necessary and desirable
characteristics, there is no single model of a sustainable society (Robinson 2001). By
providing robust data on how schools interpret, organise, decide, and implement ESD, my
research contributes to the discussion of the role of schools in the transition to a ‘fairer and
greener’ world. Literature claims, policy ideas and school practices are compared and
contrasted with the aim of ‘demystify’ ESD and question the intentions, the expectations and
the projected ESD outcomes
The key research question of this study aims to identify the limitations of ESD in the shift to
a ‘greener and fairer’ world. In order to do that, this thesis researched three other sub-questions:
a) how is sustainability translated into practice in state-funded primary schools? b)
how important is the promotion of ESD in primary schools’ agendas? and c) how was the
‘Sustainable schools’ project designed to prepare pupils for current and future environmental
and social challenges. On the search for answers, several dilemmas were identified: of
teaching about sustainable development versus practising it; of promoting critical thinking
versus promoting specific knowledge, values and behaviours; of accepting the sustainable
development concept or challenging it; of reducing the school’s environmental impact or
developing the curriculum. These must all be faced by those dealing with ESD.
Using a mixed methods approach, I explored these particular issues by researching five state-funded
primary schools in England, some of which considered exemplary of the best practice
of ESD. The case-studies research was followed by an online questionnaire sent to selected
schools in England and Portugal. The questionnaire was used mainly to develop further the
understanding of the results gathered with the case studies, providing a more robust image of
ESD practices and its context.
My research concludes that schools value ESD and tend to deal with its complexity by
dividing the main ideas within the concept of sustainable development, into specific themes
and activities, such as recycling, turning off lights or growing vegetables. The development
of the school’s grounds, the investment in eco-features, and the activity-based projects are
the most common practices found in the different schools. In this sense, there is a significant
degree of standardisation in the projects developed, combined with a diverseness of
specificities explained by the context, or the way the diverse factors, such as the location, the
size, and the resources of the school, are used and combined. The limitations of ESD in the
shift to a ‘greener and fairer’ world are plentiful, related to schools’ internal and external
constraints, revealing the need to adjust expectations and resources to the projects developed
by schools.