Editorial

5 pages, 208 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future

by Sandro Serpa and Maria José Sá

Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1757; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061757 - 23 Mar 2019

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3651

The Special Issue of the journal Sustainability—The importance of Sociology of Education for a sustainable future, aims to offer a contribution to the deepening of the relationship between the Sociology of Education and sustainability. There are seven published papers that, to a [...] Read more.

The Special Issue of the journal Sustainability—The importance of Sociology of Education for a sustainable future, aims to offer a contribution to the deepening of the relationship between the Sociology of Education and sustainability. There are seven published papers that, to a greater or lesser degree, problematize this relationship. This editorial presents this Special Issue, the published papers, contextualising this topic in contemporary science, concluding that this potential has room to be fully developed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future)

Research

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17 pages, 1410 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Embedding Sustainable Development Goals in Education. Teachers’ Perspective about Education for Sustainability in the Basque Autonomous Community

by Leire Agirreazkuenaga

Sustainability 2019, 11(5), 1496; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051496 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 10292

Abstract

In the current context of unsustainability that we inhabit, education is considered to be a necessary pillar for social transformation towards sustainable development. The main goal of this research is to analyze the implementation of educational practical experiences of the education for sustainability [...] Read more.

In the current context of unsustainability that we inhabit, education is considered to be a necessary pillar for social transformation towards sustainable development. The main goal of this research is to analyze the implementation of educational practical experiences of the education for sustainability programs from the perspective of teachers working in secondary schools in the Basque Autonomous Community. The analyzed schools are situated in different socio-economic and environmental contexts. The analysis also aims to diagnose the extent of knowledge on the 2030 Global Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a view to its future implementation. The study is based on qualitative tools such as in-depth interviews (38 interviews conducted at five secondary schools). For analytical purposes, the perspective of the teaching staff is adopted as they play an indispensable and determining role in education for sustainability. The main results showed that the involvement of the teaching staff, personal motivation and good leadership are essential for the success of the program, together with the support of school authorities. A stable teaching staff and a sense of identity with the project are decisive factors. In this sense, differences were detected between public schools and private schools that, to a certain extent, condition the difficulties faced by the teaching staff. Experiential activities, activities outside the classroom and a positive perspective on the subject are considered factors contributing to the success of the programs. SDGs were still largely unknown to the teaching staff but could provide a good framework for multidisciplinary education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future)

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15 pages, 757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sociological Importance and Validation of a Questionnaire for the Sustainability of Personal Learning Environments (PLE) in 8th Grade Students of the Biobío Region in Chile

by José Luis Carrasco-Sáez, Marcelo Careaga Butter, María Graciela Badilla-Quintana, Laura Jiménez Pérez and Juan Molina Farfán

Sustainability 2019, 11(5), 1301; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051301 - 01 Mar 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4327

Abstract

Contemporary society is going through a cultural transition that leads to new conceptions about the ways in which human beings organize socially and communicate. This process of deep social and cultural transformations is characterized by a technological disruption, in which virtuality forms a [...] Read more.

Contemporary society is going through a cultural transition that leads to new conceptions about the ways in which human beings organize socially and communicate. This process of deep social and cultural transformations is characterized by a technological disruption, in which virtuality forms a new dimension that behaves as an extension of human intelligence. This new form of human interaction impacts on the social imagination, demanding one to rethink social and educational paradigms for the two-dimensional citizen. In this context, this research article describes the sociological importance and the process of social adaptation of users to a personal learning environment (PLE). It includes the validation process of an instrument for the study of the PLE of 8th grade students belonging to 15 schools in the Biobío Region of Chile. A PLE is a frame of reference that can help to understand how two-dimensional citizens socially adapt and influence the sustainability of local and global systems. The validation method for this instrument considered four stages: i) Expert judgment: considering the opinions of six educators and experts in information and communication technologies (ICT); ii) a pilot test: that included a non-probabilistic sample of 472 subjects; iii) a principal components analysis (PCA); and iv) a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Questionnaire on Work Habits and Learning for Professional Futures and the Context Questionnaire SIMCE TIC were used as a reference. When performing a psychometric analysis, a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.89 was obtained. This confirms that the adaptation of the instrument is good. The results of the dimensional analysis help us define a structure for the new instrument considering three components that explain 55% of the total variance. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed adjustment indexes that support the theoretical model proposed for the PLE study. In conclusion, the instrument was composed of three latent variables: Open self-regulated learning (OSRL) with eight questions, information management (IM) with four questions, and creation and transfer of knowledge (CTK) with four questions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future)

