Are teachers prepared for the anthropocene? Climate–vegetation integration in science teacher education across 26 countries
This study examines how climate change and vegetation are integrated into teacher education curricula across 26 countries, addressing a critical gap in understanding how future teachers are prepared to respond to the climate and biodiversity crises. To evaluate curricular integration systematically,...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) |
| Repositorio: | Docta Complutense |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/129907 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/129907 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | 37 37.013 3 37.091.214 37.016 331.36 371.12.011.3 502.131.1 37.012 Curriculum analysis Teacher training programs Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Pedagogical strategies Comparative education Ciencias Sociales Pedagogía Educación Métodos de investigación en educación Curriculum escolar 58 Pedagogía 5803 Preparación y Empleo de Profesores 5312.04 Educación 5801 Teoría y Métodos Educativos |
| Sumario: | This study examines how climate change and vegetation are integrated into teacher education curricula across 26 countries, addressing a critical gap in understanding how future teachers are prepared to respond to the climate and biodiversity crises. To evaluate curricular integration systematically, we developed and validated the Climate and Vegetation Curriculum Integration Index (CCVI), which measures four dimensions: climate change, vegetation, links between the two, and pedagogical strategies. Content analysis of 70 official curriculum documents was conducted, with high inter-rater reliability (κ = 0.72–0.85) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.89) confirming the robustness of the instrument. Results show that integration remains partial and uneven: climate change content is more common than biodiversity, while vegetation is often marginalized, perpetuating the phenomenon of “plant blindness.” Exemplary cases in Finland, Germany, Mexico, Norway, and Switzerland demonstrate that high levels of integration are achievable, but intra-country variability often exceeds cross-country differences, highlighting the influence of institutional design. The study concludes that teacher education worldwide is not yet aligned with the urgency of global sustainability challenges. The CCVI provides a practical tool for benchmarking progress and guiding reforms, underscoring the need to embed sustainability as a core element of teacher preparation to foster ecological literacy, resilience, and civic engagement. |
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