Sustainability integration in EFL curricula: Evidence from Indonesian and Malaysian Universities

Jarjani Usman, Astri Yulia, Abd Razak Zakaria, Safrul Muluk, Kemal Kurnia Hasan, Jana Safira Jarjani

Abstract


This study investigates the integration of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curricula within Indonesian and Malaysian universities. Specifically, it examines how SDGs are represented in EFL curricula, how EFL lecturers perceive the integration of SDGs, and how they implement SDG-related content in their teaching practices. Drawing on Bronfenbrenners (2000) Ecological Systems Theory (EST), a qualitative narrative inquiry was employed, using document analysis of course outlines, lecture slides, and materials, and assessments, as well as semi-structured interviews with nine EFL lecturers from four universities. Course documents were analyzed using content analysis to examine SDG integration in the curricula, while interview transcripts were thematically analyzed, coded, and mapped onto ESTs microsystem and mesosystem levels. The content analysis of syllabi and course materials showed limited and inconsistent references to SDGs, with few explicit outcomes, activities, or assessments. Microsystem analysis showed all nine lecturers valued integrating SDGs in EFL to build students knowledge, skills, and attitudes; whereas, mesosystem data indicated the SDG implementation was driven mainly by individual initiative, with only sporadic program- or campus-level support. The nine lecturers also reported a mix of course-embedded activities and co-/campus initiatives to integrate SDGs. To move beyond ad hoc efforts, universities should embed the SDGs in learning programs and learning outcomes, provide SDG-ready materials and assessment rubrics, fund professional development, and offer rewards and incentives for supporting consistent integration.

Keywords


Curriculum; ecological theory; sustainability; EFL curricula; higher education

Full Text:

PDF

References


Amran, A., Jasin, I., Irwansyah, M., Perkasa, M., & Satriawan, M. (2019). Developing education for sustainable development-oriented character learning model for the Indonesian golden generation. Asian Social Science, 15(12), 87-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ass.v15n12p87

Arslan, S., & Curle, S. (2021). Sustainable development goals in the English language high school curriculum in Turkey. European Journal of Education, 56(4), 681-695. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12473

Ayoub, E., & Freeman, B. (2023). People, planet, and profits: Comparing media treatment of Dubai sustainable city. SAGE Open, 13(3), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231190299

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis. Qualitative Psychology, 9(1), 3-26. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000196

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American psychologist, 32(7), 513-531. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.32.7.513

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Harvard University Press.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1993). The ecology of cognitive development: Research models and fugitive findings. In R. H. Wozniak & K. W. Fischer (Eds.), Development in context: Acting and thinking in specific environments (pp. 3-44). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315807379-3/

Bronfenbrenner, U. (2000). Ecological systems theory. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 129-133). Oxford University Press.

Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1990). Stories of experience and narrative inquiry. Educational Researcher, 19(5), 2-14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X019005002

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2022). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.

de Haan, L. (2020). Integrating education for sustainable development into the Dutch EFL classroom [Master’s thesis, Universiteit Utrecht]. Utrecht University Student Theses Repository. https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/36512

Gayatri, P., Sit, H., Chen, S., & Li, H. (2023). Sustainable EFL blended education in Indonesia: Practical recommendations. Sustainability, 15(3), 2254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032254

Ginting, P., Hasnah, Y., Saragih, M., & Kharisma, A. (2024). The embodiment of environmental discourse in language learning: A critical ecolinguistics study of EFL textbooks in Indonesia. جستارهای زبانی, 15(1), 145-175.‎ https://www.doi.org/10.48311/LRR.15.1.145

Glatthorn, A. A., Boschee, F. A., Whitehead, B. M., & Boschee, B. F. (2015). Curriculum leadership: Strategies for development and implementation (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Gunina, N., Mordovina, T., & Shelenkova, I. (2021). Integrating sustainability issues into English language courses at university. E3S Web of Conferences, 295, 05006. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202129505006

Guy-Evans, O. (2025, May 6). Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner.html

Heggen, M. P. (2016). Education for sustainable development in Norway. In J. Siraj-Blatchford, C. Mogharreban, & E. Park (Eds.), International research on education for sustainable development in early childhood (pp. 91-102). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42208-4_7

