University of Tasmania, Australia

Sustainability in Tasmanian Schools: Investigating Good Practice, Impacts, and Issues.

Education for Sustainability (EfS) has had a reasonable profile in some Tasmanian schools through initiatives such as the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AUSSI-TAS) and practices such as school gardens. With the recent implementation of the new Australian National Curriculum, sustainability has been afforded a prominent and specific position as a cross-curricular priority (CCP). In 2013, two researchers in the Faculty of Education, Dr Allen Hill and Dr Janet Dyment, won funding to investigate the implementation of the Sustainability CCP in Tasmanian schools through a baseline survey. This PhD Scholarship project builds on the work of Dr Hill and Dr Dyment.

The UTAS Faculty of Education Sustainability, Place and Society Teaching and Research Group seeks expressions of interest for an Elite PhD Scholarship project which further explores good practice and issues related to the implementation of the Sustainability CCP in Tasmanian Schools. The project is also interested in assessing possible impacts of sustainability pedagogies on student attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours related to sustainability. Whilst the broader scope and methodologies for this project are loosely defined and open to negotiation, we would envisage that this project would work closely with schools and teachers who have identified a desire for further research and collaboration through the initial baseline survey.

For further information, please contact Dr Allen Hill, Convenor of the Sustainability, Place and Society Teaching and Research Group.