Ci a ion: João, P.; Sá, P.; Hen iques,
M.H.; Rod igues, A.V. Sus ainable
De elopmen in Basic Educa ion
Sciences in Po ugal—Pe spec i e o
O icial Cu iculum Documen s.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651. h ps://
doi.o g/10.3390/su14095651
Academic Edi o : Da id
González-Gómez
Recei ed: 5 Ap il 2022
Accep ed: 6 May 2022
Published: 7 May 2022
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sus ainabili y
A icle
Sus ainable De elopmen in Basic Educa ion Sciences in
Po ugal—Pe spec i e o O icial Cu iculum Documen s
Pa ícia João1,2,* , Pa ícia Sá1, Ma ia Helena Hen iques 2and Ana V. Rod igues 1
1Resea ch Cen e on Didac ics and Technology in he Educa ion o T aine s, Uni e si y o A ei o,
3810-193 A ei o, Po ugal; [email p o ec ed] (P.S.); a [email p o ec ed] (A.V.R.)
2Geosciences Cen e , Uni e si y o Coimb a, 3030-790 Coimb a, Po ugal; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac :
This s udy aims o iden i y and cha ac e ize he unde s anding o he concep o Sus ainable
De elopmen in he o icial scien i ic educa ional documen s o basic educa ion in Po ugal. Me hod-
ologically, i is a quali a i e s udy ha i s in o he in e p e i e pa adigm; i s implemen a ion is based
on an in e p e a i e-desc ip i e s a egy o explo a o y na u e. The s udy in ol ed he o ganiza ion
o he analysis co pus and he subsequen con en analysis o he selec ed documen s. The documen s
included in his co pus a e he o icial educa ional documen s on he eaching and lea ning o Na u al
Sciences in Basic Educa ion (1s o 9 h g ade—ages 6 o 15): he Essen ial Lea ning and wo ans e sal
documen s ( he S uden P o ile on Lea ing Compulso y Schooling and he En i onmen al Educa ion
F amewo k o Sus ainabili y). The ob ained esul s show ha hese documen s ame and guide he
implemen a ion o Educa ion o Sus ainable De elopmen , in all i s dimensions, h oughou basic
educa ion. Howe e , his does no happen in an equi able way, nei he in all documen s no in all
yea s o schooling.
Keywo ds: sus ainable de elopmen ; basic educa ion sciences; Po uguese Cu icula Guidelines
1. In oduc ion
The commi men o he 2030 Agenda o Sus ainable De elopmen [
1
] and he Sus-
ainable De elopmen Goals [
2
] implies he inclusion o sus ainabili y issues in o mal
educa ion p og ams and cu icula.
The Po uguese Minis y o Educa ion, h ough he Di ec o a e Gene al o Educa ion,
has assumed i s ole in achie ing he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals, emphasizing ha
“child en and young people a e cen al in his global call o pa icipa ion and ha he school
is essen ial o make known his new global agenda, inspi e and encou age people o pa icipa e
in communi y de elopmen ” [
3
]. The Di ec o a e Gene al o Educa ion also s a es ha he
17 Sus ainable De elopmen Goals “ ocus on people, human igh s and he esponse o g owing
social inequali ies, as well as encompass cen al issues such as peace, secu i y and clima e change” [
3
],
emphasizing hei commi men and clea ly aluing he di e en dimensions o Sus ainable
De elopmen (SD).
En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y is cu en ly a ans e sal and undamen al
aspec o he cu iculum in Po ugal. Howe e , he o mal in eg a ion o an educa ion ha
p omo es SD in o Po uguese Cu icula Guidelines has aken se e al yea s, and i is wo h
highligh ing some miles ones (Figu e 1).
In 1989, he Re o m o he Educa ional Sys em [
4
] es ablished he guidelines o
ci izenship implemen a ion in educa ional cu icula o di e en g ades o schooling. This
Re o m also in oduced he School A ea concep and complemen a y cu icula ac i i ies,
impo an e e ences in his con ex as hey enable in e ac ion be ween he school and he
communi y, hus p omo ing he de elopmen o En i onmen al Educa ion p ojec s.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/su14095651 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/sus ainabili y
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651 2 o 14
Sus ainabili y 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 o 15
Figu e 1. The in eg a ion o Sus ainable De elopmen conce ns among Po uguese Cu icula
Guidelines du ing he las h ee decades.
In 1989, he Re o m o he Educa ional Sys em [4] es ablished he guidelines o
ci izenship implemen a ion in educa ional cu icula o di e en g ades o schooling. This
Re o m also in oduced he School A ea concep and complemen a y cu icula ac i i ies,
impo an e e ences in his con ex as hey enable in e ac ion be ween he school and he
communi y, hus p omo ing he de elopmen o En i onmen al Educa ion p ojec s.
