Developing Knowledge and Capacities for Care in Social Sustainability Education—An Analysis of Student Submissions in Higher Education
摘要
Social sustainability education is gaining prominence within education for sustainable development (ESD), yet its boundaries often blur with environmental and economic dimensions. This chapter contributes to clarifying social sustainability education by exploring how student narratives reveal the development of ethical understanding, relational awareness, and a sense of care for others. Through an analysis of student submissions using Nussbaum’s narrative ethics and capabilities approach and Noddings’ ethics of care, the chapter illustrates how students construct meaning around social justice, ethical responsibility, and sustainability. Their narratives demonstrate not only growing knowledge of social sustainability but also a deep engagement with the relational and ethical dimensions often marginalized in traditional education. Furthermore, their reflections expose an ongoing narrative tension within ESD—between the need for structural societal change and the demands of individual ethical agency. These insights highlight the power of narrative in shaping how learners make sense of and act upon complex sustainability challenges.