Competencies for sustainable development and open education: research in higher education

Abstract

Transforming society to create a sustainable world requires structural changes in each person’s perceptions and actions. This research aimed to identify the sustainable development competencies possessed or evidenced by future primary education teachers, and the skills they must use and reuse to design resources and open educational practices for learning or educating about sustainable development. The study employed a mixed research method with a sample of 28 students with bachelor’s degree in Primary Education who participated in a learning experience focused on developing educational and social entrepreneurship projects with a vision of sustainable development. The students responded to a Likert scale questionnaire to self-evaluate their knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding sustainable development and open education. The projects developed by the students were analyzed, and a focus group was held to learn their opinions regarding the experience and learning. The results show a significant change in the students regarding a) knowledge about sustainable development, b) skills and actions for open education, c) awareness about sustainable development, and d) values and actions focused on sustainable development.