Developing Key Sustainability Competencies in a Project-Problem-Based Approach to Sustainability Education: Learning Experiences of Pre-Service Primary Teachers

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to foster the key sustainability competencies (KSC) that enable future teachers to act as change agents. Yet little is known about how pre-service teachers interpret these competencies and their development within project- and problem-based learning settings. This study examines the perceived learning processes and self-reported competence development of pre-service primary school teachers within a four-semester, project- and problem-based ESD module. It addresses two questions: which KSC pre-service teachers perceive as further developed within the module, and what interpretations and interrelations of these competencies emerge from their reflections and self-assessments. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining focus groups with a self-report questionnaire assessing eight KSC. The findings suggest that students perceived the module to foster the KSC to differing degrees, with collaboration, self-awareness, and critical thinking competence featuring most prominently. Students situated their learning within their sustainability projects, where collaboration, strategic action, and reflection were closely interwoven. Notably, several competencies were interpreted not only in sustainability-specific but also in more generic terms. The findings underline the importance of authentic experiencing of innovative ESD approaches and reflection of perceived learning processes in teacher education as well as the necessity of explicit pedagogical framing to foster the development of a broad range of KSC.