Core-to-Core Programme Joint Seminar 2022
“Bridging Ideas between Asia and Europe for Promoting Eucation for Sustainable
Development in Higher Education”
Co-organized by University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and Okayama University, Japan
Supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (SRA), Slovenia andJapan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan
Ljubljana, 14-17 September 2022
Concept Note
1. Background
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) occupies a prominent place in the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations(UN). It is “a vital means of implementation for sustainable development” and “a key enabler” of all theSDGs, as affirmed by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 72/222.
Educators including teachers have a crucial role to play in this global pursuit of sustainable development
through education. As UNESCO’s new ESD promotion measure “ESD for 2030” recognizes, educators are“key actors in facilitating learners’ transition to sustainable ways of life.” They can facilitate learning forsustainable development.
Recognizing the critical importance of educators in the SDGs, Okayama University, the only UNESCO Chair
on ESD in Asia, launched the JSPS Core-to-Core Programme (Type B. Asia-Africa Science Platforms) (FY
2017-2019). It established core research exchange institutions for ESD teacher education and theiracademic network in Asia and contributed to building the capacities of the next generation of researchers.
Subsequently, the University obtained a grant sponsored by the Japanese National Commission for
UNESCO (FY 2018-2019), and it developed the “Asia-Pacific ESD Teacher Competency Framework” and aguide for effectively disseminating the framework in collaboration with 34 institutions in 16 countries
across the Asia-Pacific region and with the support of UNESCO Bangkok and Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre
for UNESCO. The framework currently comprises a programme guideline for developing ESD teacher
education in the Asia-Pacific region and its research and educational achievements.
On the other hand, University of Ljubljana has participated in the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network in Educationfor Sustainable Lifestyles and conducted various researches for promoting teachers' ESD competency incollaboration with 27 institutions in 18 countries in Europe. An academic journal edited by the University
published a special issue on “Sustainable Development in Education” and reported fruitful results ofresearch and practice on ESD (see CEPS Journal, 3(1), 2013). The University has energetically developed
teacher education for ESD through various activities, including incorporating ESD into existing teacher
training programmes and courses, a green campus, and a student club on sustainability.
The whole-institution approach, directly linked to the institution’s organizational culture and theleadership and management of students and faculty staffs, is the key to mainstreaming ESD in all aspects

of teacher education institutions. This approach, however, has not advanced sufficiently in any teacher
education institution worldwide, not just in Japan and Slovenia. As stated by UNESCO, achieving a
breakthrough in mainstreaming ESD necessitates teacher education institutions to provide good examplesof the whole-school approach.
2. Objectives
The overall goal is to organize an event that will promote the collaboration between University of Ljubljana
in Slovenia and Okayama University in Japan, both of which have outstanding achievements in ESD teacher
education in Europe and Asia-Pacific, respectively, and to develop good examples of a whole-institution
approach in ESD teacher education.
Specifically, the event is also aimed to achieve the following objectives:To better understand how to incorporate sustainability and ESD into all aspects of higher education
institutions, particularly teacher education institutions.
To report on progress in the development, implementation, and evaluation of teacher education
programmes and courses that is a critical component of a whole-institution approach to ESD.
To train young researchers on how to align their academic research with sustainability and ESD toensure the approach’s continued development.

3. Expected outputs
 Reports on the successes and lessons learned from integrating ESD into teacher education
programmes and courses, including a framework of indicators for evaluating such integration.
 Sharing information between young researchers on their research and its alignment with theoverarching theme of sustainability, ESD and the whole-institution approach.
 Suggestions and recommendations for fostering environments conducive to transforming teacher
education for sustainable development via a whole-institution approach.
4. Participants
The event will bring together approximately 50 participants onsite from University of Ljubljana, Okayama
University, and other universities, as well as online participants from partner institutions in Asia, Europe,and other regions of these universities.
5. Tentative time, Venue and Programme
14 – 17 September 2022 at University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Day 1: Opening, keynote speech, research presentation, workshop, welcome function
Day 2: Invited speech, research presentation, students seminar
Day 3: School visit, wrap up, food events
Day 4: ESD excursion
6. Deliverables
Participants have submitted the following document prior to the event.
Participant
Master course students
PhD students
Professors and Keynote/Invited speakers

Deliverables
Poster Presentation
Abstract and Poster and PowerPoint presentations
Abstract and PowerPoint presentation

