Current State of Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development in Primary and Secondary (K-12) Schools in Boyacá, Colombia

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report (New Reviewer)

About the literature: I think that the learning environment is integrated with ESD (social, economic and environmental), it is wrong to separate these two concepts. I don't understand the problematic of this document. I do not see the difference between a and b (figure 1).

The methodology can be improved by explaining the purpose of each step and how you have designed the questions to justify the separation between EA and ESD. There are some studies on students' or staff and teachers' perception of their ESD system:
 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03043797.2018.1501348

https://hal.science/hal-03251079/file/Presentation%20SEFI%20colloque%20-%20final.pdf 

I don't understand the link between the Colombian education system and the European education system. Do you hope to apply the same strategies?

You can also improve the presentation of your statistical data. 

I think this is a work that could be improved by looking for work on the primary and secondary sector and justifying more the original research objectives.

English is understandable.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your comments and observations. We have made the necessary corrections as you suggested.

• About the literature: I think that the learning environment is integrated with ESD (social, economic and environmental), it is wrong to separate these two concepts. I don't understand the problematic of this document.

The problem in the present study is based between lines 209-218, in which it is indicated that ESD is little known in Colombia, and still registers trends in EE, and it is necessary to evaluate a transition from EE to ESD, to integrate humans into the environment with an objective and clear vision.

• I do not see the difference between a and b (figure 1).

Figure 1 shows the word cloud created for the two open questions of the survey (Statements without the Likert scale), with the keywords widely linked to the concepts of EE and ESD. Where in part a) The themes of EE are related and in part b) Those of ESD.  Line 308 indicates what each part of the figure reflects: Word cloud of (a): Q2-Words linked to EE. (b): Q17- Words linked to ESD.

• The methodology can be improved by explaining the purpose of each step and how you have designed the questions to justify the separation between EA and ESD. There are some studies on students' or staff and teachers' perception of their ESD system:

 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03043797.2018.1501348, https://hal.science/hal-03251079/file/Presentation%20SEFI%20colloque%20-%20final.pdf

 

In each step of the methodology of the document, the purpose and description of each one is supported, relating observed studies, which are cited. Lines 259-261 indicate how the questions were created in relation to the two research approaches, EE and ESD.

• I don't understand the link between the Colombian education system and the European education system. Do you hope to apply the same strategies?

The document analyzes the current conditions of the Colombian education system and the current status of the strategies applied in EE and ESD in the official educational institutions of primary and secondary education (K-12) of the department of Boyacá is recorded. This reflects the need to continue researching the issue of the transition to ESD, of which it is applied and little known in the country.

• You can also improve the presentation of your statistical data.

 

The application instrument used in this study was a virtual survey. The statistical data obtained were organized as follows:

 

• The mode was identified for each question, in which for EE it was 5 and for EDS 4, specified between lines 318-323.

 

• The number of respondents who selected numerical values on the Likert scale was determined, which is represented by a selection percentage, indicated in line 323-324.

 

• EE and ESD data are recorded in Table 2, which records the statistical analysis of the survey applied in the official primary and secondary educational institutions (K-12) of the department of Boyacá.

 

• I think this is a work that could be improved by looking for work on the primary and secondary sector and justifying more the original research objectives.

The document addressed general aspects of research topics such as EE and ESD, reviewing different academic studies. In which a sequence is made to point out the contributions made in the country, in relation to the themes of the study.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report (New Reviewer)

A good paper, interesting content. 

1. The entire papers needs to be proofread by a native English speaker.

2. All pronouns "we" must be removed. Paper should be in third person.

3. Title is missing capitalisation.

4. The abstract is poorly written. It has lots of syntax errors that need to be fixed.

1. The entire papers needs to be proofread by a native English speaker.

2. All pronouns "we" must be removed. Paper should be in third person.

3. Title is missing capitalisation.

4. Title has lots of syntax errors that need to be fixed.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your comments and observations. We have made the necessary corrections as you suggested.

• A good paper, interesting content.

We appreciate your valuable opinion in this research.

1. The entire papers needs to be proofread by a native English speaker.

The document was observed by a language teacher.

