Science teacher development in a global world: a study centered In master dissertations in Angola

Abstract

This study is based on the assumption that to teach science nowadays implies to contribute to pupils/students’ behavioral changes for promoting a better world in the perspective of a sustainable development (at the environment, social and economic domain). This implies to take into considerations in teachers practices educational international agendas, such as the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015) and/or the Sustainable Development (SD) Agenda 2015-2030 of the United Nations, and local ones (e.g. MEA, 2008, 2014). One condition for glocalization through education to occur is to have high qualified science teachers, in particular those who continue their initial training, for example by doing master degrees. However, this post-graduation formation needs to incorporate the challenges which arise from those political and institutional agendas. The general aim of this study is to investigate how the Master Course in Science Education (2nd edition), developed in one public Institution of Teacher Education in Angola between 2011-2016, contributed towards teachers’ empowerment to integrate in their teaching practices knowledge, strategies and resources associated to the international and national political educational agendas referred to above. The association of these agendas (international and national) should be seen in alignment with a glocalization strategy to be incorporated in science teaching. The empirical study reported here consists in the documental analysis of 27 master dissertations, approved between 2014 and 2016 in the scope of the Master Course mentioned. This analysis has been supported by a framework, build by the authors in which the following documents have been taken on board: (i) the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015) & the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 (with its 17 SD Goals), (ii) the Continental education strategy for Africa 2016 – 2025,(iii) the national educational agendas (MEA, 2008, 2014) and vi) the research agenda of the Institution responsible for the ministration of the academic teacher development program under research. Broadly speaking the results show a need to re-orientate the topics under investigation, as well as the contributions given, in order to better integrate the agendas referred above, and therefore to promote an education for sustainability in its diverse dimensions.