IPCC. (2023). Summary for policymakers. In Core Writing Team, H. Lee, & J. Romero (Eds.), Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (pp. 1-34). IPCC. https://doi.org/10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647.001

Jodoin, J., & Singer, J. (2020). Mainstreaming education for sustainable development in English as a foreign language: An analysis of the image-text interplay found in EFL textbooks in Japanese higher education. In W. L. Filho, A. L. Salvia, R. W. Pretorius, L. L. Brandli, E. Manolas, F. Alves, U. Azeiteiro, J. Rogers, C. Shiel, & A. Do Paco (Eds.), Universities as living labs for sustainable development (pp. 545-565). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_34

Kamstra, G. L. S. (2021). Improving EFL teachers’ professional experiences and motivation: An ecological approach. Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ), 25(1). https://tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume25/ej97a/ej97a20/

Kane, P. (2023). Teaching sustainability topics in English in Mali. Nissem Global Briefs, 23, 296-310.

Krippendorff, K. (2019). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Lu, J., Liu, Y., An, L., & Zhang, Y. (2022). The cultural sustainability in English as foreign language textbooks: Investigating the cultural representations in English language textbooks in China for senior middle school students. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 944381. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.944381

Mambu, J. E. (2023). Embedding sustainable development goals into critical English language teaching and learning. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 20(1), 46-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2022.2099863

Matsumoto, H. (2018). Socioenvironmental factors affecting EFL reading in Japan: A consideration of the ecological systems approach. 北海学園大学学園論集, 176, 93-114. http://hokuga.hgu.jp/dspace/bitstream/123456789/3588/1/学園論集176号_04_松本先生.pdf

Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia. (2016). Wujudkan kesadaran lingkungan melalui pendidikan berbasis lingkungan [Fostering environmental awareness through environment-based education]. Pusat Kurikulum dan Buku.

Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2019). Education for sustainable development in Malaysia: National curriculum framework. Ministry of Education Malaysia.

Mohammadnia, Z., & Moghadam, F. D. (2019). Textbooks as resources for education for sustainable development: A content analysis. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 21(1), 103-114. https://doi.org/10.2478/jtes-2019-0008

Niu, R. (2020). An ecological perspective on EFL learners’ oral communication. In A. Jamshidnejad (Ed.), Speaking English as a second language (pp. 75-101). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55057-8_4

Nur, S., Anas, I., & Pilu, R. (2022). The call for environmentally-based language teaching and green pedagogy: Climate actions in language education. Elsya: Journal of English Language Studies, 4(1), 77-85. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i1.9526

Sari, L. D. (2016, October 14). WCF 2016, Mendikbud: Spirit pembangunan bersumber dari kebudayaan [WCF 2016, Ministry of Education and Culture: The spirit of development comes from culture]. Medcom.id. https://www.medcom.id/nasional/peristiwa/RkjQqaVb-wcf-2016-mendikbud-spirit-pembangunan-bersumber-dari-kebudayaan

Thijs, A., & van den Akker, J. (Eds.). (2009). Curriculum in development. Netherlands Institute for Curriculum Development. https://www.slo.nl/publish/pages/18850/curriculum-in-development.pdf

UNESCO. (2017). Education for sustainable development goals: Learning objectives. https://doi.org/10.54675/CGBA9153

United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/70/1

United Nations (2019). World population prospects 2019: Highlights. https://doi.org/10.18356/13bf5476-en

van Lier, L. (2000). From input to affordance: Social-interactive learning from an ecological perspective. In J. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 245-259). Oxford University Press.

van Lier, L. (2002). An ecological-semiotic perspective on language and linguistics. In C. Kramsch (Ed.), Language acquisition and language sociolization: Ecological perspectives (pp. 140-164). Continuum.

Zahoor, M., & Janjua, F. (2020). Green contents in English language textbooks in Pakistan: An ecolinguistics and ecopedagogical appraisal. British Educational Research Journal, 46(2), 321-338. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3579




DOI: https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v12i3.41046

Article Metrics

Abstract view : 0 times
PDF - 0 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Print ISSN: 2355-2794, Online ISSN: 2461-0275

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


View Journal Stats