Students, education, designcommunication and a sustainable result of an action research

Abstract

THE AIM OF THE PAPER

Sustainability is also becoming an increasingly important key concept in education. In addition to school, primary school students also come into contact with the concept of responsibility and sustainability from the parents and the media, and this determines their thinking. In our study, we examine why sustainability as a central theme appears in the highest proportion in an unusual innovative learning situation generated by us, and we look for the answer to how to deepen and influence this positive result with the application of designcommunication methodology. to turn thoughts into action within the educational framework. A further goal is to consciously integrate sustainability into education by focusing on the methodology of designcommunication.

METHODOLOGY

In this study, we present a qualitative research approach. In the course of our action research, we present the results of a self-developed workshop series, which was implemented in all Hungarian counties, with the involvement of sixth grade students and their class teachers. As part of the action learning, students acted as designers to make their home better which is a real-life problem, and the whole class needed to think together to achieve the result.  In the absence of bases, guidelines, expected results, the specified determination of good, the solution had to be created.

MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS

As a result of the research, it was observed that almost all classes identified the concept of home with the environment. The improvement of the home was seen as the solution in their conscious behavior towards their environment and in encouraging others to do the same in almost all cases.

The main objective of the study is to present the projects created during the 21 workshops that focused on sustainability, and to explore the connections between the relevant results of the research literature on the dimension of sustainable development pedagogy.

RECOMMENDATION

With our study, we would like to highlight that the openness of teachers and the combined application of a creative methodology in a closed school framework offer an opportunity that can be specifically applied to the actors and key stakeholders of education. A design approach integrated into teaching relying on and supporting the creativity of each stakeholder.