The Implementation of Sustainable Development in Higher Education Teaching: The case of University of Tampere
RADVANSKA, RENATA (2010)
RADVANSKA, RENATA
2010
Hallintotiede - Administrative Science
Kauppa- ja hallintotieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Economics and Administration
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2010-02-24
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-20387
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-20387
Tiivistelmä
The issue of sustainable development in higher education has occupied a considerable place in political discourses as well as in empirical research. Most studies revolve around the issue of implementation of sustainable development. However, they rarely address the role of implementers in the process. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the implementation of sustainable development in higher education teaching from the perspective of academics. The teaching function was chosen as the most profound area of implementation initiatives. Consecutively, the implementers were represented by academics. In order to address this topic, the theory of street-level bureaucrats has been adopted as a theoretical framework. It has accounted for the role of academics as bottom-level implementers. The study was conducted as a case study at the University of Tampere, and involved interviewing the selected sample of six academics. In accordance with theoretical assumptions, the teaching of academics is often impeded by unfavourable work conditions. Yet, their discretion in decision-making allows them to adjust the working situation or their behaviour in order to cope with these conditions. Thus, they also influence the actual output of implementation efforts – their actions, which they deliver to students – the end users of policy. In this way the study of academics’ perception of their work unlocks the dynamics of implementation process from the perspective of its bottom-level implementers – the academics.
Asiasanat:sustainable development, higher education, policy implementation, policy output, street-level bureaucrats
Asiasanat:sustainable development, higher education, policy implementation, policy output, street-level bureaucrats