Teachers´ perceptions of education for sustainable development in Swiss schools - A qualitative study on the perspectives on and handlings of demands, resources and motivation

Abstract

Aim: When it comes to Education for Sustainable Development, different actors in education have certain responsibilities. Regarding teachers, not only internal prerequisites such as knowledge, motivation, or attitudes, but also external prerequisites, i.e. given condi-tions in terms of demands or resources play a role to be able to do a good job. Previous quantitative research already revealed valuable findings regarding the perceptions of teachers in Germany (Waltner et al., 2020), whereas this thesis aims to address the lim-itations of the quantitative approach by conducting a qualitative study. Hence, the pur-pose is to understand the nature behind teachers’ perceptions of ESD in their schools in terms of demands, resources, and motivation while going into more detail regarding contextual factors and individual handling of the perceived conditions.

Theory: The study is based on the theoretical models Jobs-Demands-Resources by Bakker and Demerouti (2007) and the model of personal growth by Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002). In the JD-R Model, the relations between perceived demands and resources for an individual’s motivation and burden and the respective outcomes are explained. Con-sidering the model for a qualitative study such as in this thesis should enable a deeper understanding of teachers’ perceptions and therefore its applicability in the context of ESD. The model of personal growth by Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002) displays the influential factors of the school context for teacher professional development.

Method: The study was investigated in person or via Zoom with semi-structured interviews and the data was analyzed via Qualitative Content Analysis by Mayring (2015; 2000). The sample comprises heterogeneous participants, i.e. 10 Swiss teachers of different ages, gender, experience in teaching, or types of schools.

Findings: The findings could be categorized into the headings 1) Making the unconscious con-scious: raising awareness as a need for development, 2) Development of mentalities: contextual factors for attitudes, behavior, and understanding, 3) Staff as role models: shaping ESD culture through individual aspirations, mentalities, motivation, and un-derstandings of sustainability, 4) Top-down approach as a help: demands and resources from above as a resource for more ESD, and 5) Long-term instead of short-term: the need for individual and collective continuous development of ESD. The findings show that teachers experience a big demand for internal motivation and engagement and per-ceive a lack of demands by superiors as a missing resource. Thus, other than in the JD-R Model, demands seem to serve as resources and a top-down approach is wished for. This highlights the potential for an adaptation of the JD-R Model in the context of ESD which could be covered in future quantitative research.