SWEDISH MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS’ (GRADES 4–6) PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Abstract

Objektive: The study examined how Swedish middle school teachers (Grades 4–6) promote students’ environmental responsibility in everyday consumption practices, such as water and energy use, as well as the opportunities and challenges of improving learners’ scientific understanding of environmental sustainability in the middle school setting. Theories: Grounded in a dual theoretical framework, this study applies social cognitive theory to highlight the collective social dynamics that shape middle school teachers’ professional agency, aspirations, and expectations in the field of environmental education. While normative institutional theory is utilized to examine how these teachers balance societal norms with the formal sustainability goals mandated by the Swedish national curriculum (Lgr22). Method: This study employs a mixed-methods research design focusing on a target group of middle school teachers. Data was collected through purposive sampling to evaluate institutional norms and the teachers’ scientific understanding of environmental sustainability (Lgr22, 2024), while also exploring the pedagogical strategies they implement in and outside the classroom. Results: The results of this time-restricted study suggest that the gap in translating theoretical knowledge of environmental responsibility into practical application in and outside the classroom is associated with a phenomenon known as decoupling, wherein the instructional practices for promoting students’ environmental responsibility remain rooted in standardized theoretical frameworks. The absence of interdisciplinary and collegial collaboration has the potential to strengthen the logic of appropriateness. At the same time, teachers’ professional agency and collective self-efficacy are constrained by structural challenges, which might further obstruct the process of converting abstract goals of environmental sustainability into concrete experiential learning for the students.