Sustainability consciousness of pre-service teachers in Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention towards sustainability consciousness (SC) of pre-service teachers (student teachers) as their role is central in teaching for sustainable development. This paper investigated SC of the pre-service teachers in Pakistan and compared it with other undergraduate students in the country and with that of Swedish upper secondary students.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used survey method using a tool developed by a group of Canadian researchers to measure knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards sustainable development. The instrument was later adapted by a group of Swedish researchers to measure SC. Study data came from 207 pre-service teachers and 154 undergraduate students studying humanities.

Findings

The paper reports that SC of the pre-service teachers in Pakistan is much lower than that of Swedish upper secondary students. Moreover, the paper indicates that the SC of pre-service teachers is not different from other undergraduate students in the country.

Practical implications

This paper establishes a baseline of SC of the final-year pre-service teachers enrolled in BEd (Honours) programme in Pakistan. Such a study is critical in the context when ESD is a missing element in teacher education in Pakistan. In the presence of such a baseline study, teacher education institutes and departments might review their curricula in terms of their focus on ESD and plan for initiatives to educate pre-service teachers for sustainability.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to a broader debate on measuring SC of university students.

Citation

Kalsoom, Q., Khanam, A. and Quraishi, U. (2017), "Sustainability consciousness of pre-service teachers in Pakistan", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 18 No. 7, pp. 1090-1107. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-11-2016-0218