Training pre-service teachers for sustainability: transformation through extra-curricular activities

Purpose Education for sustainability (ESD) encompasses various approaches contributing to learning. In adult education, transformative learning can serve the aims of ESD practically. This study aims to highlight how pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) promote the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) through extracurricular activities (ECAs) within their teaching practice and their own transformation toward sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This case study focused on PSTs enrolled in ECA elective courses in the faculty of education. Activity plans and observation forms prepared by PSTs (for teaching students) comprised the data. Interviews were conducted with eight such PSTs and data from these interviews as well as activity plans and observation forms of 12 groups of PSTs were analyzed using content analysis. Findings The findings showed that PSTs were mostly aware of SDGs and how ECAs supported teaching these goals. They could associate many SDGs with ECAs and use different teaching methods within their planned activities. They could enhance students’ achievements through this instruction; they mentioned the challenges and provided recommendations regarding the teaching process at these schools. The findings imply that PSTs engaged in transformational teaching processes by understanding and learning SDGs. Originality/value There is limited research on using instructional processes to transform ideas, values or behaviors and teaching SDGs through ECAs. Therefore, the results suggest an alternative way to teach SDGs and contribute to teacher training by integrating the idea of sustainability and development in teaching practices.