Core-to-Core Programme Joint Seminar 2022
“Bridging Ideas between Asia and Europe for Promoting Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education”
Co-organized by University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and Okayama University, Japan
Supported by the Slovenian Research Agency, Slovenia, Slovenia and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan
14-17 September 2022

Programme Schedule
The event will take place at the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Kardeljeva ploščad 16, 1000 Ljubljana.
University professors and graduate students from Asia and Europe who are interested in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher education,
especially teacher education, will participate in this seminar either on-site or online.
Wednesday, 14 September 2022
Registration
8:30 – 9:00
9:00 – 9:15

Opening Ceremony
Room: 048
Moderators: Gregor Torkar (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia) and Hiroki Fujii (Okayama University, Japan)
Opening remark by Janez Vogrinc (Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)

9:15 – 10:00

Opening remark by Atsushi Takase (Dean, Faculty of Education, Okayama University, Japan)
Agenda 1: Keynote speech
Room: 048
Moderator: Gregor Torkar (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
ESD for 2030 – Updates on the implementation and way forward
Jun Morohashi (UNESCO Headquarter, Paris)

10:00 – 10:45

Teacher education for sustainable development: Where do we stand and where should we go next?
Daniel Fischer (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)

10:45 – 11:15

Coffee Break

11:15 – 12:15

Agenda 2: Research presentation
Room: 048
Moderator: Hiroki Fujii (Okayama University, Japan)
17 Sustainable Development Goals in the curricula of the selected undergraduate study programs at the Faculty of Education of
the University of Ljubljana
Gregor Torkar (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Sustainability competence and general professional competence to teach ESD among Japanese pre-service teachers
K. F. Ardh (Okayama University, Japan)

12:15 – 13:30

Lunch

13:30 – 14:30

Agenda 3: Poster presentation
Room: Entrance Hall
Introduction to the PhD seminar by Janez Krek (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Participants will present their research on posters and share their ideas.

14:30 – 16:30

Agenda 4: Workshop for all participants
Room: 048
Rooms: P044, P037
Participants will gain a better understanding of ESD by taking part in one of the workshops: the science education workshop
or printmaking workshop.

18:00 –

Guided tour of the city centre
Participants will enjoy a guided tour in the centre of Ljubljana.

Thursday, 15 September 2022
8:45 – 9:30

Agenda 5: Invited speech
Room: 048
Moderator: Saeko Fujimoto (Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO, Japan)

ESD promotion of teacher education institutions in the Philippines: A collaborative transformation process
Jestoni Babia (University of San Jose – Recoletos, the Philippines)
9:30 – 10:15

Strengthening quality and relevance in teacher education through integrating interdisciplinary approaches on ESD
Robert J. Didham (Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway)

10:15 - 10:45

Coffee break

10:45 – 11:30

Agenda 6: Research presentation
Room: 048
Moderator: Iztok Devetak (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia) and Karen Onodera (Kyoto Koka Women’s University, Japan)
Green chemistry education and ESD initiatives
Vesna Ferk Savec (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)

11:30 – 12:15

Multicultural teacher education on ESD for 2030 reflecting the situation of the immigrant background students
Tomonori Ichinose (Miyagi University of Education, Japan)

12:15 – 12:35

Nurseries of plant biodiversity and the seeds for sustainability in a seminatural environment in Okayama
Taro Harada (Okayama University, Japan)

12:35 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 17:00

Agenda 7: Students Seminar
Room: 026, P038
Moderators: Janez Krek (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia), Iztok Devetak (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia),
Toshinori Kuwabara (Okayama University, Japan) and Koji Miyamoto (Okayama University, Japan)
Short presentations
Students will be divided into two groups, science education and social studies education, and will give brief presentations on
their research. They will discuss how to incorporate ESD/GCED foundational ideas into their research and formal education.

Friday, 16 September 2022
8:00 – 13:00

Agenda 8: Secondary School Visit
Participants will visit an ESD-focused secondary school in Naklo and learn about whole-school approach initiatives on ESD.

13:00 – 14:30

Lunch

14:30 – 16:30

Agenda 9a: Food event for Students

16:30 –17:00

Agenda 9b: Meeting for Professors

Room: P053, 026

Room: 048

Students will work with each other to prepare and enjoy

Professors will discuss the whole-institution approach tofoods of each country.

promoting ESD teacher education.