La e , in 1997, he Cu iculum Guidelines o P e-School Educa ion—OCEPE [5] we e
published, encou aging he app oach o issues ela ed o he en i onmen om a e y
ea ly age.
The Cu icula Reo ganiza ion o Basic Educa ion (1s o 9 h g ade—ages 6 o 15),
in 2001 [6] and he Re o m o Seconda y Educa ion (10 h o 12 h g ade—ages 16 o 18), in
2003 [7] enhanced he educa ion o ci izenship implemen a ion in a mo e sys ema ic way,
since his became a manda o y ans e sal a ea and, he e o e, p esen in all disciplines.
This Reo ganiza ion o Basic Educa ion [6] de e mined he es ablishmen o h ee non-
disciplina y cu icula a eas—P ojec A ea, Accompanied S udy, and Ci ic Educa ion—
and de ines Educa ion o Ci izenship as ansdisciplina y.
Also in 2001, he Na ional Cu iculum o Basic Educa ion—Essen ial Compe encies [8]
was p esen ed and en e ed in o o ce. This documen de ines he compe encies o be
achie ed a he end o Basic Educa ion (BE), aking he Basic Low o he Po uguese
Educa ional Sys em assump ions as e e ence. This documen p oposes a se o
ans e sal compe encies, common o he h ee BE cycles and speci ic compe encies
de ined o each disciplina y a ea, pe BE cycle. I is p oposed ha science educa ion in
he h ee cycles is based on ou hemes: Ea h in Space, Ea h in T ans o ma ion,
Sus ainabili y on Ea h, and Li ing Be e on Ea h. An explo a ion o hese hemes in an
in e disciplina y pe spec i e is alued, in which he Science Technology Socie y and
En i onmen al in e ac ion should cons i u e an in eg a i e aspec o scien i ic knowledge:
“Li ing be e on plane Ea h p esupposes c i ical and hough ul human in e en ion,
aiming a sus ainable de elopmen ha , conside ing he Science, Technology, Socie y
and En i onmen in e ac ion, is based on social and e hical op ions and on scien i ic
knowledge, enligh ened on he dynamics o sys emic ela ionships ha cha ac e ize he
na u al wo ld and on he in luence o hese ela ionships on indi idual and communi y
heal h” [8] (p. 133).
The Na ional Cu iculum o Basic Educa ion — Essen ial Compe encies was e oked in
2011 [9].
The Lea ning Goals [10] we e ecommended guidelines o he 2013–2014 academic
yea [11], wi hin he scope o he S a egy o he De elopmen o a Na ional Cu iculum
o Basic Educa ion (Minis y o Educa ion), aiming o p omo e cla i ica ion and
ope a ionaliza ion o he cu icula documen s ha guide educa ional ac ion. No being
no ma i e documen s, hey p opose cu iculum managemen e e ences o each
discipline o disciplina y a ea, in each educa ion cycle. These documen s a e de eloped
by g ade o schooling, om P e-School o Seconda y Educa ion, and iden i y
compe encies and s uden s’ expec ed pe o mance in each subjec a ea, as well as in
ans e sal a eas.
Figu e 1.
The in eg a ion o Sus ainable De elopmen conce ns among Po uguese Cu icula
Guidelines du ing he las h ee decades.
La e , in 1997, he Cu iculum Guidelines o P e-School Educa ion—OCEPE [
5
] we e
published, encou aging he app oach o issues ela ed o he en i onmen om a e y
ea ly age.
The Cu icula Reo ganiza ion o Basic Educa ion (1s o 9 h g ade—ages 6 o 15),
in 2001 [
6
] and he Re o m o Seconda y Educa ion (10 h o 12 h g ade—ages 16 o 18), in
2003 [
7
] enhanced he educa ion o ci izenship implemen a ion in a mo e sys ema ic way,
since his became a manda o y ans e sal a ea and, he e o e, p esen in all disciplines.
This Reo ganiza ion o Basic Educa ion [
6
] de e mined he es ablishmen o h ee non-
disciplina y cu icula a eas—P ojec A ea, Accompanied S udy, and Ci ic Educa ion—and
de ines Educa ion o Ci izenship as ansdisciplina y.
Also in 2001, he Na ional Cu iculum o Basic Educa ion—Essen ial Compe encies [
8
] was
p esen ed and en e ed in o o ce. This documen de ines he compe encies o be achie ed a
he end o Basic Educa ion (BE), aking he Basic Low o he Po uguese Educa ional Sys em
assump ions as e e ence. This documen p oposes a se o ans e sal compe encies,
common o he h ee BE cycles and speci ic compe encies de ined o each disciplina y
a ea, pe BE cycle. I is p oposed ha science educa ion in he h ee cycles is based on ou
hemes: Ea h in Space, Ea h in T ans o ma ion, Sus ainabili y on Ea h, and Li ing Be e
on Ea h. An explo a ion o hese hemes in an in e disciplina y pe spec i e is alued, in
which he Science Technology Socie y and En i onmen al in e ac ion should cons i u e an
in eg a i e aspec o scien i ic knowledge:
“Li ing be e on plane Ea h p esupposes c i ical and hough ul human in e en ion,
aiming a sus ainable de elopmen ha , conside ing he Science, Technology, Socie y
and En i onmen in e ac ion, is based on social and e hical op ions and on scien i ic
knowledge, enligh ened on he dynamics o sys emic ela ionships ha cha ac e ize he
na u al wo ld and on he in luence o hese ela ionships on indi idual and communi y
heal h” [8].