2. All pronouns "we" must be removed. Paper should be in third person.

The pronouns "we" were corrected throughout the document.

3. Title is missing capitalisation.

The title was modified with the respective capitalizations, in lines 2-4.

4. The abstract is poorly written. It has lots of syntax errors that need to be fixed.

In the abstract between lines 8 and 20, the ideas were contextualized to argue, relate and give order to the sequence of the research work carried out.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report (New Reviewer)

The paper is pretty well written and I enjoyed reading the paper. You did a good job identifying the issue and clarifying the problem.

The sample size is pretty small and you should explain where the students are in the educational cycle.  How many elementary, how many middle and how many secondary students.

The word clouds are ok, but difficult to quantify.

I was interested in Q-8 where the mode is a 1.  This is the only 1.  Is this an indication that not many projects in EE are going on at this time?

Figure one and two are good and explain the data.

I did not find a citation for Reference #26.  If this is not cited in the paper, it should be removed.

In the reference list, some of the references have the date boldened, and some do not.  Citation $

#4, #12, #14, and #22 should be in bold.

English is pretty good and easy to follow.  No major revisions needed.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your comments and observations. We have made the necessary corrections as you suggested.

• The paper is pretty well written and I enjoyed reading the paper. You did a good job identifying the issue and clarifying the problem.

We appreciate your comments, these words motivate more research on the subject.

• The sample size is pretty small and you should explain where the students are in the educational cycle. How many elementary, how many middle and how many secondary students.

For the sample size was used the simple random sample, relating the number of official primary and secondary educational institutions in Boyacá, as show in lines 253-266.

On lines 295 and 296, the number of primary and secondary students, respectively, was added.

 

• The word clouds are ok, but difficult to quantify.

 

It is indicated in the document, in lines 285 to 293 the purpose of the word cloud, in which with the questions without scale Likert is reflected in broad features the most used and associated words for each topic of the research, EE and ESD by respondents.

 

• I was interested in Q-8 where the mode is a 1. This is the only 1. Is this an indication that not many projects in EE are going on at this time?

 

This statement, if it is the only one with fashion equal to 1, for it in the discussion in lines 376 and 378 it is indicated the need to strengthen the leadership in the formulation of projects and strategies of EE.

 

• Figure one and two are good and explain the data.

 

Thanks for your comment, the purpose of visualizing two graphs is for the purpose of separating the results of EE and ESD.

 

• I did not find a citation for Reference #26. If this is not cited in the paper, it should be removed.

 

The citation for reference #26 is on line 283 of the document, in the survey reliability section. You find this quote as number 27, after adding a reference in materials and methods.

 

• In the reference list, some of the references have the date boldened, and some do not. Citation #4, #12, #14, and #22 should be in bold.

 

The list of references was updated with this observation, the years of each are in bold.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report (New Reviewer)

§  The structure and the presentation of this paper is well done and clear.

§ The results are also clear and understandable.

§  At the abstract you have to refer to the findings before your reference to implications and suggestions.

§  I will consider the implications as a new part, not included at the discussion part.

§  At the same point Limitations, and Future Researches could be a new part of this paper, and not included to conclusion part.

§   More extensive linking of the findings to previous research cited in the Literature review would be useful in the discussion.

§  The authors should check that all references are relevant to the contents of the manuscript.

In general, I consider that it is a really interesting subject and well-structured paper.

 

Minor editing of English language required

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your comments and observations. We have made the necessary corrections as you suggested.

• The structure and the presentation of this paper is well done and clear.

 

Thank you for your valuable comment.

 

• The results are also clear and understandable.

 

We appreciate your opinion; we wanted the results to be observed with clarity and easy understanding.

 

• At the abstract you have to refer to the findings before your reference to implications and suggestions.

 

The abstract was adjusted giving order first to the results obtained and findings.

 

• I will consider the implications as a new part, not included at the discussion part.

 

Thank you for your valuable appreciation

• At the same point Limitations, and Future Researches could be a new part of this paper, and not included to conclusion part.

 

Thank you for your comment, in the conclusions a new part entitled future research was added, starting with line 483.

 

• More extensive linking of the findings to previous research cited in the Literature review would be useful in the discussion.