Wrap up and closing remarks

Saturday, 17 September 2022
8:30 – 17:00

Agenda 10: ESD excursion
Participants will visit the scenic Lake Bled and will explore the surroundings, tour an island of the lake and tour to the castle
from a sustainability perspective.

Abstracts
1. Keynote Speeches
ESD FOR 2030 – UPDATES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION AND WAY FORWARD
Jun MOROHASHI, UNESCO Headquarter, Paris, France
To accelerate the achievement of the 2030 SDG Agenda, UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable
Development for 2030 framework (ESD for 2030) was adopted in 2019 with underscoring thecentral role of education as a key enabler to achieve all SDGs. In May 2021, on the occasion of theWorld Conference on ESD, education stakeholders including over 80 ministers adopted the Berlin
Declaration on ESD, and renewed their commitments to transforming education throughimplementing ESD. Ministries of education and environment as well as education anddevelopment stakeholders in all countries are invited to collaborate in fully integrating ESD into
policies, learning environments, educator’s development, youth empowerment and community
action.
Framed by ESD for 2030, Member States are invited to develop their respective “country
initiatives” as a long-term programme in support of the country’s good quality education policy
and practice, instead of as an ad-hoc/short-term project or activity. Currently, more than 60
countries have committed to the Country Initiative process. Teacher development is one ofremaining gaps for many countries. UNESCO has carried some studies, and found that overall,environmental themes are included in policy and curriculum, but the implementation is still low
on average. 47% of national curriculum frameworks of 100 countries made no reference to climatechange. Nearly 95% of teachers believed that it is important to teach about climate change, but
fewer than 40% were confident in teaching it.
In addressing the gap related to teacher capacities, higher education has a key role to play. First,
as many higher education institutions are already showcasing, they can be pioneers in adopting awhole-institution approach, where sustainability is not just seen a guiding principle, but also a
principle of action that is practiced in all areas of the University in research, education, andgovernance, social participation and campus operations. Second, they are the key institutions thattrain future teachers as well as decision-makers. HED are expected to create and put into practicesustainability-ready pedagogy and training. Third, higher education institutions are where many
youth leaders are engaging in action as students. For many, it is their first interaction with social
action and will help shape their vision and inspiration for the world. HED institutes should facilitate
youth engagement and creativity in all spheres of education including the design of policies andprogrammes on education and sustainable development. Finally, higher education institutions canbecome hubs for sustainable communities by providing expertise and support to local initiatives –it is a space where many different sub-sectors of society, including business, local community,
schools, etc. can meet and collaborate.
Keywords: ESD for 2030, Whole-institution approach, Teachers, Higher education

TEACHER EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: WHERE DO WE STAND
AND WHERE SHOULD WE GO NEXT?
Daniel FISCHER, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Strengthening the capacity of educators to implement sustainable development in teachinglearning settings is one of the priority action areas of the #ESDfor2030 program. The field ofteacher education for sustainable development (TESD) has become a vibrant area of research andpractice in the wake of the Decade for ESD as well as the Global Action Program in recent years,
which has also begun to spill over into general teacher education. Because the field is so
dynamically evolving and contributions come from very different disciplines, determining whatcharacterizes TESD as a research area and what it has produced in terms of results is challenging.

This presentation draws on a recent project to take stock of the field and identify mainachievements. Based on a systematic review of 158 research papers, five different types of inquiry
could be distinguished as characteristic of TESD as an evolving research field: designing learning
environments, understanding learner attributes, measuring learning outcomes, promoting
systems change, and advancing visions for the field.
The presentation will introduce the five types of TESD research and illustrate their distinct
approaches with innovative examples from recently completed and ongoing research projects. The
presentation concludes with an outlook on where major innovation potentials for future work in
the field of TESD lie to contribute more effectively to building the capacity of educators andreorient education systems.
Keywords: Teacher Education for Sustainable Development, TESD, Continuing Professional
Development