(p. 133)
The Na ional Cu iculum o Basic Educa ion—Essen ial Compe encies was e oked in
2011 [9].
The Lea ning Goals [
10
] we e ecommended guidelines o he 2013–2014 academic
yea [
11
], wi hin he scope o he S a egy o he De elopmen o a Na ional Cu icu-
lum o Basic Educa ion (Minis y o Educa ion), aiming o p omo e cla i ica ion and
ope a ionaliza ion o he cu icula documen s ha guide educa ional ac ion. No being
no ma i e documen s, hey p opose cu iculum managemen e e ences o each discipline
o disciplina y a ea, in each educa ion cycle. These documen s a e de eloped by g ade
o schooling, om P e-School o Seconda y Educa ion, and iden i y compe encies and
s uden s’ expec ed pe o mance in each subjec a ea, as well as in ans e sal a eas.
Issues ela ed o sus ainabili y a e explici ly p oposed in The Lea ning Goals documen ,
a ising in di e en disciplines o disciplina y a eas and in di e en school g ades. As an
example, in he Na u al Sciences subjec (8 h g ade), we can highligh he sus ainabili y on
land domain and he sus ainable esou ce managemen sub-domain.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651 3 o 14
In 2017, he S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion was app o ed [
12
].
This documen claims o be a:
“
. . .
e e ence o he decisions o be adop ed by decision-make s and educa ional ac o s
a he le el o educa ional es ablishmen s and en i ies esponsible o educa ional policies,
cons i u ing a common ma ix o all schools and educa ional o e ings wi hin he scope
o compulso y educa ion, namely a he cu icula le el, in he planning, implemen a ion,
and in e nal and ex e nal e alua ion o eaching and lea ning” [12].
(p. 6)
The S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion aims o guide cu iculum
managemen and con ibu e o he de ini ion o s a egies and me hodologies o be used in
he con ex o eaching p ac ice.
This documen is o ganized in o P inciples, Vision, Values, and A eas o Compe ence.
The eigh P inciples p esen ed a e: Lea ning; Inclusion; S abili y; Adap abili y and
Boldness; Consis ency and Flexibili y; Sus ainabili y; Humanis Base; and Knowledge.
The Vision, based on he de ined P inciples, explains wha is expec ed o a s uden
lea ing compulso y schooling, o be a li e a e, ee, au onomous, and esponsible ci izen;
able o deal wi h he change and unce ain y ha cha ac e ize oday’s wo ld; able o hink
c i ically and au onomously; able o con inue lea ning au onomously h oughou li e; ha
espec s alues o human digni y, solida i y, and he exe cise o ci izenship; and ha ejec s
any o m o disc imina ion and/o exclusion.
The Values conside ed, in line wi h an exe cise o ci izenship ha p omo es sus ain-
abili y, a e Responsibili y and In eg i y; Excellence and Demand; Cu iosi y; Re lec ion and
Inno a ion; Ci izenship and Pa icipa ion; and F eedom.
The A eas o Compe ence, which a e absolu ely cen al in his documen , a e consid-
e ed complemen a y o each o he and p esen ed wi hou any hie a chy: languages and
ex s; in o ma ion and communica ion; easoning and p oblem sol ing; c i ical hinking
and c ea i e hinking; in e pe sonal ela ionships; pe sonal de elopmen and au onomy;
well-being, heal h, and en i onmen ; aes he ic and a is ic sensibili y; scien i ic, echnical,
and echnological knowledge; and awa eness and mas e y o he body.
In he same yea (2017), he Na ional Educa ion S a egy o Ci izenship was p esen ed by
he Di ec o a e-Gene al o Educa ion (DGE) [
13
]. This S a egy is a e e ence documen , o
be implemen ed om p e-school educa ion o he end o seconda y educa ion, in con e -
gence wi h he S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion and, cu en ly, wi h he
Essen ial Lea nings documen (men ioned la e ).
Educa ion o Ci izenship in eg a es di e en domains, o ganized in o h ee g oups o
six domains each. The i s g oup, which includes he SD and En i onmen al Educa ion
domains as i includes ans e sal and longi udinal a eas, is manda o y o all le els
and cycles o schooling. The second g oup, which includes he domains ins i u ions and
democ a ic pa icipa ion and inancial li e acy and consume educa ion, is manda o y in a
leas wo cycles o BE, while he hi d, which includes he domain o ci izenship, is op ional
in any school g ade.
