Mapping sustainability competences in the NGSS and Turkish science curricula using the GreenComp framework

This multiple case study used the GreenComp European sustainability competence framework to comparatively analyze the extent to which K-12 science curricula in Türkiye (Science, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in the United States incorporate sustainability competences. In this study, the directed content analysis method was used, with high inter-coder reliability (Cohen’s κ = 0.90). The analysis revealed a substantial quantitative disparity, with the Turkish science curricula containing 740 total references to sustainability competences, compared to 132 in the NGSS. The study revealed that both the Turkish science curricula and the NGSS strongly focus on the competence areas of Embodying Sustainability Values and Embracing Complexity in Sustainability. However, they systematically underrepresent transformative competence areas, such as Envisioning Sustainable Futures and Acting for Sustainability. Notably, explicit representations of the Envisioning Sustainable Futures competence area were not identified in the Turkish Physics curriculum. Additionally, competences related to action and social justice, such as supporting fairness and political agency were not identified in the analysed documents for both the Turkish curricula and the NGSS. The implications of the study, along with directions for future research, are discussed.