Sustainable Development in Basic Education Sciences in Portugal—Perspective of Official Curriculum Documents

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 Publishe ’s No e: MDPI s ays neu al wi h ega d o ju isdic ional claims in published maps and ins i u ional a il- ia ions. Copy igh : © 2022 by he au ho s. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land. This a icle is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms and condi ions o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion (CC BY) license (h ps:// c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 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.