The e e ence cu iculum documen o En i onmen al Educa ion implemen a ion
in schools is he En i onmen al Educa ion F amewo k o Sus ainabili y [
14
], p o ided in he
Na ional En i onmen al Educa ion S a egy [15].
The En i onmen al Educa ion F amewo k o Sus ainabili y [
14
] is o ganized by educa ion
le els, con empla ing guidelines om P e-School Educa ion o Seconda y Educa ion.
This documen p oposes eigh global hemes: Sus ainabili y, E hics and Ci izenship,
Sus ainable P oduc ion and Consump ion, Te i o y and Landscape, Clima e change, Biodi-
e si y, Ene gy, and Wa e and Soils. Fo each o hese hemes, sub- hemes, objec i es, and
pe o mance desc ip o s a e de ined. The hemes, sub- hemes, and objec i es a e common
o di e en educa ional le els, al hough hey a e sui able o each le el and o he age o
he s uden s hey a e in ended o .
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651 4 o 14
In 2018, he Essen ial Lea nings documen was homologa ed [
16
], which, in a icula-
ion wi h he S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion documen , eplaces he
subjec p og ams. Essen ial Lea nings cons i u es a e e ence o s uden s’ lea ning, de ined
acco ding o he knowledge, skills, and a i udes o be de eloped h oughou he cu icula
p og ession [17].
In summa y, he documen s and legal egula ions highligh ed in his b ie sys em-
a iza ion allow us o pe cei e ha he issues ela ed o an educa ion ha p omo es SD
a e p esen in he legal guidelines and eme ged, in he Po uguese cu iculum, as being
e y ela ed o En i onmen al Educa ion, Educa ion o Ci izenship, and Na u al Sciences.
Howe e , i is impo an o unde s and he SD concep s ha a e p esen in hese documen s
and whe he o no hey a e in ag eemen wi h each o he .
The cu en o ganiza ion o he Po uguese educa ion sys em, which co e s p e-school
educa ion and, la e , he 12 yea s o schooling, includes 1s , 2nd, and 3 d cycles o Basic
Educa ion and Seconda y Educa ion. The 1s cycle is 4 yea s (6 o 10 yea s), he 2nd cycle is
2 yea s (10 o 12 yea s), he 3 d cycle is 3 yea s (12 o 15 yea s). These 9 yea s o schooling
co espond o Basic Educa ion, which is composed o he same subjec s o all (wi h some
excep ions). Seconda y educa ion las s o 3 yea s ( om 15 o 18 yea s old), a cycle in which
s uden s selec he a ea o s udy ha in e es s hem (Scien i ic, Humani ies, A s,
. . .
), wi h
he subjec s a ying depending on he a ea hey a e in e es ed in. Thus, he p esen s udy
aimed o iden i y and cha ac e ize he unde s andings o he SD concep in Basic Educa ion
(1s , 2nd, and 3 d cycles) in Po ugal, h ough he analysis o o icial cu icula guidance
documen s o he eaching and lea ning o Na u al Sciences—Essen ial Lea ning, as well
as in wo documen s o e e ence, ans e sal o he di e en disciplines, which co e
his heme—S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion [
12
] and En i onmen al
Educa ion F amewo k o Sus ainabili y [14].
2. Me hodology
F om a me hodological poin o iew, his is a quali a i e app oach ha i s in o
he in e p e i e pa adigm [
18
,
19
]. Fo i s implemen a ion, we op ed o a desc ip i e-
in e p e a i e s a egy o an explo a o y na u e [
18
], p i ileging he con en analysis [
20
] o
he documen s ha cons i u ed he co pus o analysis.
The collec ed co pus consis s o o icial cu icula guidance documen s (Essen ial
Lea ning) o he eaching and lea ning o Na u al Sciences in Po uguese BE (1s , 2nd,
and 3 d cycles o BE; ages 6 o 15), as well as he wo e e ence documen s ha a e also
impo an o assess he unde s anding o he SD concep , a ailable a he ime on he
websi e o he Di ec o a e-Gene al o Educa ion, making a o al o 11 documen s (Table 1).
Table 1. O icial documen s o Basic Educa ion (BE) Sciences in Po ugal.
