Live What You Teach & Teach What You Live - Student Views on the Acceptability of Teachers’ Value-Related Statements about Sustainability and Climate Change

Oct 15, 2026

Research examines how pre-service and in-service preschool education and environmental science students judge the acceptability of value-laden statements made by teachers on sustainable development and climate change. A questionnaire with 15 statements was completed by 139 students from two Slovenian universities. Results indicate that students want teachers to promote sustainable development, and they mostly reject claims that cast doubt on the causes or necessity of acting against climate change. Global issues with direct effects on developed countries receive stronger support, and the conclusion urges structured discussion in university teaching.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Agenda 21 and sustainable development goals

Value conflicts in sustainability policies

Consistency between science and public perceptions

Live What You Teach & Teach What You Live: Student Views on the Acceptability of Teachers’ Value-Related Statements about Sustainability and Climate Change Gregor Torkar1 • This paper presents the results of a survey among pre-service and inservice students of pre-school education and students of environmental sciences on the acceptability of value-laden statements made by their teachers on issues of sustainable development and climate change. Fifteen statements were provided, and students had to choose among the options »acceptable statement«, »unacceptable statement« and »cannot decide« . The questionnaire was completed by 139 students from two universities in Slovenia. The results show that the students expect their teachers to promote the principles of sustainable development. The majority of students considered any teacher’s statement that would cast doubt on the cause or the necessity to act against climate change to be unacceptable. Teacher’s statements emphasising global issues that have, or could have, a direct impact on developed countries (e.g. climate change) received higher support than those global questions that more heavily impact underdeveloped or developing countries (e.g. poverty, child labour, access to natural resources) . In the conclusion, it is emphasised that teachers should assist students in developing their own moral positions on complex issues such as sustainable development and climate change. Structured discussion techniques, such as a panel discussion, forum and debate, should be regularly and carefully implemented into lectures at the university level. Keywords: Sustainable development, Climate change, University education, Environmental education, Teaching, Values 1 University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Kardeljeva ploščad 16, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, and University of Nova Gorica, Laboratory for Environmental Research, Vipavska 13, 5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia [torkar.gregor@pef.uni-lj.si](torkar.gregor@pef.uni-lj.si) Živi tisto, kar poučuješ, in poučuj tisto, kar živiš: pogledi študentov na sprejemljivost učiteljevih vrednotno orientiranih izjav o trajnosti in podnebnih spremembah Gregor Torkar • V članku so predstavljeni izsledki raziskave med študentipredšolske vzgoje in študenti okoljskih znanosti o njihovih pogledih na sprejemljivostučiteljevih vrednotno orientiranih izjav o trajnostnem razvoju in podnebnih spremembah. Študentje so se opredelili do petnajstih podanih izjav. Pri tem so lahko izbirali med odgovori »sprejemljiva izjava«, »nesprejemljiva izjava« in »neodločen/-a«. Vprašalnik je izpolnilo 139 študentoviz dveh slovenskih univerz. V izsledkih ugotavljamo, da študentje odsvojih profesorjev pričakujejo, da spodbujajo in podpirajo trajnostni razvoj. Večina vprašanih študentov tudi ne odobrava, da bi ti podvomili o vzrokih in nujnosti ukrepanja zoper podnebne spremembe. Podpora tistim izjavam, ki poudarjajo globalna vprašanja, ki imajo ali bi lahko imelaneposreden vpliv na razvite države (npr. podnebne spremembe), je bilapri študentih večja kot podpora izjavam o globalnih vprašanjih, ki bolj prizadenejo nerazvite in razvijajoče se države (npr. revščina, otroško delo, dostop do naravnih virov). V sklepnem delu je poudarjena vloga učiteljev, ki morajo pomagati učečim pri razvijanju lastnih moralnih pogledov na kompleksna vprašanja, kot so trajnostni razvoj in podnebne spremembe. Strukturirane tehnike diskusije, kot so okrogla miza, forum in razprava, morajo biti na univerzitetni ravni zato redno in ustrezno implementirane. Ključne besede: trajnostni razvoj, podnebne spremembe, univerzitetnoizobraževanje, okoljsko izobraževanje, poučevanje, vrednote Introduction In recent centuries, humanity has benefited from development that has enriched our lives, but also caused unprecedented environmental change. The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992) challenged humanity to reduce its impact on the Earth. The assembled leaders adopted Agenda 21 for achieving sustai

FAQs

Who participated in the survey and what was assessed?

The study surveyed 139 students from two Slovenian universities, including pre-service and in-service preschool education students and environmental science students. It assessed students’ acceptability judgments of 15 value-laden teacher statements about sustainability and climate change.

What do students generally expect from teachers regarding climate change?

Most students expect teachers to promote the principles of sustainable development. They also largely consider statements that undermine the causes or necessity of acting against climate change to be unacceptable.

How did students’ support differ between global issues affecting different countries?

Statements emphasizing global issues with direct or potential impacts on developed countries (e.g., climate change) received higher support than statements focusing on issues affecting underdeveloped or developing countries more strongly (e.g., poverty, child labour, and access to natural resources).

What teaching approach does the paper recommend at the university level?

The conclusion emphasizes helping students develop their own moral positions on complex issues such as sustainable development and climate change. It recommends regularly and carefully implementing structured discussion techniques, including panel discussions, forums, and debates, in university lectures.

Oct 15, 2026

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