An Exploration of the Self-Efficacy of Secondary School Pre- and In-Service Teachers to Teach Sustainable Food Literacy

Education is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable food literacy provides a powerful context for transformative Education for Sustainable Development, enabling real-world learning in secondary schools. This exploratory cross-sectional study used the Norwegian Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale to examine the perceived self-efficacy of home economics pre- and in-service teachers (N = 173) to teach sustainable food literacy, administered via a global digital survey. Through content analysis and parametric and non-parametric descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, the study reveals that teachers’ familiarity with the SDGs intersects with their willingness to integrate them into teaching. Self-efficacy for teaching sustainable food literacy was generally moderate to high, with lower levels among pre-service teachers. Teachers were also more confident teaching sustainable food literacy skills than attitudes, values, and beliefs. Respondents who had participated in food-sustainability-focused professional development reported significantly higher self-efficacy in teaching sustainable food literacy knowledge. Five recommendations for meaningful food sustainability professional development and advocacy are presented, targeting policy and school leadership support, along with stronger preparation pathways for pre-service teachers. These strategies are essential to disrupting societal norms and marginalizing perspectives that undermine sustainable food literacy education, alongside conservative teaching approaches, to equip young people to address complex food sustainability challenges.