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21 pages, 3127 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Young Romanians’ Transition from School to Work in a Path Dependence Context

by Marinela Istrate, Raluca Horea-Serban and Ionel Muntele

Sustainability 2019, 11(5), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051254 - 27 Feb 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2816

Abstract

For the past 25 years, Romania crossed a contradictory evolution between the social–educational and economic aspects. From the inflexible educational system of the totalitarian regime, when all graduates from different levels of education immediately received a job (to avoid unemployment—a phenomenon that the [...] Read more.

For the past 25 years, Romania crossed a contradictory evolution between the social–educational and economic aspects. From the inflexible educational system of the totalitarian regime, when all graduates from different levels of education immediately received a job (to avoid unemployment—a phenomenon that the communist authorities did not tolerate), there was a transition to an educational system marked by frequent structural and methodological changes and by an increasing gap between the educational offer and the real necessities of the labor market. In this context, the aim of this paper was to analyzes, in the light of the sociology of education, the difficulties met by the new generations that enter the labor market after following a previously established educational model, often intended to be changed according to European sociological principles, but with deeply rooted mentalities and structure, actually difficult to alter. The ability to adapt to the new socio-economic context and to adjust educational programs to the new labor market requirements, in a strong correlation with the European policies, is constantly taken into account by interpreting the results in the spirit of the sociology of education and sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future)

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27 pages, 1051 KiB

Open AccessArticle

ESD for Public Administration: An Essential Challenge for Inventing the Future of Our Society

by Vasile-Daniel Păvăloaia, Mircea Radu Georgescu, Daniela Popescul and Laura-Diana Radu

Sustainability 2019, 11(3), 880; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030880 - 08 Feb 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3842

Abstract

The role of local and central public administrations in promoting sustainable development and building up a better future for society is essential. In order to fulfill this mission, employees in public administration sector must engage in long life learning processes, for the purpose [...] Read more.

The role of local and central public administrations in promoting sustainable development and building up a better future for society is essential. In order to fulfill this mission, employees in public administration sector must engage in long life learning processes, for the purpose of developing skills such as: anticipation, interdisciplinarity, diversity of perspectives, working with incomplete or complex information, participation in sustainable development processes, cooperation, individual decision-making capacities, empathy, solidarity, and self-motivation. The Education for Sustainable Development as a component of lifelong learning is, in this light, of utmost importance. In this spirit, this paper investigates what is the Romanian public sector employees’ perception of long life learning as an essential premise of Education for Sustainable Development, by analysing on the one hand the degree of digital maturity of public institutions in Romania, and on the other hand the interest of employees in such institutions to engage in Education for Sustainable Development function of the following disjunct behavioural/emotional states: Disappointment, Conflicts, Satisfaction/Contentment, Doubt, Exhaustion, Attachment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future)

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10 pages, 465 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Profiles of Violence and Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Relation to Impulsivity: Sustainable Consumption in Adolescents

by María del Carmen Pérez-Fuentes, María del Mar Molero Jurado, Ana Belén Barragán Martín and and José Jesús Gázquez Linares

Sustainability 2019, 11(3), 651; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030651 - 26 Jan 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3583

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify different adolescent profiles identified by their tobacco and alcohol use and patterns of violent behavior, as well as to analyze the extent to which such adolescents show impulsivity traits. The participants were selected by cluster [...] Read more.

