Abstract:

The global education agenda highlights the central role of teachers in advancing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), particularly through pedagogical practices that shape learners’ values, attitudes, and competencies for sustainability. This study investigates how a PGCE Life Sciences (Biology) lecturer’s ESD-infused teaching practices influence pre-service teachers’ lesson preparation and sustainability-focused change projects implemented during Teaching Experience (TE) or Teaching Practice. The research question addressed by this study was; What are the effects of the PGCE Life Sciences lecturer’s ESD classroom practices on the pre-service teachers’ TE lesson preparations and change projects?. Using a qualitative case study design, data were generated through document analysis and observations of eight groups of pre-service teachers’ ESD-aligned change projects, each linked to Life Sciences CAPS curriculum topics they planned and taught during their Teaching Experience.

Deductive thematic analysis revealed four dominant themes:
(1) strong transfer of ESD competences from lecturer modelling to preservice teachers’ lesson planning
(2) holistic integration of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into curriculum design and TE activities;
(3) development of agency, innovation, and context-responsive problem solving skills among pre-service teachers; and
(4) recognition of systemic barriers such as limited school resources that constrain practical ESD implementation.

Although the pre-service teachers faced contextual limitations, their projects demonstrated critical thinking, systems thinking, collaborative decision making, and community engagement, reflecting UNESCO’s conceptualisation of transformative ESD. The findings suggest that lecturers who model ESD pedagogies can significantly influence how pre-service teachers envision their professional roles and enact sustainability in school and community settings. The study recommends stronger institutional support for ESD, enhanced curriculum alignment, development of ESD teaching resources, and the adoption of whole school sustainability approaches to ensure deeper, systemic, and long term impact. This study affirms the importance of ESD-focused lecturer modelling in shaping competent, socially responsive, and sustainability-oriented future Life Sciences educators.

Keywords:

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Pre-service Teachers, Teacher Education, Transformative Pedagogy.