Preparedness to implement Education for Sustainable Development in Scandinavian countries: a comparative analysis of social sciences teachers and the significance of teacher education

The present study contributes to the understanding of how social science teachers’ preparedness for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) may be fostered. Using responses of Scandinavian in-service social studies teachers and school administrators to the International Civic and Citizenship Survey (ICCS)(N = 708/1542), multiple regression analysis was conducted to better understand the role of teacher education programs for ESD preparedness when controlled for other theoretically grounded variables, such as teaching experience, professional collaboration and perceived importance of the topic. The analysis uses the concept of self-efficacy as a framework for creating the model. Analyses showed that several variables had an impact on respondents’ ESD preparedness, and additionally, that the strength of association differed between the Scandinavian countries. The strongest association was found with reporting to have completed courses on ESD either pre- or in-service, a result which rang true in all the three included populations. Other statistically significant, though weaker, associations were found between the dependent variable and experiences with teaching global issues, perceptions of the importance of global citizenship and teacher autonomy, though these findings varied between samples. Findings suggest that while preparedness in ESD is a complex concept achieved through a range of factors, teacher education, within the frame of the model, plays a central role in aiding teachers in implementing sustainability education into their practice.