The Role of Power and Politics in Education for Sustainability in the Galapagos Islands

• In Event: 25.082 - Fairmont Royal York Roundtable Session Three
  In Roundtable Session: 25.082-10 - Education for Sustainability: A Public-Private Partnership for Transforming Education in the Galapagos

Abstract

Framework
The goal of Education for Sustainability (EfS) is to empower learners to make informed decisions and take responsible actions to maintain environmental integrity, ensure economic viability, and support a just society for present and future generations (UNESCO, 2017). In the second phase of the project, we are implementing a cohesive education for sustainability model that includes the following dimensions:
1) Content is integrated into and across the curricular subjects.
2) Classroom activities develop cross-cutting competencies for sustainable development.
3) Content and learning connects within and across contexts.
It is our interest in the last of these goals - a critical examination of contextualization - that drives our research for this paper presentation (Sund & Öhman, 2014).

Objectives
The aim of this research was to understand teachers' initial perceptions both of sustainability and of education for sustainability within their particular Galapagos context.

Methods
During the 2018 institute, we measured teachers' attitudes about sustainability using a validated survey instrument by Biasutti & Frate (2017). Then, we conducted three focus groups to hear, in their own words, how teachers perceive of sustainability efforts on their islands.

Results
Survey results indicate that teachers hold agreeable attitudes towards sustainability, valuing social outcomes (M=1.52, maximum 2) moreso than economic (M=1.0) or environmental (M=.85) outcomes. Teachers also indicated strong agreement for educational efforts for sustainability (M=1.49).

Three major themes emerge from the focus group data. First, processes of coloniality define sustainability in the islands. Second, Galapagos is not just a place for biodiversity research and conservation, but a setting where the socio-political performativity of sustainability is enacted. The material-affective relations of humans and nature prove to be volatile and even counterintuitive (Kim, 2016). Third, the politics of sustainability privilege specific groups. For instance, Mr. Sanchez, an elementary teacher, defines the tensions between sustainability and politics as "a power fight in which sustainability isn't accessible to everybody". He blames politicians for this struggle as promoters of elitist policies. On the alienation of locals from economic growth, Mrs. Gonzalez, an elementary teacher, expressed: "the people, los isleños, do not have their part. The government only give permits to a few. They are not the children of the fishermen, but they make all the money". Moreover, the maestros accused companies of mostly hiring foreigners, who do not have a sense of belonging in the community as they can only reside in the islands for five years. The following excerpt from Mr. Lopez exemplifies this lack of attachment to the place: "People without preparation enter the islands. Not preparation of education, but cultural values. They come after economic profit and do not care about this place". Teachers expressed to feel powerless as indicated by Mrs. Romo: "I teach my students about conservation, but when the Chinese boats come, 'fuan!', they take everything".

Scholarly significance
Our research problematizes current construals of sustainability as it may be neglecting the role that politics and power play for sustainability practices and educational efforts.

Authors

• K.C. Busch, North Carolina State University

• Greses Perez, Tufts University

• Dustin Miller

• Kathryn Green, North Carolina State University