Analysis of Developing Key Competencies for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Article by Barth - Essay Example

Analysing and Evaluating a Journal Article Reading Barth, Matthias, Jasmin Godemann, Marco Rieckmann, and Ute Stoltenberg. 2007. "Developing key competencies for sustainable development in higher education" International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 8(4), 416-430. What is the subject/theme of this article? This article is based on the theme of the key competencies that can be developed by means of higher education in order to boost sustainable development. It explores the ways in which learning can add value to development of competence within the domain of sustainable development. In the beginning it lays down the differentiation between competencies and key competencies (Rychen, 2003, 63). Then it goes on to emphasize the factors which make sustainable development a suitable framework for the selection of key competencies. The relationship between higher education and acquisition of competencies has also been dealt with. All such fundamental concepts have been elaborated right at the outset in this paper to set the tune for the main subject of the paper, which is to enumerate the characteristics of formal as well as informal learning atmosphere in higher education that can play a major role in imparting key competencies and thereby encouraging sustainable development (Arima, Konare and Rockfeller, 2004, 14). Identify and discuss the research method which is used throughout this article. The research method used in this article is a qualitative and explorative study based on focus groups. The approach was designed through the use of various groups from learning settings, both formal and informal. The study required an analysis of cross-individual opinions which made it indispensable to create a reproduction of group processes that are analogous to individual processes. This is in keeping with the authors’ belief that “acquiring competencies is not only based on individual processes, but is always achieved in social contexts and at least in part, collaboratively (Barth et al, 2007, 422).” An analysis of the focus group discussions led to the inference that in social contexts there is an integration of the structures of subjective meaning, a phenomenon which can be observed only in group situations. The paper is based on the study of three focus group discussions with a total of 13 students. Morgan’s process model was used to carry out the focus group discussions. Argument / Finding Both cognitive and non-cognitive behavior plays a deciding role in the development of key competencies. The phenomenon also undergoes variations under different contexts. Hence the aim of higher education should be to provide a variety of contexts through a balanced combination of formal and informal settings for learning. Such a new learning culture is extremely essential for the enhancement of key competence in the direction of sustainable development. Based on these findings the authors have listed a few aspects of higher education settings that can play a vital role in the acquisition of competencies. The two major aspects that have been identified are interdisciplinary learning and student’s self-responsibility. The paper contributes to the existing literature in the domain of higher education and sustainable development by its novel attempt to sum up the impact of both formal and informal learning settings within the framework of higher education on the development of new methods for shaping and enhancing key competencies. Evidence In his article ‘Sustainability in higher education in the context of the UN DESD’ the author Arjen E.J. Wals has observed that the Higher Education Institutions in the modern age are growing conscious towards the need to make planned and organized changes for the sake of sustainability. There is also a rising awareness of the need to simultaneously remodel all their activities including education, research and operations. Many universities, in fact, view sustainability as an opportunity for devising new ways to organize and profile themselves. However such a reorientation has to be carried out in an atmosphere which is not at all conducive to such change. The hostile forces may be in the form of ongoing educational reforms in the fields of management, control, accountability and efficiency. The article is a worthwhile attempt in the direction of “conceptualizing learning, competence and systems change” (Adomßent et al, 2014, 1). Another article ‘Emerging areas in research on higher education for sustainable development’ by Adomßent et al investigates the subjects of management education, sustainable consumption and higher education from the perspective of Central and Eastern Europe. The paper explains how in these regions, sustainability issues have been interwoven into the curriculum, especially in the milieu of coal mining and urban planning. Yet another article ‘Sustainability and green IT education’ by Issa et al is also centered on a similar paradigm. This article highlights the responsibility of the universities to raise the awareness of the students regarding sustainable development, to make them realize their moral responsibility to contribute to the same, and finally to lead them to create a better and sustainable future. Basically verging on the theme of sustainability and Green IT, this work relies on empirical evidence derived from qualitative and quantitative data generated from the feedback of 36 students. If we view it with respect to the methodology of research, this article comes closest to the original article which is the subject of my analytical review (Issa, Issa and Chang, 2014, 19). Observations The article very effectively highlights the need to raise awareness amongst students regarding the pressing issue of global sustainability. This is an issue which pertains not to any individual nation or community but to the entire human population in the world. It is high time that we had involved the higher education system as a tool to impart key competencies to the students for attaining the much required sustainability on a global level. This article is a major contribution in this field as it recommends various methods by which the formal and informal learning environments can be molded to suit the need of achieving sustainable development. Conclusion The issue of sustainable development is a major cause of concern for almost all modern economies of the world. It pertains not only to environmental sustainability, but also to social and economic sustainability. This is not a one-step revolution, but an ongoing process that needs to be cultivated right from the grassroots level. So it is highly advisable that the higher education institutions make it a part of their regular curriculum to impart the key competencies (Cotton et al, 2007, 579). These competencies, when inculcated in the young and agile minds, can prove to be a very potent tool in the progress of global sustainable development (Hopkins and McKeown, 2002, 13). References Adomßent, M., D. Fischer, J. Godemann, C. Herzig, I. Otte, M. Rieckmann, and J. Timm. 2014. "Emerging Areas in Research on Higher Education for Sustainable Development – Management Education, Sustainable Consumption and Perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe." Journal of Cleaner Production 62 (1 Jan 2014): 1 – 7. Arima, Akito et al. 2004. "Draft International Implementation Scheme: United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014." UNESCO, 14-15. Barth, Matthias, Jasmin Godemann, Marco Rieckmann, and Ute Stoltenberg. 2007. "Developing key competencies for sustainable development in higher education" International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 8(4): 416-430. Cotton, et al. 2007. "Sustainable development, higher education and pedagogy: a study of lecturers beliefs and attitudes." Environmental Education Research 13(5): 579-597. Hopkins, Charles, and Rosalyn McKeown. 2002. "Education for sustainable development: an international perspective." In, Tilsbury et al (eds), Education and sustainability: Responding to the global challenge, 13-24, Geneva: IUCN. Issa, Tomayess , Theodora Issa, and Vanessa Chang. 2014. "Sustainability and Green It Education Practice for Incorporating into the Australian Higher Education Curriculum." The International Journal of Sustainability Education 9 (2): 21 - 30. Morgan, David L. 1997. Focus groups as qualitative research. 16. London: SAGE. Rychen, Dominique Simone. 2003. "Key competencies: Meeting important challenges in life." Key competencies for a successful life and a well-functioning society(2003): 63-107. Wals, Arjen E. J 2014. "Sustainability in Higher Education in the Context of the Un Desd: A Review of Learning and Institutionalization Processes." Journal of Cleaner Production 62: 8 - 15. Read More