From Apathy to Action: Reframing Sustainability at Danish Folk High Schools
Author
Grue, Laura Leo Tryg
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2024
Pages
40
Abstract
Danish folk high schools have long valued learning that is experimental and exploratory. As sustainability becomes more urgent, conventional evidence-based, progress-oriented teaching is being challenged. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been proposed to integrate sustainability into education, but it is criticized for prioritizing behavior change and consensus over participatory processes that make dilemmas and disagreement visible. Using a case study at Grundtvigs Højskole, this study applies a participatory design approach—co-creating with the actors involved—to explore the many, sometimes conflicting concerns around implementing sustainability at Danish folk high schools. Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and Arena Theory are used as analytical lenses: ANT maps relationships among people, institutions, technologies, and ideas, while Arena Theory looks at the arenas where different actors meet and negotiate. The study highlights the importance of involving relevant actors throughout the change process. It offers a participatory strategy for implementing sustainability at folk high schools and shares critical insights and practical methods that other educational institutions can adapt to equip future generations to navigate complexity and uncertainty.
Danske folkehøjskoler har længe værdsat en eksperimenterende og undersøgende tilgang til læring. I takt med at bæredygtighed bliver stadig mere presserende, bliver traditionelle, evidensbaserede og fremskridtsorienterede undervisningsformer udfordret. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) er blevet præsenteret som en måde at integrere bæredygtighed i uddannelse, men kritiseres for at prioritere adfærdsændringer og konsensus frem for deltagende processer, der synliggør dilemmaer og uenighed. Med et casestudie på Grundtvigs Højskole anvender dette studie en participatorisk design-tilgang—i samskabelse med de involverede aktører—til at udforske de mange, til tider modstridende hensyn ved at implementere bæredygtighed på danske folkehøjskoler. Som analytiske briller bruges Actor-Network Theory (ANT) og Arena Theory: ANT kortlægger relationer mellem mennesker, institutioner, teknologier og ideer, og Arena Theory ser på de rum, hvor forskellige aktører mødes og forhandler. Studiet understreger vigtigheden af at inddrage de berørte aktører gennem hele forandringsprocessen. Det præsenterer en deltagende strategi til at implementere bæredygtighed på folkehøjskoler og deler kritiske indsigter og praktiske metoder, som andre uddannelsesinstitutioner kan tilpasse for at ruste kommende generationer til at navigere i kompleksitet og usikkerhed.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]