Education for the Future: The Integration of Sustainability Education and the Sustainable Development Goals in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program in Norway

Abstract

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) offers an interdisciplinary educational framework that aims to shape students into empowered individuals who have the skills necessary to solve the wicked problems of today and the future. Through qualitative research methods, this Master thesis examines how the IB PYP educators in Norway perceive their integration of sustainability education, through the analysis of the written curriculum and the narrative perceptions of the educators implementing it. Interviews with 10 PYP coordinators and educators, 12 responses to structured surveys from PYP educators, and an evaluation of the written curriculum of 10 schools comprise the data set. Applying narrative and thematic content analysis, the empirical analysis aims to create a model of the themes, connections, and happenings in the plan and practice of the IB PYP School in Norway. An exploration of the integration and practices of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Whole Institution Approach, Double-Sided Education for Sustainable Development, Deep versus Shallow Education for Sustainable Development, Action Oriented approach to Education for Sustainable Development, Indigenous Education, and Critical Pedagogy models of sustainability education reveals which elements of sustainability education are perceived as useful to the integration of sustainability in Norwegian PYP Schools. The findings indicate that the PYP offers a framework with many attributes conducive to high-quality sustainability education. Educators conceptualize the importance of sustainability education and perceive the SDGs and Eco Schools Green Flag Award as ways of integrating sustainability into the PYP, while articulating that it would be implemented more fully if the IB Organization (IBO) or The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (UDIR) were more explicit in prioritizing or requiring the teaching of sustainability.

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) offers an interdisciplinary educational framework that aims to shape students into empowered individuals who have the skills necessary to solve the wicked problems of today and the future. Through qualitative research methods, this Master thesis examines how the IB PYP educators in Norway perceive their integration of sustainability education, through the analysis of the written curriculum and the narrative perceptions of the educators implementing it. Interviews with 10 PYP coordinators and educators, 12 responses to structured surveys from PYP educators, and an evaluation of the written curriculum of 10 schools comprise the data set. Applying narrative and thematic content analysis, the empirical analysis aims to create a model of the themes, connections, and happenings in the plan and practice of the IB PYP School in Norway. An exploration of the integration and practices of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Whole Institution Approach, Double-Sided Education for Sustainable Development, Deep versus Shallow Education for Sustainable Development, Action Oriented approach to Education for Sustainable Development, Indigenous Education, and Critical Pedagogy models of sustainability education reveals which elements of sustainability education are perceived as useful to the integration of sustainability in Norwegian PYP Schools. The findings indicate that the PYP offers a framework with many attributes conducive to high-quality sustainability education. Educators conceptualize the importance of sustainability education and perceive the SDGs and Eco Schools Green Flag Award as ways of integrating sustainability into the PYP, while articulating that it would be implemented more fully if the IB Organization (IBO) or The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (UDIR) were more explicit in prioritizing or requiring the teaching of sustainability.