Curricular Integration of Education for Sustainable Development in Teacher Education: Insights from a Compulsory Introductory Module

Integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into teacher education raises a key curricular challenge: how can all student teachers be introduced to ESD while ensuring continuity beyond a single module? This study examines the first implementation of a compulsory, 1-ECTS introductory ESD module within a three-phase curricular integration strategy at a Swiss university of teacher education. An exploratory cross-sectional survey of 90 first-year primary student teachers (response rate: 94.7%) investigated their perceptions of the module’s didactic design, learning opportunities, and sustainability-related transversal competencies. Students evaluated the module positively, particularly instructor engagement (M = 3.33, SD = 0.61). Among the competence domains, social competencies received the highest ratings (M = 3.13, SD = 0.69), whereas subject-specific and methodological competencies were rated less favourably (M = 2.93, SD = 0.59). Notably, motivation to engage with ESD in subsequent university modules was comparatively lower (M = 2.79, SD = 0.91), despite positive perceptions of the introductory learning experience. These findings reveal an important distinction between students’ favourable evaluations of an introductory module and their motivation for continued engagement with ESD. Although based on self-reported perceptions rather than measured competence development, the study provides empirical insights into the implementation of compulsory ESD within teacher education. It highlights the need to connect introductory modules with progressively more complex, subject-specific, and practice-oriented learning opportunities across the curriculum.