UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Towards justice-oriented climate change and sustainability education: Perspectives from school teachers in England

Rushton, EAC; Walshe, N; Johnston, BJ; (2025) Towards justice-oriented climate change and sustainability education: Perspectives from school teachers in England. Curriculum Journal 10.1002/curj.322. (In press). Green open access

[thumbnail of Walshe_The Curriculum Journal - 2025 - Rushton - Towards justice‐oriented climate change and sustainability education .pdf]
Preview
Text
Walshe_The Curriculum Journal - 2025 - Rushton - Towards justice‐oriented climate change and sustainability education .pdf

Download (417kB) | Preview

Abstract

Education, including school education, is widely understood as fundamental to a just response to global climate and ecological crises. We examined the practices of teachers based in England focused on climate change and sustainability education (CCSE). Analysis of survey responses from over 300 teachers found that CCSE was realised through classroom teaching as part of the official and planned curriculum. CCSE was developed through practices where knowledge was at the centre, and which were action- and community-oriented. Analysing data through the lenses of curricula justice and climate justice, we argue that whilst these practices provide a foundation for justice-oriented CCSE, they do not fully realise the aims of climate justice education which seeks to disrupt, challenge and repair colonial ways of being and thinking. Justice-oriented CCSE demands a fundamental shift in the leadership of school-based education in England at school and policy levels, so that the practices identified through this survey fully encompass ideas of climate justice. Support at policy level is essential if justice-oriented CCSE is to move beyond the scope of committed and enthusiastic individuals and become collaborative practice and a shared responsibility which extends across all educational settings.

Type: Article
Title: Towards justice-oriented climate change and sustainability education: Perspectives from school teachers in England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/curj.322
Publisher version: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rcjo20
Language: English
Additional information: © 2025 The Author(s). The Curriculum Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Educational Research Association. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10205758
Downloads since deposit
6Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item