Implementation of “Education for Sustainability” in Three Elementary Schools – What can we Learn about a Change Process?

Shirley Miedijensky; Anat Abramovich

doi:10.29333/ejmste/109145

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Shirley Miedijensky ¹ ² ^* , Anat Abramovich ³

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¹ Oranim Academic College, Tivon, ISRAEL² Shamir Research Institute, Haifa University, Haifa, ISRAEL³ Israeli Center for Scientific and Technological Education, Technion, Haifa, ISRAEL^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study examines the process of educational change as demonstrated in three elementary schools implementing education for sustainability (EfS). Actions and stages in the change process were characterized. Data included interviews with the school principals and teachers involved, in-school observations, and documentation (schools’ vision statements, websites, and reports). Our findings indicate that important factors for a successful implementation include motives for change, persons involved, actions carried out, and follow-up activity. While all three schools showed evidence of changes implementing EfS as a regular part of the school’s philosophy, only one school demonstrated changes deemed permanent and significant. This was the only school that implemented a gradual and structured process of change, that executed many actions at each stage, and where the principal and staff were well-qualified and fully committed. This study contributes to understanding how changes may be implemented in educational systems and emphasizes the importance of each stage.

Keywords

educational change
education for sustainability
environmental education

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 15, Issue 10, October 2019, Article No: em1754

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/109145

Publication date: 03 May 2019

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How to cite this article

APA

Miedijensky, S., & Abramovich, A. (2019). Implementation of “Education for Sustainability” in Three Elementary Schools – What can we Learn about a Change Process?. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 15(10), em1754. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/109145

Vancouver

Miedijensky S, Abramovich A. Implementation of “Education for Sustainability” in Three Elementary Schools – What can we Learn about a Change Process?. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2019;15(10):em1754. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/109145

AMA

Miedijensky S, Abramovich A. Implementation of “Education for Sustainability” in Three Elementary Schools – What can we Learn about a Change Process?. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2019;15(10), em1754. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/109145

Chicago

Miedijensky, Shirley, and Anat Abramovich. "Implementation of “Education for Sustainability” in Three Elementary Schools – What can we Learn about a Change Process?". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2019 15 no. 10 (2019): em1754. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/109145

Harvard

Miedijensky, S., and Abramovich, A. (2019). Implementation of “Education for Sustainability” in Three Elementary Schools – What can we Learn about a Change Process?. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 15(10), em1754. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/109145

MLA

Miedijensky, Shirley et al. "Implementation of “Education for Sustainability” in Three Elementary Schools – What can we Learn about a Change Process?". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 15, no. 10, 2019, em1754. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/109145