Comparative case-study analysis of the projects EduC3 and Ecf4clim in the implementation of the GreenComp Sustainability Competence Framework

Abstract

Amidst global efforts to address pressing environmental challenges and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, education for sustainable development emerges as a pivotal tool for fostering societal transformation towards a more sustainable future. Within this context, competence frameworks serve as essential guidelines for integrating sustainability into education. This research investigates the operationalization and implementation of the GreenComp framework within educational contexts. This inquiry further narrows down to examining the similarities and differences characterizing the implementation of GreenComp in two selected case-study projects, namely Ecf4clim and EduC3, operating within comparable contexts. Utilizing a multiple case-study approach, data collection involved document reviews and interviews from both projects, enabling a comprehensive exploration of their perspectives. A qualitative data analysis strategy was implemented to extract meaningful insights. The findings reveal distinct approaches in Ecf4clim and EduC3, emphasizing holistic and active learning, and climate change-centric learning and knowledge transfer, respectively. Perceived challenges include time constraints and sustainability attitude-behavior gaps, while strengths encompass community involvement and multidisciplinarity. Despite difficulties, both projects navigate complexities by focusing on the GreenComp framework, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive competence model integrating multiple perspectives. Furthermore, both projects lean toward the emancipatory approach in environmental education, promoting critical thinking and dialogue. In conclusion, this study tries underscores the importance of tailored interventions considering contextual differences within educational settings. Additionally, it highlights the need for further exploration of non-formal education methodologies, synergizing competences outlined in the GreenComp framework, and fostering hope in sustainability education to inspire positive change.

Popular Abstract

Ever wonder how sustainability guidelines are tackled in practice? This study looks at two different educational projects—from elementary to university level—trying to implement a sustainability framework, named GreenComp. Findings consist of detailed descriptions, including differences and similarities in how important concepts, such as “competence” or “learning”, are understood, as well as, activities developed, evaluation methods, and more.
Imagine you have great ideas for making schools more sustainable, but when you try them out, they do not necessarily work like you thought they would. That is the gap this research explores—the space between what experts theorize of and what happens in real life, especially when it comes to learning about sustainability. Why does this matter? Firstly, there are plenty of teaching and learning approaches (e.g.: transdisciplinary, action-oriented, transformational, etc.), and secondly, each context has its own needs and challenges. For example, in Finland, teachers have a very fixed and busy schedule, making it very hard to fit in sustainability activities. However, in Romania, the main constraints are related to infrastructure. For instance, teaching students how to recycle becomes useless if there are no recycling containers. The goal of this study is not to give all the answers but to shine a light on what is currently going on. I hope this will help create better ways to teach sustainability in the future, ways that match up theory and practice, considering context-specific needs.
To carry out this research, I looked at two projects utilizing the GreenComp framework, a relatively recent guideline to implement sustainability competences in educational settings. I analyzed several relevant documents and interviewed project researchers in order to get a full picture of how they are implementing it. One interesting thing I found is that in these two projects, there is not always consistency in their approach. For instance, they mix up the approach to conceptualize and develop sustainability activities (using an emancipatory approach) with how they measure the success of their initiatives (making use of an instrumental approach). This lack of consistency might cause challenges to the projects.
The final aim of this research is to contribute to filling a gap in the scientific literature of sustainability education. This means that the conclusions of this study are not prescriptive but rather try to shed some light on what happens in practice, so that in the future, better ways to implement sustainability in different contexts can be figured out, considering specific needs and challenges. I believe this study contributes to an early stage, which is about knowledge collection but, hopefully, a more tangible impact will be observed in later stages of application.

• author: Romero Areales, Dolores
• supervisor: Phudoma Lama
• organization: Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
• course: VBRM15 20241
• year: 2024
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• keywords: Education for sustainable development, Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainability competence, Climate change competence, Implementation, Operationalization, GreenComp framework
• language: English
• id: 9158236
• date added to LUP: 2024-06-10 07:02:34
• date last changed: 2024-06-10 07:02:34