Documen O ganiza ion Documen s
Essen ial Lea ning
1. 1s Cycle o BE
En i onmen al S udies
Essen ial Lea ning. En i onmen al S udies. Fi s g ade [21]
Essen ial Lea ning. En i onmen al S udies. Second g ade [22]
Essen ial Lea ning. En i onmen al S udies. Thi d g ade [23]
Essen ial Lea ning. En i onmen al S udies. Fou h g ade [24]
2. 2nd Cycle o BE
Na u al Sciences
Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Fi h g ade [25]
Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Six h g ade [26]
3. 3 d Cycle o BE
Na u al Sciences
Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Se en h g ade [27]
Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Eigh h g ade [28]
Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Nin h g ade [29]
S uden P o ile S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion [13]
En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y Re e en ial En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y [15]
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651 5 o 14
The analysis ins umen applied is p esen ed in Figu e 2[
30
]. I includes h ee dimen-
sions o analysis—en i onmen al, economic, and sociocul u al, unde s ood as o ganizing
hema ic axes and which eme ged om he main dimensions o he SD concep iden i ied in
he e e ence li e a u e [
31
–
34
]. These h ee dimensions a e in e connec ed and in ica e in
di e en ways, because he essen ial is he balance be ween hem. Fo example, achie ing
economic de elopmen implies ha socie y knows he limi s ha de e mine sus ainable
consump ion, wi hou ha m ul implica ions o he en i onmen . Social de elopmen is
associa ed wi h he knowledge o social ins i u ions and he ole o each one, wi hin he
amewo k o a pa icipa o y democ acy. In he en i onmen al dimension, i is essen ial
o know he weaknesses o na u al sys ems in he ace o human ac ion, and o p omo e
hei sus ainable managemen wi h he implemen a ion o app op ia e poli ical and social
measu es [35].
Sus ainabili y 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 5 o 15
3. 3 d Cycle o BE
Na u al Sciences
Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Se en h g ade [27]
Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Eigh h g ade [28]
Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Nin h g ade [29]
S uden P o ile
S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion [13]
En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y
Re e en ial En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y [15]
The analysis ins umen applied is p esen ed in Figu e 2 [30]. I includes h ee
dimensions o analysis—en i onmen al, economic, and sociocul u al, unde s ood as
o ganizing hema ic axes and which eme ged om he main dimensions o he SD concep
iden i ied in he e e ence li e a u e [31–34]. These h ee dimensions a e in e connec ed
and in ica e in di e en ways, because he essen ial is he balance be ween hem. Fo
example, achie ing economic de elopmen implies ha socie y knows he limi s ha
de e mine sus ainable consump ion, wi hou ha m ul implica ions o he en i onmen .
Social de elopmen is associa ed wi h he knowledge o social ins i u ions and he ole o
each one, wi hin he amewo k o a pa icipa o y democ acy. In he en i onmen al
dimension, i is essen ial o know he weaknesses o na u al sys ems in he ace o human
ac ion, and o p omo e hei sus ainable managemen wi h he implemen a ion o
app op ia e poli ical and social measu es [35].
Each o hese dimensions includes ca ego ies ( o al o 8) and subca ego ies ( o al o
32).
Figu e 2. Dimensions, ca ego ies, and subca ego ies o he analysis ins umen (adap ed om [30]).

Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651 6 o 14
Each o hese dimensions includes ca ego ies ( o al o 8) and subca ego ies ( o al o 32).
In his s udy, he ca ego ies a e unde s ood as ub ics wi h speci ic meanings acco ding
o which he con en o he co pus was classi ied by he esea che [
36
]. They a e, he e o e,
supe -o de ed concep s ha allowed he esea che o si ua e his/he app ehension o he
objec o analysis in o de o make i ele an in ela ion o his/he objec i es [
18
]. The sub-
ca ego ies, as hey explain he b oades meaning o he ca ego ies, a o he iden i ica ion
o egis a ion uni s and, consequen ly, he ca ego ical analysis.
The en i e co pus was analyzed and ca ego ized using he webQDA so wa e (www.
webqda.ne , accessed on 30 No embe 2021). This so wa e allows o ganizing he en ies by
uni o analysis and he expo o a inal able wi h he numbe o e e ences by ca ego y and
subca ego y, as well as he c ea ion o ma ices be ween di e en uni s o analysis. Then,
an in e en ial analysis was ca ied ou , which consis s o a p ocess o logical deduc ion and
educ ion o he meaning o all he o ganized in o ma ion. The in e en ial analysis implied
a econ igu a ion o he da a ha , by being g ouped acco ding o a se o a ini ies, allowed
he eme gence o nuclei o meaning; hese, in u n, we e he objec o in e p e i e analysis.
3. Resul s
In o de o make eading he esul s easie and be o e mo ing on o hei p esen a ion
and sys ema iza ion, he codes assigned o each documen in eg a ing he co pus o analysis
a e de ined in Table 2.
Table 2. Codi ica ion o he analyzed documen s.
