Preparing teachers who are both aware of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and confident in delivering Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) becomes an increasingly important goal in higher education teacher training programs. This study aims to explore teacher trainees’ awareness of the SDGs and their self-efficacy in integrating these goals into teaching practices in Macau SAR.
An explanatory sequential mixed-methods research methodology was used to collect data in two stages. The first stage involved a survey data collection from 42 teacher trainees enrolled in a higher education teacher training program, and the second stage involved one-on-one semi-structured interviews with five volunteers from the sample of 42 teacher trainees who completed the survey.
Quantitative findings indicate that while teacher trainees reported moderate to high awareness of the SDGs, they reported significantly lower levels of self-efficacy in incorporating these goals into subject teaching. No significant differences in awareness or self-efficacy were found across gender, postgraduate teacher training program enrolled, or pre- versus in-service status. Qualitative findings reveal that teacher trainees generally view the SDGs as an essential value system, but they face challenges in translating these values into effective teaching practices.
This study highlights the critical role of teacher education and training in advancing ESD and the United Nations 2030 Agenda in Macau, a region with strong emphasis on education equity but little evidence on ESD in the higher education sector.
