An Effort to Strengthen the Objectives of Education for Sustainable Development, Based on the Use of the Cosmos–Evidence–Ideas Model

The effective teaching of the basic concepts of ecology is a goal of science teaching and education for sustainable development around which various researchers have been active since it is estimated that it can help people to understand and deal with the sustainability issues of our time. The outcomes of the empirical studies typically provide design recommendations that enhance the effectiveness of any later work that incorporates them. The present study examines whether the Cosmos–Evidence–Ideas (CEI) epistemological model could improve the efficacy of a teaching learning sequence (TLS) for important ecological concepts when utilized as a design tool in an effort to support students’ understanding of ecology. A TLS for key concepts of ecology was designed without considering the CEI model and then modified based on it, resulting in a revised second TLS. The two TLSs were implemented in different groups, evaluated, and compared. It was found that while in both groups the performance of the students showed a statistically significant improvement, in the group where the revised TLS was applied, this improvement was greater, and it seems that students were helped to abandon more of the alternative ideas they originally held. Thus, there are indications that the model might improve the efficiency of a TLS for fundamental ecological concepts.