Strengthening Education for Sustainable Development in Teacher Education: Insights from Pre- and Post-Survey Analysis of Teacher Educators in Europe and Africa

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is recognised as a critical approach for addressing interconnected environmental, social, and economic challenges, as well as for preparing future teachers to engage meaningfully with sustainability issues. Within higher education, teacher educators play a central role in shaping the knowledge, skills, values, and pedagogical practices of future teachers. However, despite growing global emphasis on ESD, its integration into teacher education remains uneven across diverse contexts. This study examines the impact of four ESD-focused workshops, delivered both in person and online over a nine-month period, on teacher educators’ attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, behavioural intentions, and ESD-related teaching practices. It also explores changes in their understanding of ESD, its integration into teaching, and perceived implementation challenges. The study was conducted within the Future Teacher Education for Sustainable Development (FUTE) project, a Global North-South collaboration involving four higher education institutions, two from Finland, one from Namibia, and another one from Tanzania, bringing together perspectives from Africa and Europe. A mixed-methods pre- and post-survey design was employed, with surveys administered before and after the workshops. The analytical sample consisted of 24 teacher educators from the participating institutions who completed both surveys. Quantitative data was analysed using paired-samples t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, while qualitative responses were examined through thematic analysis to capture participants’ perspectives on ESD understanding, integration, and challenges. The findings indicate statistically significant improvements in perceived behavioural control (M = 3.55 to 4.18, p < .001), subjective norms (M = 3.17 to 3.59, p = .006), and ESD-related teaching practices (M = 3.40 to 3.69, p = .025), reflecting medium to large effect sizes. These results suggest that the workshops strengthened participants’ confidence, institutional awareness, and practical engagement with ESD. In contrast, attitudes (M = 4.59 to 4.74, p = .230) and behavioural intentions (M = 4.83 to 4.74, p = .404) remained consistently high and did not change significantly, indicating a possible ceiling effect and highlighting that the intervention primarily influenced capability and practice rather than underlying motivation. Qualitative findings provide further insight into these changes. Participants’ understanding of ESD shifted from fragmented and predominantly environmental interpretations toward more holistic and action-oriented conceptualisations that integrate knowledge, skills, values, and transformative action. Similarly, the integration of ESD into teaching evolved from implicit and occasional use toward more intentional, structured, and learner-centered pedagogical approaches, including problem-based and collaborative learning. Despite these improvements, persistent structural challenges, such as limited resources, rigid curricula, and large class sizes continued to constrain full implementation. However, participants demonstrated increased capacity to adopt solution-oriented strategies, including the use of digital tools to support ESD integration. The study highlights the importance of sustained professional development in enhancing teacher educators’ confidence, pedagogical competence, and practical engagement with ESD. The findings suggest that while short-term interventions can significantly improve perceived behavioural control and teaching practices, long-term and systemic support is necessary to address structural constraints and ensure sustainable implementation. The study contributes to the growing body of research on ESD in higher education by demonstrating the value of capacity-building interventions in bridging the gap between intention and practice, particularly within diverse and resource-constrained contexts.