What do Physical Education teachers know about the Sustainable Development Goals? A qualitative-exploratory study

Abstract

UN set 17 common goals to be achieved in less than two decades in 2015. These are known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are part of a global strategy called Agenda 2030. Education has been proposed as a fundamental element for the achievement of the SDGs, with all components of the education system being essential to contribute to a more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable world. Specifically, Physical Education (PE) has been described as a subject that has important characteristics in achieving the SDGs; however, in previous literature there is still no research aimed at assessing PE teachers' interventions in sustainability. In order to investigate this area, this study aims to explore PEFs' knowledge of the SDGs. For this purpose, a qualitative-exploratory interview-based study was conducted. Twelve secondary school DEFs (six female) responded to eight questions grouped into three dimensions. The concept of sustainability, the analysis of sustainable behaviors and considerations on the value of Physical Education in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs. The results showed that the DEFs conceive sustainability mainly as an environmental issue, leaving aside the economic and social aspects. Furthermore, most of them confirm that they do not engage in any kind of sustainable behavior in class, limiting themselves to teaching the contents of the subject. Finally, they point out SDG 3 "Health and well-being" as the one most related to Physical Education, mentioning SDG 5 "Gender equality" and SDG 16 "Peace and social justice" secondarily. These results will help to establish future interventions and research aimed at improving teaching actions within the framework of Physical Education.