Browsing by Subject "Commitments"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Are future teachers involved in contributing to and promoting the reduction of massive waste generation?
    (2024-09-03) García-Fortes, María Ángeles; Ortega-Lasuen, Unai; Esteve-Guirao, Patricia; Barrutia, Oihana; Ruiz-Navarro, Ana; Zuazagoitia, Daniel; Valverde-Pérez, Magdalena; Díez López, José Ramón; Banos-González, Isabel; Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales
    Massive waste generation linked to overconsumption is considered one of the most significant socio-ecological issues today, becoming a challenge for health and well-being and a barrier to achieving sustainability. Education is key to raising awareness and involving citizens in the adoption of responsible consumption habits, facilitating the recognition of the relationship between our daily activities and the production of waste. The aim of this exploratory study is to analyse the perceptions and commitments of future secondary school teachers (FTs) toward this issue and to explore the educational approaches they propose to address it in the classroom (n = 138). In this work, a mixed-methods approach was used based on quantitative and qualitative data collected through a questionnaire. The results show that FTs have difficulties in recognising the different factors involved in the problem of massive waste generation. However, they incorporate the health and ecological vision, which is close to the holistic vision of the One Health approach. The majority of them take personal responsibility for the problem, although they opt for low-effort options. Regarding the educational proposals they design, only a minority can do it following a commitment-oriented approach.
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    Open Access
    Waste education in teacher training: exploring the role of context in shaping perceptions and didactic approaches
    (MDPI, 2025-12-12) García Fortes, María de los Ángeles; Esteve Guirao, Patricia; Baños González, Isabel; Valverde Pérez, Magdalena; Ruiz Navarro, Ana; Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales
    This study explores how 130 future teachers (FTs) perceive and address massive waste generation when it is framed through two socio-environmental contexts: waste export from affluent to vulnerable countries and microplastic pollution in natural environments. Using a mixed-methods design, we examine how each context shapes problem perception, attribution of responsibility, and proposed teaching activities. Both contexts foster a systemic understanding of waste issues. Economic drivers are identified as the main cause (means = 3.2/4), while institutional factors are downplayed in the export scenario and individual factors in the microplastics scenario. Proposed solutions center on institutional and economic measures. Ecological impacts are prioritized in both contexts; however, the export case elicits broader multi-sphere interpretations, whereas microplastics are viewed primarily as ecological–sanitary risks. Perceived responsibility is moderate (mean = 2.6/4) in both contexts, though waste export is interpreted more individually and microplas tics more collectively. A disengaged profile predominates, particularly for microplastics (76.92%), with most FTs showing limited intention to change personal habits. In terms of didactic design, only 20% of activities in the export context and 50% in the microplastics context are action-oriented. Findings highlight the importance of carefully selected socio-environmental contexts in teacher education to promote systemic reasoning, shared responsibility, and action-oriented learning.