Code Documen s Cha ac e iza ion
1 Essen ial Lea ning. En i onmen al S udies. Fi s g ade Guiding documen
2 Essen ial Lea ning. En i onmen al S udies. Second g ade Guiding documen
3 Essen ial Lea ning. En i onmen al S udies. Thi d g ade Guiding documen
4 Essen ial Lea ning. En i onmen al S udies. Fou h g ade Guiding documen
5 Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Fi h g ade Guiding documen
6 Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Six h g ade Guiding documen
7 Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Se en h g ade Guiding documen
8 Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Eigh h g ade Guiding documen
9 Essen ial Lea ning. Na u al Sciences. Nin h g ade Guiding documen
10 S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion T ans e sal documen
11 Re e en ial En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y T ans e sal documen
Gi en he di e si y o documen s analyzed, i was decided o sys ema ize he e ical
and ho izon al analyses pe o med in Table 3. Thus, he able summa izes he numbe
o e e ences ha appea , by dimension, ca ego y, and subca ego y, in each o he wen y
documen s ha make up he co pus. This o m o p esen a ion allows one o simul aneously
pe cei e he p esence o each ca ego y o analysis in all he analyzed documen s and o
cha ac e ize each o hem indi idually o all ca ego ies o analysis.
Table 4p esen s a compila ion o da a pe documen and pe analysis dimension based
on he in o ma ion o Table 3.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651 7 o 14
Table 3. Numbe o e e ences ound in he analyzed documen s by subca ego y.
Documen s Analyzed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Plane a y Limi s 1 0 1 6 9 2 3 9 0 0 96
A 0 01250230041
B 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 12
C 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 5 0 0 29
D 0 00230010014
Ecosys ems 2 11 7 8 19 7 1 30 0 0 98
E 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 12 0 0 9
F 0 0120004006
G 0 3 1 2 7 1 0 4 0 0 17
H 2 41383040026
I 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 20
J 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 18
K 0 1101104002
Science, Technology, and
Socie y 5 3 4 3 2 7 5 3 8 5 11
L 5 2 3 3 2 5 5 1 7 4 11
M 0 1000101010
E
N
V
I
R
O
N
M
E
N
T
A
L
N 0 0100101100
Consump ion 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 81
O 0 10101000019
P 0 00110000062
Economic G ow h and
En i onmen al and Social
Impac s
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8
Q 0 0000000003
R 0 0000000004
E
C
O
N
O
M
I
C
S 0 0000000011
E hics, Ci izenship, and
Educa ion 4 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 2 33 262
T 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 50
U 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 108
V 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 2 23 104
X 1 0000000000
Cul u al Di e si y 2 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 13
W 1 2010000026
Y 0 0000000000
Z 1 0020000037
Human Righ s 3 4 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 32 21
AA 0 2110000026
AB 0 0000000019
AC 0 0010000015
AD 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
AE 0 1010000011
S
O
C
I
O
C
U
L
T
U
R
A
L
AF 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 0
The g ay backg ound colo signals he di ision by Dimensions la e ally and Ca ego ies in he ows along
he able.
Table 4. Numbe o e e ences in each documen by analysis dimension.
DOCUMENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 To al BE 10 11 To al
T ans e sal
Documen s To al
En i onmen al
Dimension 8
14 12 17 30 16
9 42 8 156 5 205 210 366
Economic
Dimension 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 51 89 90 95
Sociocul u al
Dimension 9 8 3 7 0 1 3 0 2 33 70 296 366 399
TOTAL 17
23 15 26 31 18 12
42 10 194 76 590 666 860
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651 8 o 14
3.1. Re e ences by Dimension, Ca ego y, and Subca ego y o Analysis o he En i e Co pus
The esul s o he ho izon al analysis ca ied ou on all he documen s in he co -
pus show ha he mos p i ileged dimension is he “Sociocul u al” one, wi h a o al o
399 iden i ied e e ences. In his dimension, “E hics, Ci izenship, and Educa ion”, wi h
309 e e ences, is he mos ep esen ed ca ego y. Howe e , i is impo an o no e ha he
“En i onmen al” dimension also has a high numbe o e e ences (366).
O he h ee dimensions ha make up he ca ego ical ma ix, he “Economic” dimen-
sion is he leas ep esen ed, wi h only 95 e e ences. The ca ego y “Economic G ow h
and En i onmen al and Social Impac s,” wi h only 9, displays he ewes e e ences in he
en i e co pus.
The only subca ego y ha has no e e ence in he analyzed documen s is “Homog-
eniza ion and i s Social, En i onmen al, Cul u al and Economic Implica ions” om he
“Cul u al Di e si y” ca ego y ela ed o he “Sociocul u al” dimension. Fu he mo e, in he
“Economic” dimension, among he 11 analyzed documen s, 5 do no p esen any e e ence
o his dimension.
O e all, compa ed in pe cen age, i is he “Sociocul u al” dimension ha p esen s he
la ges numbe o e e ences (46.4%), ollowed by he “En i onmen al” dimension (42.6%);
he “Economic” dimension p esen s only 11% o he e e ences.
3.2. Re e ences o T ans e sal Documen s (Documen s 10 and 11 o he Co pus)
The documen s displaying guidelines o all disciplina y a eas we e conside ed
ans e sal, including he En i onmen al S udies o he 1s cycle o BE and he Na u-
al Sciences o he 2nd and 3 d cycles o BE, namely: (i) S uden P o ile a Comple ion o
Compulso y Educa ion; and (ii) Re e en ial En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y.
