In order to present the future direction of ESD teacher education program
after UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, the researchers
reviewed the related literature and surveyed graduate students attending the
school of teacher education at a university in Busan. The researchers measured
knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of the respondents concerning (E)SD, analyzed
the ESD in teacher education program, and the present condition of ESD and it's
need at schools. The results of the survey analysis revealed that the respondents
had lower level of understanding in the areas economic or social SD, being
compared with that of environmental SD, though they understand SD as the
holistic concept of environment, economic development, and social justice. The
respondents also showed lower mean score in the domain of (E)SD behaviors than
in the domain of (E)SD attitudes. They received low level of ESD when they
were undergraduate students, and that there were significant age differences in
the level of undergraduate ESD as well as in their present level of understanding
in ESD. That is, the respondents in their twenties showed the lowest score in (E)SD attitudes and behaviors, especially strikingly lower than the age group of
forties, and also those respondents received ESD the least during their
undergraduate period. When the respondents teach ESD to young children at
schools, their ESD instruction is mostly focused on the environmental aspect of
ESD. Most respondents strongly feel the necessity of ESD in all three aspects.
The respondents also mentioned a weak instructional environment for ESD and
the vagueness and broadness of ESD concept as major obstacles to ESD
instruction. They recommended the activity-centered ESD instruction across the
whole curriculum for the effective ESD. Based on the literature review and the
analysis of the survey questionnaires, the following recommendations are made for
the future direction of ESD teacher education program: First, the holistic
instruction integrating three pillars of ESD, environment, social justice, and
economic development, is recommended. Especially, it is emphasized that the
holistic ESD instruction is strongly related to global citizenship education; Second,
it is recommended the reinforcement of ESD at pre-and in-service teacher
education program, especially for the beginning teachers; Finally, the theme of
sustainability in each subject area needs to be taught in connection with the
broad concept of ESD, and the participatory instruction for ESD is recommended at schools.