Whole-School Approach to Sustainability

• In Event: 63.016 - Innovations in Learning - Issues for Worldwide Research (WERA@10)

Abstract

There are growing movements in both science and society that claim that ‘education-as-usual’ is no longer an option in responding to urgent sustainability challenges. Alternative forms of education need to be explored and supported that can develop the capacities citizens need to deal with, for instance, complexity, ambiguity, controversy and uncertainty. In this research, in which researchers and schools closely cooperated and jointly explored challenges to re-orient education towards sustainability. The project aimed to provide a comprehensive educational response to pressing issues related to sustainability. The project conceptualized and developed a so-called whole school approach to sustainability. Based on case study research and pre- and post-test questionnaires, it can be concluded that on the short term no behavioural changes could be detected nor at the level of the staff or students, however schools were restructuring themselves to integrate the whole school approach to sustainability in their institutions.

Authors

• Renate Wesselink, Wageningen University

• Arjen E. Wals, Wageningen University

• Jan Christopher Frijters, Brock University