2. Joint Research Presentations
17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN THE CURRICULA OF THE SELECTEDUNDERGRADUATE STUDY PROGRAMS AT THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA
Gregor TORKAR, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
The main objective of the report is to present the main results of the analysis of the representationof seventeen Sustainable Development Goals in the curricula of the undergraduate study programs
The Two-Subject Teacher, Special and Rehabilitation Pedagogy and Primary Teacher Education at
the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, which, together with the
University of Okayama, is implementing the bilateral project "Development of Indicator
Frameworks for Whole-institution Approach in Teacher Education for ESD: Toward Achieving
SDGs". A team of experts from various fields in the natural sciences, social sciences, andhumanities working at both universities collaborated to create a list of keywords that define theseventeen Sustainable Development Goals. The content, goals, and literature of the curricula of all
required and elective subjects were reviewed individually for each keyword. In the presentation
we will highlight our first findings. Let me just highlight a few: the lowest number of hits for the
keywords searched are for SDG1 and SDG7. The highest number of hits for the keywords searched
are for SDG4, SDG11, and SDG9. When searching for keywords in the curriculum of the Special andRehabilitation Education programme, there were the most hits for SDG 4; otherwise, thisprogramme contains much less SDG content than the Primary Teacher Education programme or
the Two-Subject Teacher programme. The Two-Subject Teacher programme dominates hits for
majority searched keywords in all SDGs.
Keywords: Outdoor education, Environmental attitudes, Social skills

SUSTAINABILITY COMPETENCE AND GENERAL PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCETO TEACH ESD AMONG JAPANESE PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS
K. F. ARDH, Okayama University, Japan
Introduction: To develop an effective sustainability program for preservice teachers, there is aneed to understand the status quo of the target audience. In this study, we assess the sustainability
competence of preservice teachers through a semi-structured interview. Methods: We
incorporated indicators from two frameworks into our interview schedule, the European
Sustainability Competence and the Asia-Pacific ESD Teacher Competence Framework. Six students
from the elementary school program, five students from the secondary school science teacher

program, and eight students from the special education program made up the final sample size of
19 respondents. Data collection period was between May-July 2022. The interviews wereconducted, recorded, and transcribed in Japanese. After translating the transcript into English, weassign a score based on the representation of the indicators. The maximum score is 100%, whichindicates that every indicator is present in every response. We averaged all of the respondents’score based on: (1) domain, (2) demography of respondents (which program do they belong to);and (3) category indicators (knowledge, skill and attitude). We utilized descriptive statistics to
explain all of the responses. Results: For all indicators, respondents from elementary, secondary,and special education courses scored similarly. When comparing sustainability competencies togeneral professional competencies for teaching ESD, respondents scored differently on knowledge
and skill, but not in the attitude category indicators. The average respondent scored half or less on
all indicators. Respondents scoring the lowest on the domain "Envisioning Sustainable Future",
which include futures literacy (34%), adaptability (23%) and exploratory thinking (17%).
Discussions: Based on the above finding we concluded that to improve the preservice teachers'
sustainability competences through experiential learning that challenges to envision their desired
future and explore ways to reach it. In the general professional competencies for teaching ESD,
respondents demonstrated indicators of the teachers’ competencies to develop themselves(Continue to learn and create) and connect with others (Connect, collaborate and engage). Further
study is needed to determine whether this awareness is particularly evident in teaching ESD.
Keywords: Sustainability competence, General professional competence to teach ESD

