Infusion of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into Science Education Curricula, Students Understanding of Sustainable Development and ESD in Nigeria

Abstract

 Formal education for sustainable development (ESD) to a great extent depends on capacity building and training of teachers because they are the individuals who must both teach ESD at the classroom level and make use of their knowledge, values, and skills to support sustainability. The study determines the infusion of education for sustainable development into science curricula and its effects on students understanding of sustainable national development and ESD in the depressed economy in Nigeria. Lecturers (teacher educators) in the Department of Science Education, Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, Nigeria, who infused ESD in their course delivery analyse data collected from 183 of their students pre- and post-intervention to ensure whether individuals’ awareness and knowledge of sustainable development (SD) and ESD had changed because of the infusion process. The results show that students’ understanding of SD widens after the courses, with most students believing that SD involves holistic issues such as social, economic, and environmental improvements that do not come at the expense of our natural resources. Besides, students’ thoughts about ESD changed positively, with students enumerating and understanding various areas of the interdisciplinary nature of ESD and ESD as involving equitable, inclusive education. The findings are significant in highlighting how intentional infusion of ESD into courses can enhance students’ knowledge and awareness of SD and ESD.