An Environmental Sustainability Module That Integrates Science, Engineering and Technology Education in 8th Grade

Jenny Patricia Quintana Cifuentes, Purdue University

Abstract

In an effort for making education an active participant towards to sustainable development, and in consequence of Agenda 21 (Development United Nations Conference on Environment, 1992) that indicated the important role of education in this process, this study aims to identify components that can be integrated into science, technology and engineering curricula that align Next Generation of Science (NGSS, 2013) and Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEEA, 2000) with sustainability components. Additionally, the study presents a module example based on the components found in a literature review. 73 articles were gathered and reviewed through a systemized literature review and analyzed by inductive (Hatch, 2002) and deductive methods. The analysis of the peer-reviewed articles guided the design of an environmental sustainability module. The module is an example of how sustainability competencies can be aligned with science and technology standards. Further, a case study was conducted with three STEM educators to identify their perceptions of sustainability education and provide feedback for the module. Findings from the systematized literature review revealed some of the standards that have been aligned with sustainability education in previous studies. The findings suggest the use of real-world issues are a critical element in the implementation of sustainability. Additionally, the findings suggest also relevance of the content to be applied to students’ context, where they can transfer the knowledge in their community. This study provides an outline of where the content can be organized depending on the context it is transferred. Additionally, the participants for this study suggest that the developed module can be useful for integrating sustainability education into their curricula, as well as they provide recommendations for this implementation in classroom settings.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Magana, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Middle School education|Education|Educational technology

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