3. Invited Speeches
ESD PROMOTION OF TEACHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES:A COLLABORATIVE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS
Jestoni BABIA, University San Jose – Recoletos, the Philippines
The global framework for ESD implementation from 2020 to 2030 is Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD) Towards Realizing the SDGs. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, andCultural Organization (UNESCO) has advanced ESD for 2030 based on the lessons learned from the
Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD in response to the growing emphasis on ESD to encourage
the contribution of learning content to humanity's survival and prosperity. Furthermore, throughtransformative education, UNESCO seeks to orient and transform societies. Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) must provide students with the necessary information, attitudes, andcompetencies in order to reach the GAP for ESD. ESD approaches should be widely adopted at
Philippine HEIs to solve economic, political, environmental, and social issues, particularly following
the pandemic's detrimental effects. Since 2017, the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) has
been consistent in its support of transdisciplinary and transformative programs for unwaveringcommitment and innovation in learning to real evidence of sustainable growth among its students
and community. USJ-R demonstrates the establishment of the ESD Promotion Center, which willaid in the achievement of the "Ambisyon Natin 2040" and the 2030 ESD target. The ESD Centerinteracts with various institutions, including UNESCO Bangkok and UNESCO Japan, as well as
SEAMEO ESD Fellows at three HEIs in the Philippines, namely Cebu Normal University (CNU), Cebu
Technological University (CTU), and Philippine Normal University-Visayas (PNU). To enablecommunity master trainers in HEIs to carry out their community-based ESD work, the framework
employs the six-priority action ESD principles and a participatory methodology. A series of ESDbased activities were carried out, including the Climate Change Education Summit among Visayas
Region Centers of Excellence and Development, which exchanged vital research for climate change
initiatives, notably in Teacher Education Institutions. Following the training of community mastertrainers to incorporate ESD into their respective community outreach programs, monitoring,evaluation, and research revealed that ESD implementation in the Philippines is currently at an
average level, and that projects and curriculum initiatives must place a strong emphasis on
beneficiary transformation through careful planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Student
participation in HEIs must also be increased through Curriculum Quality Audit (CQA), in which ESD
competencies, including the aims and standards of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
will be explicitly incorporated and mapped in the curriculum. This work should be replicated in the
future with a focus on sustainability competencies integration in the curriculum andtransformation research, monitoring and evaluation of ESD-based studies, and recommended
strategies for a wide range of coverage influence and utilization, particularly for HEIs.
Keywords: Education for sustainable development, Curriculum development, Curriculum quality
Audit and higher education institutions in the Philippines

STRENGTHENING QUALITY AND RELEVANCE IN TEACHER EDUCATION THROUGHINTEGRATING INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES ON ESD
Robert J. DIDHAM, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
Over the past 6 years, the teacher education program at INN University has undertaken a numberof efforts to integrate and strengthen approaches on interdisciplinary education throughout its
courses and curriculum. This has focused on addressing three overarching themes framed in the
Norwegian curriculum: sustainable development, citizenship and democracy, and public healthand life skills. These three themes are framed in the core curriculum alongside the values andprinciples of the curriculum. «These three interdisciplinary topics in the curriculum are based onprevailing societal challenges which demand engagement and effort from individuals and local
communities, nationally and globally». The efforts to strengthen interdisciplinary approaches inteacher education are linked directly to our overall goals to improve the quality and relevance of
education; to better prepare are students for their future roles as teachers, and for their teaching
to develop the skills and competencies in learners to engage with and address complex, real-world
challenges like sustainable development. This project has implemented many innovative models
and methods for active, interdisciplinary learning. It has also worked with the administrative
procedures, the strategies and study plans, and it has engaged in capacity building with our teacher
educators. In addition, the interdisciplinary work is helping to strengthen bridge between teacher
education and schools, and we have developed active partnerships with our partner schools tofurther the work on interdisciplinary education during the student teacher’s praxis period.
Keywords: Teacher education, Interdisciplinary approaches, Education for sustainable
development, Quality and relevance

4. Research Presentations
MULTICULTURAL TEACHER EDUCATION ON ESD FOR 2030 REFLECTINGTHE SITUATION OF THE IMMIGRANT BACKGROUND STUDENTS
Tomonori ICHINOSE, Miyagi University of Education, JapanThe current crisis in Ukraine has created the greatest refugee surge to OECD countries. In March
2022, the United Nations estimated that nearly one Ukrainian students per second had become arefugee.
OECD (2015) has shown the performance gap between first-generation immigrant students andstudents without an immigrant background tends to be wider in reading than in mathematics orproblem solving. This suggests that language barriers to text comprehension may be key inexplaining performance differences between these two groups of students.

Silveira, F. (2019) has examined achievement from the 2015 PISA (Programme for International
Student Assessment) in 41 high-income countries. The authors use within- and cross-levelinteractions to examine (1) the relationship between immigrant status and academic achievement,(2) the moderating effect of student socioeconomic status on achievement, and (3) how countrylevel foreign-born population affects both immigrant and native-born students’ performance.
Although the academic performance of immigrant students globally is moderated bysocioeconomic status, at country level a larger immigrant population affects the academic
performance of both immigrant and native-born students. Nonetheless, language barriers maylead to performance differences between these student groups. In Japan, academic performancedata have not been analyzed alongside student immigration status data.
However, in 2021 National survey on academic performance incorporate the question item
about condition of speaking Japanese at home.
Therefore, this research assessed the performance of national language (Japanese) andmathematics of immigrant and native-born students based on the result of national survey on
academic performance. This research also intends to assesses immigrant background(socioeconomic status: SES) and its effect on academic performance.
Speaking Japanese at home

