This thesis is based on an interest in sustainability and formation. The term formation is translated from the Danish word dannelse that is derived from the German term Bildung. Directly translated from German into English you can say it is a question of building your personality, to gain more 'pieces to the puzzle' so to speak. So with this thesis I am working with the analysis of formation amongst students at a Danish gymnasium whilst having a sustainability based mindset. Through interviews with 13 students and the curriculum of the gymnasiums in Denmark, the thesis has been provided with knowledge about the students engagement and knowledge regarding sustainability, and the way they see and perceive the surrounding society, to which they all are both a part of, and are cocreational to. Furthermore the thesis contains an analysis on the curricula from 2013 and 2017 regarding the general gymnasium education stx.
Today we are living in a world, where the focus on sustainability is increasing. This is very important if we would like to have an earth that is suitable to live on, when our future grandchildren are alive and have more children etc. We have already exceeded 4 out of 9 zones of safety in Denmark, that define how much pollution we are deducing. So if not to change course now - then when?
We have the 17 global world goals, that concern all of the world. They contain goals about health, education and elimination of poverty, to name a few of them. The focus of this thesis is to combine the analysis of formation amongst students with the global view, that is important to gain to understand the necessity of living with a sustainable mindset in the future. To simplify the term formation, you can say that it is about gaining the ability to make your own choices in a reasonable form, and to gain the ability of acting solidarity in a way that is cocreational towards creating the best possible future for all. Furthermore I have created the tem sustainable formation, that combines the two terms, which are the foundation of the thesis.
Working with Wolfgang Klafkis theories about categorical formation (translated directly from kategorial dannelse) amongst students, has been both interesting and challenging because of the complexity of the term. It is hard to conclude if someone has achieved something specific regarding their personality, and it can be a challenging question to answer, even when asked directly. Therefor it is through the analysis and work with this thesis, that I come up with the conclusion to the problem definition: How does sustainable formation develop ?
It is not a thesis solving global problems of pollution or answering the questions of formation within all students worldwide, but the goal is to contribute to a constructive debate about sustainability while looking at the momentary engagement of the students regarding both sustainability and their own view of their surrounding society.
I wish you happy reading
Line-Maria Bast Skinderholm