New Perspectives in Science Education

Higher education institutions need to equip student learners with the competences required to tackle unknown future challenges. This demands of the educational system that the students are provided opportunities to acquire competences for sustainable development during their studies. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceived acquisition of competencies for sustainable development from the perspective of the student learners as well as what is expected based on program documents. To compare the two types of input is found important to allow for exposing differences in expected outcome and perceived outcome of the acquisition of competences. The conceptual model forming the foundation for this study is the result of a literature review and encompasses eight interrelated competences. Empirical data collected for the program documents include written documents in terms of program syllabus, course syllabi and course instructions. Input from students, who were on their last semester before graduating from a Bachelor program, was collected in 2024 using a questionnaire. A total of 23 written documents and 35 responses to the questionnaire encompass the data set. The initial findings indicate that there is a discrepancy between what the documents stipulate in terms of opportunities to acquire the competences and what the student learners perceive that they have gained in terms of competences.