Abstract

The subject of technology in compulsory school is intended to give students a fundamental understanding of the technology intensive world in which we live. At the same time, the world is facing significant challenges related to resource consumption, climate change, issues of equity, and emerging security threats. Education therefore needs to foster students’ technological awareness and their ability to reflect on the opportunities, consequences, and role of technology in relation to sustainable development. Sustainable development is now a central component of the compulsory school curriculum, and the subject of technology aims to provide students with knowledge of how technology affects people, society, and environment. However, there is still limited knowledge and relatively little research on technology education in relation to sustainable development. The purpose of this licentiate thesis is to contribute to a further specification of sustainable development as content in technology education.Through content analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals and group interviews with students, it is demonstrated how this content can be concretised. The results show that all the Sustainable Development Goals, to a greater or lesser extent, depend on our use and development of technology. Several potential content areas for technology education were identified, resulting in three overarching themes: Well-being and safety, Sustainable resource usage, and Technological development and collaboration. The student conversations demonstrate that students address ecological, economic, and social perspectives on sustainability when discussing technological content (products life cycles).These perspectives are considered both individually and in interaction, with sustainability aspects sometimes appearing harmonious and at other times as contrasting. The student discussions also reveal different views of sustainability expressed in students’conversations.

The thesis contributes to a further specification of sustainable development as content in technology education by proposing ways in which this content can be concretised in teaching. It discusses the significance of expanding the subject content, emphasises the importance of highlighting different perspectives and values, and underscores the value of providing students with opportunities to act for sustainable development.

Link to DiVA