Education for Sustainable Development and Multidimensional Implementation. A Study of Implementations of Sustainable Development in Education with the Curriculum of Upper Secondary School in Sweden as an Example

Abstract

This article discusses different interpretations of sustainable development in education and if different interpretations of the concept are implemented in Curriculum, with the Swedish Curriculum of Upper Secondary School as an example. According to Agenda 21 sustainable development should be implemented in a multidimensional way. In 2011, a new school reform of upper secondary school was implemented in Sweden which further strengthened the position of sustainable development in school by inserting the term into more syllabuses. However, the multiple instances of the concept do not necessarily mean that a multidimensional interpretation of the concept is implemented in accordance with the objectives of Agenda 21. By using Laclau and Mouffeís (2008) idea of discursive struggle as a theoretical framework it is possible to discern how descriptions of sustainable development essentially give rise to one discursive formation in the curriculum. The articulations of sustainable development in the curriculum rests on an idea of the ecosystem that seem to enforce the natural scientific rationality instead of letting different rationalities contribute to the meaning. The descriptions of sustainable development in the curriculum can be interpreted as a hegemonic expropriation of elements of other discourses, such as the social and economic, into the environmental (ecological) dimension. These results are consistent with other international studies, and emphasises the importance of taking a critical stance to the writings of Curriculum when putting them into practice.

Textbooks and action competence for sustainable development: an analysis of Swedish lower secondary level textbooks in geography and biology

“…As the quotes discussed above illustrate, the observed forms of obscuring complexities and conflicts are primarily related to the ways in which the social dimension often remains underdeveloped in textbooks. This echoes the argument that the Swedish curriculum favours a natural science understanding of sustainability, obstructing "an equally thorough understanding of the social and economic dimensions of sustainable development", and undermining a multidimensional understanding (Svalfors 2017). It also supports Littig and Griessler (2005) and Lehtonen (2004) who point out that the social dimension remains unclear and difficult to define, being less theoretically and analytically developed than the other dimensions.…”

“…Importantly, presentations like these provide no understanding for why unsustainable outcomes have developed in the first place, how and why they persist, and the conflicts and problems involved with changing them. These quotes also illustrate how the economic logic sometimes merges with, and dominates, biological perspectives (Svalfors 2017). This can be noted in the second quote above, in its call for society to follow 'the rules of the economy', and relating this to following 'laws of nature', thus rendering current social structures and relationships unchangeable.…”

Scenarios of a Sustainable E-leadership for Thai Higher Educational Institution Leaders in 2027

“…Future Thai higher educational institutions will depend on management to help the nation overcome global challenges. Thai higher education must emphasis more on developing community networks of learning and human creativity development for innovation towards the use of technology (Miedema & Bertram-Troost, 2015;Svalfors, 2017;Buasuwan, 2018).…”

“…/dcse-2019 of distance between the leader and followers is critical to e-leadership. The best way for e-leadership to improve technology utilization is through learning and compelling everyone to use technology (Sheninger, 2014;OECD/UNESCO, 2016;Siegel & Claydon, 2016;Hartman, Johnston, & Hill, 2017;Svalfors, 2017). Future e-leaders would be able to make timely predictions using increase in the use of technology.…”

Using Norm-Based PSAs to Foster Green Behavior in a University: Some Preliminary Results from Lithuania

“…Many authors have investigated how universities and other educational organizations can both be green organizations themselves, (e.g. engaging in ranking systems that show the degree to which an organization is sustainable (Suwartha & Sari, 2013) and how they can help the community develop their environmental citizenship through incorporating sustainability courses into various study programs and generally making the curriculum more green (Haigh, 2005;Strachan, 2018;Svalfors, 2018;Xiong et al, 2013). While universities can be and are active agents of change for sustainability, they also have the potential to be a good testing ground for various approaches that, at first, are applied internally and can then spill over to the broader public.…”