Exploring Teacher Candidates' Sensemaking of Sustainable Energy Education: A Multicase Study in Germany, India, and the United States

Abstract

Transitioning to sustainable energy sources (SE) is considered the fundamental strategy to mitigate the ongoing climate crisis. To achieve this transition, intergovernmental organizations like the International Renewable Energy Agency have prioritized “educating the educators” which aims to empower teachers with tools and knowledge to engage students in the energy transition. Although the body of research on SE has examined Teacher Candidates' (TCs) knowledge, attitudes, and awareness, there is a lack of literature addressing how TCs make sense of SE and the need for SE education (SEE). This study explores how TCs in India, Germany, and the United States—three major greenhouse gas-emitting countries—make sense of the need for SEE using a multicase study approach. The data sources for the study include semistructured interviews with 24 TCs, along with three questionnaire items to measure their knowledge and awareness of renewable energy. The policy documents and curriculum standards of each context also provided more insights into how the context defined the need for SEE. The findings suggest that TCs' pedagogical intentions and decisions emerged from a complex sensemaking process influenced by their personal experiences, sustainability values, the socio-political context, the pedagogical preparations they received, and their perceived expectations and constraints for future teaching. The findings also suggested a gap between the national policy ambitions and the realities of teacher preparation programs in the three cases. The insights gained from the study can help teacher preparation programs recognize the need to engage with TCs' sense-making processes to influence their pedagogical intentions.