Teach What You Eat: Student Biology Teachers' Intention to Teach Sustainable Nutrition.

OBJECTIVE

To explain student biology teachers' intention to teach sustainable nutrition (SN) in classes using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior.

DESIGN

Germany-wide online questionnaire study in November/December 2019.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 621 student biology teachers (mean age, 23.3 years; SD, 3.9 years; 77% female).

DEPENDENT VARIABLE

Intention to teach SN.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES

Theory of planned behavior variables (attitudes toward teaching, subjective norms, self-efficacy), intention to eat sustainably, attitudes toward SN, knowledge about SN, prior university education for sustainable development experiences.

ANALYSES

Descriptive statistics, bivariate Spearman correlations, and a path model are reported.

RESULTS

The extended TPB model provided a moderate-to-high explanation of the intention to teach SN (R² = 0.50; P < 0.001). Respondents with a higher intention to eat sustainably in their daily lives reported more positive attitudes toward teaching, higher self-efficacy, and a higher teaching intention. Prior university education for sustainable development experiences also predicted the intention to teach. A higher level of knowledge about SN was only associated with higher self-efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Lectures and seminars on SN in biology teacher training may foster student (biology) teachers' self-efficacy in teaching SN and ensure that they understand the importance of their subject-specific commitment, involvement, and attitudes in implementing SN in schools.