F om he analysis ca ied ou on hese wo documen s, i is clea ha documen 11,
Re e en ial En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y [
14
], displays he highe numbe o
e e ences, o aling 590, while documen 10, S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y
Educa ion, has 76 e e ences. (Figu e 3).
Sus ainabili y 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 o 15
Figu e 3. Numbe o e e ences pe dimension in documen s 10—S uden P o ile a Comple ion o
Compulso y Educa ion—and 11—Re e en ial En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y.
The analysis ca ied ou shows ha he 590 e e ences in documen 11 a e di ided by
he h ee dimensions o analysis as ollows: 205 in he “En i onmen al”, 89 in he
“Economic”, and 296 in he “Sociocul u al”. These esul s poin o an o e alua ion o he
“En i onmen al” and “Sociocul u al” dimensions in ela ion o he “Economic” one. The
ca ego y whe e he mos e e ences we e iden i ied is “E hic, Ci izenship, and Educa ion”,
wi h 262, included in he “Sociocul u al” dimension, ollowed by he ca ego ies
“Ecosys ems” and “Plane a y Limi s”, wi h 98 and 96 e e ences, espec i ely, bo h
included in he “En i onmen al” dimension. Mo eo e , in documen 11, he subca ego ies
“Ci il Righ s and Du ies” and “The Role o Educa ion in T aining Ci izens” s and ou ,
wi h 108 and 104 e e ences, espec i ely, bo h included in he “E hic, Ci izenship, and
Educa ion” ca ego y o he “Sociocul u al” dimension. Wi hou any e e ence in his
documen , we can iden i y he subca ego ies “Risks o he use o Science and Technology
o Socie y and En i onmen ” and “Social and E hical issues in STSE” belonging o he
ca ego y “Science, Technology in Socie y” o he “En i onmen al” dimension; he
subca ego y “E hical Values” o he ca ego y “E hic, Ci izenship, and Educa ion”, he
subca ego y “Homogeniza ion and i s Social, En i onmen al, Cul u al, and Economic
Implica ions” o he ca ego y “Cul u al Di e si y”, as well as he subca ego ies
“Democ a ic Values” and “Valuing a cul u e o peace” om he “Human Righ s”
ca ego y, all included in he “Sociocul u al” dimension.
In documen 10—S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion [12]—76
e e ences we e iden i ied, highligh ing he “Sociocul u al” dimension, wi h a o al o 70
e e ences. In his dimension, he ca ego ies “E hics, Ci izenship, and Educa ion” and
“Human Righ s” ha e he highes numbe o e e ences, 33 and 32, espec i ely. The
subca ego y wi h he highes numbe o e e ences, wi h a o al o 23, is “The Role o
Educa ion in T aining Ci izens”, belonging o he ca ego y “E hic, Ci izenship and
Educa ion”, which shows he app ecia ion o “... he school as an en i onmen conduci e o
lea ning and he de elopmen o skills, whe e s uden s acqui e he mul iple li e acies hey need o
mobilize, [which] has o be econ igu ed o espond o he demands o hese imes o
unp edic abili y and accele a ed change. [...]” [12] (p. 7). In his documen , in he
“En i onmen al” dimension, he e a e wo ca ego ies wi hou e e ences: “Plane a y
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Doc. 10 Doc. 11
Sociocul u al 70 296
Economic 189
En i onmen al 5205
Numbe o e e ences
Figu e 3.
Numbe o e e ences pe dimension in documen s 10—S uden P o ile a Comple ion o
Compulso y Educa ion—and 11—Re e en ial En i onmen al Educa ion o Sus ainabili y.
The analysis ca ied ou shows ha he 590 e e ences in documen 11 a e di ided
by he h ee dimensions o analysis as ollows: 205 in he “En i onmen al”, 89 in he
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 5651 9 o 14
“Economic”, and 296 in he “Sociocul u al”. These esul s poin o an o e alua ion o he
“En i onmen al” and “Sociocul u al” dimensions in ela ion o he “Economic” one. The
ca ego y whe e he mos e e ences we e iden i ied is “E hic, Ci izenship, and Educa ion”,
wi h 262, included in he “Sociocul u al” dimension, ollowed by he ca ego ies “Ecosys-
ems” and “Plane a y Limi s”, wi h 98 and 96 e e ences, espec i ely, bo h included in he
“En i onmen al” dimension. Mo eo e , in documen 11, he subca ego ies “Ci il Righ s
and Du ies” and “The Role o Educa ion in T aining Ci izens” s and ou , wi h 108 and
104 e e ences, espec i ely, bo h included in he “E hic, Ci izenship, and Educa ion” ca e-
go y o he “Sociocul u al” dimension. Wi hou any e e ence in his documen , we can
iden i y he subca ego ies “Risks o he use o Science and Technology o Socie y and
En i onmen ” and “Social and E hical issues in STSE” belonging o he ca ego y “Science,
Technology in Socie y” o he “En i onmen al” dimension; he subca ego y “E hical Values”
o he ca ego y “E hic, Ci izenship, and Educa ion”, he subca ego y “Homogeniza ion and
i s Social, En i onmen al, Cul u al, and Economic Implica ions” o he ca ego y “Cul u al
Di e si y”, as well as he subca ego ies “Democ a ic Values” and “Valuing a cul u e o
peace” om he “Human Righ s” ca ego y, all included in he “Sociocul u al” dimension.