 

This document deals with different investigations, analyzed in the introduction and in the discussion.

 

• The authors should check that all references are relevant to the contents of the manuscript.

 

Each of the references analyzed for this work are related to the main themes of the research developed.

 

• In general, I consider that it is a really interesting subject and well-structured paper.

Thank you for your comment.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report (New Reviewer)

It's clearer now, thanks for your feedback.

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments to Author(s)

The study aims to evaluate various strategies applied in EE and ESD in the primary and secondary (K-12) Official Educational Institutions of Boyacá, Colombia. The topic is worthy of research, and the case reasonably fits the issues in the sustainability journal's scope.

However, this study has some critical concerns. Some sections of the paper need improvement, and a few issues need careful reconsideration. The main problem I see here is the research design, including data analysis. Data analysis is not scientific to the best of my knowledge. Hence, I recommend this manuscript for publication after significant corrections.

I wish to offer the following suggestions to the Author (s):

1.      Enhance the abstract with key findings and policy implications of the study.

2.      Re-examine keywords (for instance, K-12, EE, ESD, etc.)

3.     The structure of the paper needs to be revised. The Introduction section of the manuscript may introduce the topic and the main terms, create a literature framework, briefly describe what this study will do and why, and provide an overview of the manuscript structure.

4.     It is better to explain the theoretical contribution of this study in the Introduction sections.

5.     The Author(s) writes about Environmental Education (EE) and Education for sustainable development (ESD). However, in Table 1, the variables are written with different abbreviations. Please maintain a consistent manner throughout the paper.

6.     Under the materials and methods section, the Author(s) mentioned that the survey statement had been developed based on different scientific articles related to the current research topic. I believe this description is insufficient for a scientific paper.

1.    What are the scientific research papers authors have considered for this task? Please justify these items by providing solid theoretical or/and empirical evidence (provide relevant scientific references). This is a critical issue in this manuscript.

2.   Many statements are used for assessment. Considering the statements/items under different dimensions of EE and EDS is suitable. For that, authors must follow good/classic scientific papers published.

3.   The Author(s) have used similar statements to evaluate teachers, students, and directors. They should justify this matter.

7.     The abstract and methodology sections state that this study is based on a survey of teachers and students. However, in the results section, the research sample included students, teachers, and directors. The authors should explain and confirm this. Also, I could not develop an accurate idea about the survey reliability value mentioned.

8.     Correct the wrong figure numbering; The table heading should be consistent and proper.

9.     Authors are highly encouraged to apply a model-based or a suitable qualitative method for data analysis.

10.   Results and discussion: It will be more appropriate if the Author(s) include the respondents' descriptive statistics with a summary description in the first section of the results and discussion.

11.    The conclusion explains some variable indicators. It is better to rewrite this section and include suggestions and limitations.

12.   Finally, the Author(s) is/are encouraged to correct mistakes in academic writing, in-text citations, and references in the paper. Proofreading is necessary.

 

All the best!

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript for review, which I was really looking forward to read and review. I would like to first start by saying that the title does not correspond with the content of the paper, which presents a survey of EE and ESD perceptions of educators and students of K-12 education in Colombia and thus is not an evaluation of startegies in this area.

The manuscript is difficult to follow in many places and the meanings are not very clear and it needs extensive English language editting. The aim, questions and hypotheses of your research are not at all stated and thus it is difficult to constitute a need for doing this research. The survey comes as a surprise in methods immediately after the introduction as you do not present a rationale for why you wanted to do it in the first place. 

Even when reading the results and discussion of the survey what it is that came out of it is not clear and also how does this advance the knowledge in this field in Colombia is uncertain. What are the implications of this work? Did you want to chech if the education system is ready to move to ESD from EE? Even the definitions of these terms should have been clearer initially to help you develop your methodology better. 

How was the survey designed and validated (apart from reliability) and what was the actual sample size? You only refer to percentages in the responses. 

I hope this review will help you consider more in depth the aim of your research and its value and clarify its findings for a future submission.

Reviewer 3 Report

This is an interesting article that addresses the aspects of environmental education and education for sustainable development strategies in Official Educational Institutions of primary and secondary (K-12) in Colombia.