Focus of the Study

Education that empowers students to address significant global challenges and guides them in understanding how to contribute to solving these issues should have a permanent place in the curriculum. Unfortunately, students in secondary education currently have limited exposure to this in their educational programs. It is crucial for students to comprehend the complexities of scientific issues and recognize their role in promoting a sustainable future, leading to more informed and responsible citizens (Bayram-Jacobs et al., 2019). In response to these global challenges, often framed as sustainability issues, such as biodiversity and climate change, the educational concept of challenge-based learning (CBL) emerges as a potential solution for addressing these complex, open-ended, and interdisciplinary challenges. This learner-centered educational approach has been gaining prominence in higher education, positioned as a method for students to integrate disciplinary knowledge with the development of transversal competencies while addressing authentic sociotechnical societal problems. However, despite the extensive literature on CBL in higher education, less is known about this approach in secondary education. Therefore, our objective is to explore the dimensions of CBL evident in secondary education, how these are implemented, and to identify challenges and successes in the design and implementation of CBL.

Theoretical Background

Education for sustainable development (ESD) aims to educate students in learning the appropriate knowledge and skills to find solutions to environmental, economic and social problems (UNESCO, 2020). The goal of sustainable education is for innovative pedagogies to bring students closer to the main conflicts of social reality (Castro & Zermeno, 2020). Competencies for ESD include communication, critical thinking, collaborative skills, reflection, creative thinking, innovation and a holistic understanding. One way to address the development of these competences and to prepare students to become informed citizens is by means of CBL, an innovative pedagogy wherein students are actively engaged in pressing real-world problems (Castro & Zermeno, 2020). Extensive research has shown the benefits of this approach for ESD (e.g., Castro & Zermeno, 2020; Malmqvist et al., 2015), given that this approach immerses students in authentic, complex challenges, reflecting the complex nature of sustainability issues. By integrating sustainability issues into the educational curriculum, CBL prepares students to actively contribute to sustainable solutions, aligning with the overarching goal ESD.

However, despite the extensive literature on CBL, the wide variety of implementations and conceptualizations presents challenges for practitioners in designing their educational strategies. Publications on CBL span from standardized frameworks to hybrid-like approaches and more generalized models where only the challenge is introduced in the design (Gallagher & Savage, 2020). Moreover, literature on CBL is mostly grounded in the higher education context, leaving uncertainty whether the same dimensions of CBL are involved in secondary education, how teachers implement them, and what their experiences include.  

Therefore, drawing upon the higher-level conceptual framework for CBL (van den Beemt et al., 2023) as a guiding tool, this study set out to explore the dimensions of CBL and teachers’ associated experiences with CBL implementations in secondary education. This guiding tool adopts the why-how-what approach, identifying educational processes of CBL at the levels of vision, teaching and learning, and support (Van den Akker, 2003; Van den Beemt et al., 2023).

Research Question

What challenges and opportunities do secondary school teachers experience with the implementation of challenge-based learning in the context of sustainability education?   

Method This study employed the Educational Design Research (EDR) approach, a systematic method involving the development of a guiding tool aimed at capturing the dimensions of CBL in secondary education on the levels of vision, teaching and learning, and support. EDR, defined as "the systematic study of designing, developing, and evaluating educational programs, processes, and products" (Van den Akker et al., 2006), is chosen for its emphasis on shaping theoretical concepts, making research more relevant for practical education (McKenney & Reeves, 2018). Following McKenny and Reeves’ (2018) generic model for EDR, the development of the tool underwent 2 core iterative phases: (1) theoretical adaptations based on CBL in secondary education, and an expert review with 5 experts having expertise in CBL and project-based STEM education for quality reassurance. Context In 2022, a four-year partnership between an NGO and a university's teacher education department in the Netherlands focused on developing sustainability education through CBL. Emphasis was on STEM education, citizenship, and their interconnectedness. Throughout 2022-2023, a professional learning community (PLC) was formed, consisting of six teachers from various secondary schools in the region. During this period, teachers worked together with pre-service teachers, laying the groundwork for this educational innovation. Participants This study’s participants involved six secondary school teachers from different educational backgrounds and schools. These teachers are part of the PLC, and participated in the first year of the project, meaning that they have had more experience and expertise in the design, implementation, and evaluation of CBL projects. Therefore, a purposeful sampling strategy was employed (Cresswell, 2003). Data Collection Data were collected from five monthly PLC meetings and six semi-structured interviews, each lasting approximately three hours and one hour, respectively. The data included field notes from participatory observations during the PLCs and transcripts of the interviews. The developed CBL tool was used to guide the interview and served as a framework for observing the PLC meetings. The first author created the field notes. Interviews, recorded and transcribed verbatim, explored teachers’ successes and challenges. Data Analysis ATLAS.ti qualitative analysis software was utilized for data analyses. The data analysis process adhered to Boeije’s (2009) qualitative data analysis spiral. The dimensions and indicators of the developed tool served as the foundation for both deductive and inductive analysis. This involved determining how teachers implemented various dimensions in their CBL projects for ESD, the approaches they employed, and the successes and challenges encountered in the process.

Overall, many dimensions of CBL evident in higher education are reflected in secondary education, such as the real-life and open-ended nature of challenges, as well as the student-centered aspects of learning activities. Teachers indicate that CBL is a valuable approach for ESD. Teachers find that engaging with students’ interests and environment, and incorporating sustainability issues in this manner, sparks enthusiasm and curiosity. Moreover, it has the potential to influence students’ behavior and attitudes with regard to sustainability. However, while acknowledging the benefits of CBL for ESD, teachers struggle with the amount of teacher regulation, questioning the fine line between direct instruction or guidance and letting students independently navigate subject complexities. While some teachers perceive this as a challenging aspect, others express reservations about the complex and open-ended nature of challenges, suggesting that these may be too demanding for secondary school students to effectively engage with and gain meaningful learning experiences. Furthermore, concerning collaboration across disciplines, teachers acknowledge the value of collaborating with different subjects to address the complex nature of sustainability issues. However, organizational and logistical aspects of secondary education often hinder such collaboration. For example, some teachers struggle in working together with other teachers due to scheduling problems. Additionally, challenges arise due to colleagues’ limited support and apprehensiveness in teaching interdisciplinary subjects, stemming from their expertise confined to single discipline. In summary, while preliminary findings suggest that many dimensions of CBL applicable to higher education are reflected in secondary education, challenges emerge in implementing certain aspects. These challenges include scaffolding and concretizing complex, open-ended, and uncertain sustainability issues, navigating teacher-student regulation, and overcoming limitations imposed by facilities and organizational aspects of secondary education.

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