In documen 10—S uden P o ile a Comple ion o Compulso y Educa ion [
12
]—76 e e -
ences we e iden i ied, highligh ing he “Sociocul u al” dimension, wi h a o al o
70 e e ences. In his dimension, he ca ego ies “E hics, Ci izenship, and Educa ion” and
“Human Righ s” ha e he highes numbe o e e ences, 33 and 32, espec i ely. The subca -
ego y wi h he highes numbe o e e ences, wi h a o al o 23, is “The Role o Educa ion in
T aining Ci izens”, belonging o he ca ego y “E hic, Ci izenship and Educa ion”, which
shows he app ecia ion o “
. . .
he school as an en i onmen conduci e o lea ning and he
de elopmen o skills, whe e s uden s acqui e he mul iple li e acies hey need o mobilize, [which]
has o be econ igu ed o espond o he demands o hese imes o unp edic abili y and accele a ed
change. [
. . .
]” [
12
] (p. 7). In his documen , in he “En i onmen al” dimension, he e a e
wo ca ego ies wi hou e e ences: “Plane a y Limi s” and “Ecosys ems”; in addi ion, in
he “Economic” dimension o he “Consump ion” ca ego y, no e e ences we e ound.
3.3. Re e ences o “Essen ial Lea ning” (Documen s 1 o 9 o he Co pus)
Fo his ocus o analysis, he documen s ha de ine he Essen ial Lea ning o S udy o
he En i onmen (1s cycle o BE) and o Na u al Sciences (2nd and 3 d cycles o BE) we e
conside ed. Wi h a o al o 194 e e ences in he 9 documen s o he Essen ial Lea ning, he
“En i onmen al” dimension s ands ou , which has he la ges numbe o e e ences, wi h a
o al o 156 (Figu e 4).
Sus ainabili y 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 o 15
Limi s” and “Ecosys ems”; in addi ion, in he “Economic” dimension o he
“Consump ion” ca ego y, no e e ences we e ound.
3.3. Re e ences o “Essen ial Lea ning” (Documen s 1 o 9 o he Co pus)
Fo his ocus o analysis, he documen s ha de ine he Essen ial Lea ning o S udy
o he En i onmen (1s cycle o BE) and o Na u al Sciences (2nd and 3 d cycles o BE)
we e conside ed. Wi h a o al o 194 e e ences in he 9 documen s o he Essen ial Lea ning,
he “En i onmen al” dimension s ands ou , which has he la ges numbe o e e ences,
wi h a o al o 156 (Figu e 4).
Figu e 4. Numbe o e e ences by Dimension in he Essen ial Lea ning o BE.
In he “En i onmen al” dimension, i is he “Ecosys ems” ca ego y ha also has he
highes numbe o e e ences (85). The subca ego y “Use o Science and Technology o
Socie y and he En i onmen ”, included in he ca ego y “Science, Technology, and
Socie y”, also in he “En i onmen al” dimension, is he one wi h he highes numbe o
e e ences, wi h a o al o 33. Fo example, i is iden i ied as Essen ial Lea ning in
En i onmen al S udies o he 1s g ade “Recognizing ha echnology esponds o e e yday
needs and p oblems (elec ici y ne wo k, wa e pipes, elecommunica ions, e c.)” [21] (p. 7), and
“Recognize he impo ance o echnological e olu ion o he e olu ion o socie y, ela ing objec s,
equipmen and echnological solu ions wi h di e en needs and e e yday p oblems” [24] (p. 9) o
he 4 h g ade, wo o he eco ding uni s ca ego ized in his dimension.
The “Economic” dimension p esen s i sel as he leas ep esen ed, ha ing only 5
e e ences (Figu e 3); one o i s ca ego ies, “Economic G ow h and En i onmen al and
Social Impac s”, has no e e ence in he analyzed guiding documen s.
In he analysis ca ied ou by educa ional g ade, we can highligh he 8 h g ade wi h
he highes numbe o e e ences (42), all e e ed o he “En i onmen al” dimension. The
9 h g ade guiding documen s display only 10 e e ences (Figu e 5).
Figu e 4. Numbe o e e ences by Dimension in he Essen ial Lea ning o BE.