Swedish teachers’ perceived professional action competence in sustainability and climate change education

This study aims to explore how in-service school teachers in Sweden perceive their professional action competence (PAC) in Sustainability and Climate Change Education (SCCE). Drawing on data from an exploratory survey involving 202 primary and secondary school teachers in Sweden, the study examines three core dimensions of PAC in SCCE: professional knowledge, self-efficacy, and willingness to teach. Descriptive and frequency analyses were employed to identify teachers’ self-perceptions across these dimensions. The study reveals that teachers generally perceive their professional action competence in SCCE as well-prepared, particularly regarding content knowledge and teaching approaches, and they report high levels of intrinsic motivation for teaching SCCE. However, the results also show several areas across these dimensions in which teachers felt less prepared: (1) to facilitate collective action-taking by students, (2) to engage with community partners beyond school in the teaching and learning process, (3) to support students in dealing with difficult emotions, and (4) to assess students’ sustainability-related competences. The study provides valuable insights into the conditions that support or constrain the implementation of SCCE in schools and aims to inform the design of future professional development initiatives and contribute to ongoing efforts to strengthen teachers’ preparedness for transformative SCCE.