Using Participatory Action Research to Develop a Course Module on Education for Sustainable Development in Pre-Service Chemistry Teacher Education

Oct 15, 2026

Development of a course module integrating sustainability issues and Education for Sustainable Development within German pre-service chemistry teacher education is described, using Participatory Action Research to build and cyclically refine learning based on the empirical knowledge base of student teachers. The module was applied over three years and evaluated through student feedback gathered from evaluation sheets. Participants rated the course extremely positively, reporting high interest, relevance, and professional value, and increased perceived competence in sustainability and ESD.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Education for Sustainable Development and chemistry education

Course module development and evaluation

Using Participatory Action Research to Develop a Course Module on Education for Sustainable Development in Pre-Service Chemistry Teacher Education Mareike Burmeister1 and Ingo Eilks*2 • This paper describes the development of a course module on sustainability issues and Education for Sustainable Development in German pre-service chemistry teacher education. The module was inspired by empirical research findings about the knowledge base of student teachers. It was created and cyclically refined using Participatory Action Research. Experience gained during its three-year application will be reflected upon here, including feedback collected from student evaluation sheets. In the end, the participants responded extremely positively to the course. The student teachers stated that the module was interesting, relevant and valuable for their later profession as high school chemistry teachers. They also emphasised that they now felt more competent in the area of sustainability and ESD. Keywords: Education for Sustainable Development, Chemistry Education, Participatory Action Research, Teacher Education 1 University of Bremen, Institute for Science Education, Leobener Str. NW 2, 28334 Bremen, Germany 2 *Corresponding author: University of Bremen, Institute for Science Education, Leobener Str. NW 2, 28334 Bremen, Germany [eilks@uni-bremen.de](eilks@uni-bremen.de) 60 using participatory action research to develop a course module on education Uporaba akcijskega raziskovanja z udeležbo pri razvoju učnega modula za izobraževanje za trajnostni razvoj pri bodočih učiteljih kemije Mareike Burmeister in Ingo Eilks* • V prispevku je predstavljen razvoj učnega modula o trajnostnih temah in izobraževanju za trajnostni razvoj pri bodočih učiteljih kemije v Nemčiji. Modul je rezultat ugotovitev raziskave o predznanju študentov. Oblikovan je bil med cikličnim procesom akcijskega raziskovanja zudeležbo. Predstavljene so izkušnje na podlagi triletnega izvajanjamodula in povratne informacije študentov, ki so bile pridobljene spomočjo evalvacijskih vprašalnikov. Udeleženci so izkušnjo ocenili kot zelo pozitivno. Modul se jim je zdel zanimiv, pomemben in potrebenza njihov poklic srednješolskega učitelja kemije. Poudarili so tudi, da se zdaj počutijo kompetentnejše na področju izobraževanja za trajnostni razvoj. Ključne besede: izobraževanje za trajnostni razvoj, kemijsko izobraževanje, akcijsko raziskovanje z udeležbo, izobraževanje učiteljev Introduction In a review of the role of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for and in secondary chemistry education, Burmeister, Rauch and Eilks (2012) previously discussed different justifications for covering ESD issues in the classroom, in teacher training, and in educational research. The special emphasis that chemistry education should have was demonstrated by showing the unique economic role of industrial chemistry in every developed society. The chemical industry provides most of the raw materials necessary for every other type of business and undertaking. It is the foundation of modern energy supply, agriculture, materials, communication, biotechnology, and medicine (Bradley, 2005). Burmeister et al. (2012) also referred to the impacts that chemistry-related technologies and industry have on the environment and on the social development of any society, both at local and regional levels. Therefore, there is a justifiable need to implement learning about sustainability issues and ESD into chemistry teacher education. This paper reflects the development of such a course module in German pre-service chemistry teacher education. Developing the module was inspired by empirical investigations of the knowledge base of student teachers and practicing teachers in Germany (Burmeister & Eilks, 2013; Burmeister, Schmidt-Jacob, & Eilks, 2013) . The development was done with the use of the model of Participatory Action Research (PAR) in science education (Eilks & Ralle, 2002) . The

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the course module in the paper?

The paper describes the development of a course module on sustainability issues and Education for Sustainable Development within German pre-service chemistry teacher education.

How was the module developed and refined?

It was created and cyclically refined using Participatory Action Research, inspired by empirical findings about the knowledge base of student teachers.

How did participants evaluate the module after applying it over three years?

Participants responded extremely positively and stated the module was interesting, relevant, and valuable for their later profession, with increased feelings of competence in sustainability and ESD.

Oct 15, 2026

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