A Preservice Teacher’s Reflections on Education for Sustainable Development in Multiple-Deprived Science Classrooms

Abstract

In the wake of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 on sustainability, this study problematizes how conditions in multiple-deprived science classrooms are intricately connected to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This narrative inquiry design research consisting of one participant, describes how the conditions of multiple-deprivation in science classrooms are influenced by, and in turn influence the achievement of, some of the SDGs. The narratives were contained in the reflections documented by a Bachelor of Education (BEd) preservice physical sciences teacher of his third- and fourth-year teaching practice experiences whilst conducting observations and teaching in multiple-deprived classrooms. The study was undergirded by education for sustainable development (ESD) and the SDGs as conceptual frameworks. The data collected were analysed through narrative data analysis techniques, revealing forms of deprivation in the science classroom which were driven by the SDGs related to poverty elimination, quality education, reduction of inequalities and social injustice, promotion of sustainable communities, and establishment of partnerships for goal attainment. The study findings show how the teaching and learning in multiple-deprived classrooms may pose as a challenge to the attainment of the SDGs, pointing out to some implications for practice.