La nueva cultura del agua como contexto de enseñanza-aprendizaje en la formación inicial del profesorado. Una perspectiva multicultural

Abstract

Water is an essential element not only for people but for all life on Earth. However, the dominant anthropocentric view in the traditional management of water resources has meant that we are currently facing an unprecedented water crisis (Cifuentes-Ávila et al, 2018). In fact, according to the latest United Nations World Water Development Report (UN Water, 2021), freshwater use has increased six-fold in the last 100 years and it is estimated that more than 40% of the world's population is affected to varying degrees by water scarcity, with this percentage concentrated in the world's poorest countries (UNESCO, 2021). In 2000 the Water Framework Directive was born with the aim of guaranteeing the protection of water resources and their future availability through the sustainable use of water. Under its auspices, social movements such as the New Water Culture (NWC), a term whose origin dates back to the last decade of the last century, have emerged with social and environmental sensitivities that go beyond seeking an efficient use of water and new management policies, as it aspires to achieve a holistic change oriented towards sustainable management and a consideration of the heritage of water (Arrojo, 2008). In order for society to be engaged in solving current water-related problems, it needs to be scientifically literate, and this is where education plays an essential role in helping to promote the social extension of NWC. According to Sáez et al. (2021), NWC approaches need to be brought into the classroom and discussed with students as opposed to the old paradigms. The quality of education rests with teachers, and social change must be mediated by teachers; but are trainee teachers really prepared to transmit new relationships with nature in line with NWC? Is the current consumerist society willing to make a substantial change in its consumption and saving habits in favour of sustainable development? In the current situation where humanity is exposed to water risks, are the decisions of our politicians on water management in line with the NWC? These are some of the questions that gave rise to this research work. This doctoral thesis presents several exploratory studies on the NWC. The first one analyses the water culture transmitted in the official curriculum and in Spanish compulsory education textbooks. The second addresses the challenge of investigating the knowledge of NWC among trainee teachers in Primary and Secondary Education in two cities with very different water situations, Melilla and Granada. In the third, we analyse citizen knowledge, given the influence that this has on the generation of knowledge of our students. Finally, in the fourth study, we investigate the opinions and trends in decision-making related to water management of leaders and political decision-makers.