Preparing Future Teachers for Sustainability-Oriented Mathematics Education Through Mathematical Modelling: Evidence from Pre-Service Primary Teachers

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has emerged as a key priority in contemporary education systems, emphasizing the need to equip learners with the knowledge and competencies required to address complex environmental and societal challenges. Mathematics education can play an important role in achieving these goals by enabling students to analyse data, interpret real-world problems, and develop critical thinking skills related to sustainability issues. However, despite the growing interest in sustainability-oriented mathematics education, limited empirical evidence exists on how structured mathematical modelling interventions influence pre-service primary teachers’ perceptions, modelling orientation, and confidence in designing sustainability-based mathematics lessons. This study investigates the impact of sustainability-oriented mathematical modelling activities on pre-service primary teachers’ perceptions of integrating sustainability into mathematics education. The study employed a quasi-experimental design involving 68 pre-service primary teachers enrolled in a mathematics education course at a university. Participants engaged in a six-week intervention consisting of modelling activities based on real-world sustainability contexts, including water consumption, energy use, waste management, and sustainable transportation. Data were collected using a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire examining participants’ perceptions of sustainability integration, mathematical modelling, and teaching confidence. Statistical analyses, including reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, effect size estimates, and correlation analysis, as well as multiple regression analysis, were conducted to examine the impact of the intervention. The results indicate significant improvements in participants’ perceptions of sustainability-oriented mathematics teaching and their confidence in designing modelling-based sustainability activities. The largest improvement was observed in teaching confidence, while mathematical modelling perception emerged as a significant predictor of teaching confidence. The findings suggest that mathematical modelling can serve as an effective pedagogical approach for integrating sustainability topics into mathematics education and preparing future teachers to connect mathematical reasoning with real-world environmental challenges. The study contributes to the growing body of research at the intersection of mathematics education, teacher education, and sustainability education by providing empirical evidence on the potential of modelling-based learning for supporting sustainability-oriented teaching practices. More specifically, it shows how mathematical modelling can function as a concrete pedagogical mechanism for translating Education for Sustainable Development into primary mathematics teacher education.