The development of higher-order thinking skills through case-based curriculum within the framework of sustainable development goals

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a case-based curriculum developed in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on prospective teachers’ problem-solving, critical thinking and creative thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pretest–post-test non-equivalent control group design with an embedded written qualitative feedback component was used. This study results revealed that prospective teachers in the experimental group showed a significant increase in their critical thinking, problem-solving and creative thinking skills, and that their critical thinking and problem-solving skills were significantly higher than those of prospective teachers in the control group. The Written Feedback Form on SDGs indicated that prospective teachers developed a more multidimensional understanding of the SDGs and reported reconsidering some everyday practices. First, this study was conducted at a single institution with a modest total sample (n = 49). Second, the intervention lasted eight weeks. Third, the quasi-experimental design is vulnerable to limitations associated with single-site studies. Fourth, the qualitative strand relied on written self-reports from six purposively selected participants. Finally, the Scientific Creativity Test, although adapted and reviewed for content validity, may not have been fully calibrated for short-term change among prospective teachers. For curriculum designers, the findings of this study point to several practical considerations. Cases should be aligned with specific SDG targets rather than with generic sustainability topics. Each case should include scaffolded questions that target the intended cognitive process: evaluation, strategy generation or idea production. Assessment should also reflect these processes by combining closed-form measures with open-ended tasks. For instructors, the CBC shifts the teaching role from content transmission to inquiry facilitation. Faculty development may, therefore, be needed to support case authoring, scaffold design and assessment alignment. At the institutional level, embedding a CBC in a single elective course appears feasible, but it may not be sufficient for slower-developing competencies such as creative thinking. This study offers a unique contribution by experimentally examining the effect of a CBC developed within the context of the SDGs on prospective teachers’ problem-solving, critical thinking and creative thinking skills. While case-based learning and sustainability education are widely discussed in the literature, studies that address these three higher-order thinking skills simultaneously within an SDG-based curriculum are limited. The research findings reveal that SDG-focused case-based teaching significantly improves prospective teachers’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, thus providing an evidence-based pedagogical contribution to the field of environmental and sustainability education.