Elementary 6th grade

Junior High school 3rd gradeGroup 1

Always speaking

855,659(85.1％)

832,223(89.1％)

Group 2

Almost speaking

119,304(11.9％)

66,408(7.1％)

Group 3

Sometimes speaking

25,442(2.5％)

23,948(2.6％)

Group 4

Never speaking

4,151(0.4％)

5,853(0.6％)

OthersNo answer

832
625
1,006,013

246
4,638
933,316

Total

Chart：National Academic Performance and Learning Situation Survey“How often do you speak Japanese at home?”

The number of correct answers given by native-born students for national language Multicultural

Elementary

Junior High school

Figure: The number of correct answers for national language and mathematics; Source: Author

Teacher Education and mathematics was significantly higher than those given by students who
sometimes or never speak Japanese at home. There was also a significant difference between thepreference of students who always or almost always, and students who sometimes or never speak
Japanese at home, in terms of national language. In mathematics, there is almost no difference
between Group1 always speaking and Group2 almost speaking. No correlation was found between
speaking Japanese at home and not speaking Japanese with SES.
Reference:
Banks and Banks, eds. (2019). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspective, John Wiley & Sons.

OECD (2015). Helping immigrant students to succeed at school–and beyond.
https://www.oecd.org/education/Helping-immigrant-students-to-succeed-at-school-andbeyond.pdf
Silveira, F., Dufur, M.F., Jarvis, J.A., and Rowley, K.J. (2019.) The Influence of Foreign-born
Population on Immigrant and Native-born Students’Academic Achievement,Sociological Research
for a Dynamic World Volume 5: 1–19. Volume 5: 1–19.DOI: 10.1177/2378023119845252
Keywords: Immigrant background students, Academic performance, Socioeconomic status,
Multicultural teacher education, Social Justice

NURSERIES OF PLANT BIODIVERSITY AND THE SEEDS FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN
A SEMINATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN OKAYAMA
Taro HARADA, Okayama University, Japan
Applied Biology, one of the major secondary science education courses in the School of Education,
Okayama University, has been provided with intensive opportunities for biological fieldobservations. In class B, students have learned not only about the morphology and ecology ofplants, but they have also studied biodiversity in a seminatural environment in Okayama
Prefecture. In rural areas, various kinds of weeds are found, some of which are globally invasive or
alien species. Agricultural crop plants, including rice and peaches, and garden trees are also grownin abundance; many of these originate overseas. Artificial water environments, such as ponds,
irrigation channels, and paddy fields, have been managed for rice cultivation; they function as
habitats for four different types of aquatic plants (submerged, emergent, floating leaved, and freefloating) and many native or invasive alien animals. Hiigoike Wetland in Soja City was constructedin the 1990s by transplanting natural wetland soil surfaces endangered by highway construction.
Students have learned that this seminatural wetland biotope successfully provides citizens andschool students with a place to engage in environmental conservation activities and examine
native wetland species and the ecosystem. In Handayama Forest, located near Okayama
University’s Tsushima Campus, a typical secondary warm-template laurel forest has formed. Native
trees forming cones (gymnosperms) or acorns (angiosperms) and shrubs, some of which are givena scientific name containing japonica or japonicum, exhibit the stratification and succession of theforest. In addition, some kinds of ferns and mosses can be observed. Leaf morphology is one of
the key points for identification of plant species from these diverse taxa. To verify the effects ofthese experiences on students’ consciousness regarding sustainability, the short version of thesustainability consciousness questionnaire (SCQ-S) developed by Gericke et al. (2019) was
introduced with the five-point scale. While most of the students majoring in natural science
recognized the importance of biodiversity preservation in the preliminary question, changes intheir consciousness tended to appear in some of the other items in the post questions. It wassuggested from students’ answers to the descriptive questions that their recognition of native andalien species had been updated and other experiences may also have influenced such changes.
The trial partially showed the potential usefulness of the SCQ. Field observations of local plantbiodiversity may cause one to reflect on knowledge regarding the relationships between thenatural environment and humans. Further facilitation is expected to alter students’ behavior
toward the achievement of SDGs from scientific and global viewpoints.
Keywords: Plant biodiversity, Native/alien species, Rural area, Wetland, Forest