Understanding ESD: Perceptions and Views from Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, and Costa Rican Educators

This study is a descriptive account of participating teachers from Central America during a professional development program designed to support the curriculum integration of education for sustainable development (ESD). The analysis of the collected data provides insights on the participants’ initial perceptions and understandings of ESD-associated mechanisms and of social, environmental, and economic sustainability issues. The findings suggest that the majority of the participants (N = 42) made efforts to incorporate sustainability issues into the curriculum regardless of previous ESD training or experience. The participants also demonstrated a need to receive training on the processes, strategies, design tools, and mechanisms for delivering learning about and for sustainability in daily instruction.