The purpose of this study was to identify different adolescent profiles identified by their tobacco and alcohol use and patterns of violent behavior, as well as to analyze the extent to which such adolescents show impulsivity traits. The participants were selected by cluster random sampling. There were a total of 822 high school students in the sample, aged 13 to 18 years with a mean age of 14.84 (SD = 0.87). A cluster analysis with the following variables was conducted to form the groups: use of tobacco, use of alcohol, physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility. A total of three groups of adolescents resulted from these six variables. A multivariate comparison demonstrated the existence of significant between-group differences, and an individual analysis of each of the dependent variables (impulsivity dimensions) showed that the relationship was statistically significant in all cases. In conclusion, the analysis of factors possibly associated with risk behavior in adolescents creates the possibility for and guides intervention in different stages of development in order to encourage sustainable consumption in adolescents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future)

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12 pages, 211 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Bibliotherapy Education on the Social-Emotional Skills for Sustainable Future

by Şengül Başarı, Gözde Latifoğlu and Ahmet Güneyli

Sustainability 2018, 10(12), 4832; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124832 - 18 Dec 2018

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3415

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of bibliotherapy education on the social-emotional skills of psychological counselling and guidance candidates. The test group of the study consisted of psychological counselling and guidance students who participated voluntarily in the course named [...] Read more.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of bibliotherapy education on the social-emotional skills of psychological counselling and guidance candidates. The test group of the study consisted of psychological counselling and guidance students who participated voluntarily in the course named “Applied Counselling and Bibliotherapy”. A pre-test and post-test experimental design without a control group was used in the study. The Social Skills Inventory was used, for determining the social skills level of students before and after they are provided with bibliotherapy education. It was concluded from the study that there is a significant difference in the general scores for the social skills of female students after bibliotherapy education and the scores they obtained in the sub-dimensions of social expressivity. With the given reading materials and method of delivery, when the effect of bibliotherapy education on social skills level was compared, it was found in the final test that female students’ scores in the sub-dimensions of emotional expressivity and social control were significantly higher than those of male students. However, it was concluded that male students’ scores in the sub-dimension of emotional control were higher than those of female students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future)

Other

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31 pages, 451 KiB

Open AccessEssay

Optimism of the Will. Antonio Gramsci Takes in Max Weber

by Doris Sommer and Pier Luigi Sacco

Sustainability 2019, 11(3), 688; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030688 - 28 Jan 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6111

Abstract

Responding to Max Weber’s dour predictions, we enlist Antonio Gramsci’s optimism to suggest how culture can spike development. Weber’s sociological focus took culture to mean shared beliefs and practices. As a culture that derives from the Protestant Ethic, capitalism waged a “war on [...] Read more.

Responding to Max Weber’s dour predictions, we enlist Antonio Gramsci’s optimism to suggest how culture can spike development. Weber’s sociological focus took culture to mean shared beliefs and practices. As a culture that derives from the Protestant Ethic, capitalism waged a “war on pleasure.” Weber warned that this unfeeling rationality would generate an “iron cage” to trap our humanity, but his book has been read, paradoxically, as a manual for the lock down. Gramsci, on the contrary, understood culture in its humanistic sense, as a field of aesthetic pleasure, innovation, and debate. For him, a precondition for transformational social change was the broad engagement of masses as empowered collectives (Weber favored charismatic leaders); and pleasure in idiosyncratic forms of artistic as well as rooted expression was the fuel for participating in personal and shared advances. This pleasure in art and collective interpretation contrasts with the exclusionary rituals of commodified pleasure typical of capitalist consumerism. Gramsci’s confidence in the transformational role of creative culture provides a framework for understanding a new wave of inclusive artistic practices that originate in the Global South and that revive the arts as vehicles for active citizenship. Participatory art can re-enchant today’s sorely disenchanted socio-cultural world of mature capitalism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Sociology of Education for a Sustainable Future)

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