The Role of School Culture in Instilling an Understanding of Sustainable Waste Management Based on ESD and Ecopedagogy

Abstract

Sustainability education has become an important strategi for shaping students, environmental awareness, particularly through the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and ecopedagogy into classroom learning. This study aims to identify and understand the role of teachers in combining ESD and ecopedagogy values through waste management in junior high school (SMP) learning. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was employed, involving three teachers as key informants at SMP Negeri 1 Dukuhwaru, Tegal Regency, an Adiwiyata-certified school. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observation, and documentation, then analyzed using NVivo15. The findings reveal three patterns of teacher roles: formal curricular integration into lesson plans, contextual learning based on actual environmental issues, and facilitation of critical discussion supported by teachers' daily exemplary behavior. These three patterns complement one another and contribute to changes in students' pro-environmental behavior. The novelty of this study lies in its in-depth qualitative depiction of teachers' roles through cross subject waste management practices at the junior high school level, a topic that remains rarely examined in such depth. This study contributes practical insights for teachers and schools in designing contextual and sustainable ESD- and ecopedagogy-based learning.