Exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles - impact of International Social Education (ISE) in a local context

This article explores the relevance of sustainability in international social education (ISE). Our empirical data is based on a survey of social work students from Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Sweden. Theoretically, we draw on Bronfenbrenner’s theory of social ecosystems and Dewey’s emphasis on...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Joachim Thönnessen, Jonas Christensen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ScienceOpen 2024-02-01
Series:ScienceOpen Research
Online Access:https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR.2024.0001.v1
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850158237598351360
author Joachim Thönnessen
Jonas Christensen
author_facet Joachim Thönnessen
Jonas Christensen
author_sort Joachim Thönnessen
collection DOAJ
description This article explores the relevance of sustainability in international social education (ISE). Our empirical data is based on a survey of social work students from Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Sweden. Theoretically, we draw on Bronfenbrenner’s theory of social ecosystems and Dewey’s emphasis on democratic learning. We use a qualitative approach based on Strauss’ Grounded Theory, which allows us to dig deep into the meanings of the students thematic reflections. The students experienced that learning in an international context is learning with all senses, is a “24/7 learning”, and is learning in another language (at least most of the time). The results of our survey underline that acquiring knowledge in an international context contributes to a comprehensive understanding of social work as a profession and to the formation of a broad and professional identity. This includes a wide range of critical and systemic thinking skills that enable enquiry, integration and holistic thinking, i.e. sustainability.
format Article
id doaj-art-fa2c8fe7d29c4c869a1bfefe8b0d6105
institution OA Journals
issn 2199-1006
language English
publishDate 2024-02-01
publisher ScienceOpen
record_format Article
series ScienceOpen Research
spelling doaj-art-fa2c8fe7d29c4c869a1bfefe8b0d61052025-08-20T02:23:56ZengScienceOpenScienceOpen Research2199-10062024-02-012024000110.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR.2024.0001.v1Exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles - impact of International Social Education (ISE) in a local contextJoachim ThönnessenJonas ChristensenThis article explores the relevance of sustainability in international social education (ISE). Our empirical data is based on a survey of social work students from Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Sweden. Theoretically, we draw on Bronfenbrenner’s theory of social ecosystems and Dewey’s emphasis on democratic learning. We use a qualitative approach based on Strauss’ Grounded Theory, which allows us to dig deep into the meanings of the students thematic reflections. The students experienced that learning in an international context is learning with all senses, is a “24/7 learning”, and is learning in another language (at least most of the time). The results of our survey underline that acquiring knowledge in an international context contributes to a comprehensive understanding of social work as a profession and to the formation of a broad and professional identity. This includes a wide range of critical and systemic thinking skills that enable enquiry, integration and holistic thinking, i.e. sustainability.https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR.2024.0001.v1
spellingShingle Joachim Thönnessen
Jonas Christensen
Exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles - impact of International Social Education (ISE) in a local context
ScienceOpen Research
title Exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles - impact of International Social Education (ISE) in a local context
title_full Exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles - impact of International Social Education (ISE) in a local context
title_fullStr Exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles - impact of International Social Education (ISE) in a local context
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles - impact of International Social Education (ISE) in a local context
title_short Exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles - impact of International Social Education (ISE) in a local context
title_sort exploring the relevance of sustainability values and principles impact of international social education ise in a local context
url https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR.2024.0001.v1
work_keys_str_mv AT joachimthonnessen exploringtherelevanceofsustainabilityvaluesandprinciplesimpactofinternationalsocialeducationiseinalocalcontext
AT jonaschristensen exploringtherelevanceofsustainabilityvaluesandprinciplesimpactofinternationalsocialeducationiseinalocalcontext