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Sustainability
Volume 17
Issue 13
10.3390/su17135850
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Article

Professionalization of Academic Teaching in Latin American Universities to Address SDGs Applying the Stages of Concern Theory

by
Vassilios Makrakis
1,*,
Nelly Kostoulas-Makrakis
2,
Alexander Siegmund
3,
Delfina María Martelletti
4,
Alejandro Álvarez-Vanegas
5,
Mateo Alfredo Castillo Ceja
6,
Miguel Gonzalez
7,
Carolina Carrillo Artavia
8,
Nadiarid Jiménez-Elizondo
9,
David Eduardo Velázquez Muñoz
10,
Alicia Jimenez-Elizondo
11 and
Nikolaos Larios
12
1
School of Education and Social Sciences, Frederick University, Y. Frederickou 7, Nicosia 1036, Cyprus
2
Department of Primary Education, Faculty of Education, University of Crete, 74100 Rethymnon, Greece
3
Institute of Geography & Geo-Communication, Heidelberg University of Education, Czernyring 22/10-12, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
4
Escuela de Educación, Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires C1010AAZ, Argentina
5
Area of Natural Systems and Sustainability, Universidad EAFIT, Carrera 49, No 7, sur-50, Medellín 050022, Colombia
6
Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceautical Biology, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Avenida Francisco J. Múgica S/N Ciudad Universitaria, Morelia C.P. 58030, Michoacán, Mexico
7
Humanistic Studies Area, Universidad Técnica Nacional, Alajuela 20101, Costa Rica
8
Faculty of Education, Universidad Nacional (UNA), Heredia 40100, Costa Rica
9
Escuela de Tecnología de Alimentos, Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), San José 11501, Costa Rica
10
Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Paseo Tollocan esq Jesús Carranza, s/n Col. Universidad, Toluca C.P. 50130, Mexico, Mexico
11
Earth Charter International, University for Peace, Campus, San José 10701, Costa Rica
12
RCE Crete (Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development) Androutsou 8, 16673 Voula Attica, Greece
 
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5850; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135850 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 12 March 2025 / Revised: 29 May 2025 / Accepted: 5 June 2025 / Published: 25 June 2025
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

In the face of escalating sustainability challenges globally, such as climate change, poverty, inequality, and injustices, the need for a systematic approach to tackle them through the infusion of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in higher education has become increasingly critical. This article explores the crucial issue of professionalizing academic teaching, emphasizing the readiness of academic teachers to cope with sustainability and SDGs in higher education. Using the Stages of Concern Theory and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to professionalize academic teaching to address SDGs in teaching, learning, and the curriculum, a sample of 1566 academic teachers in nine Latin American universities responded to the survey. This study aimed to answer two key questions, as follows: (1) How do the years of teaching experience affect academic staff’s stages of concern? (2) How do different academic teaching areas influence the academic staff’s stages of concern? The trend reveals that faculty members with fewer than four years of service scored higher than those with twenty or more years. Similarly, academic teaching staff from the Education Sciences have a significantly higher mean score and effect size than faculty members from the Humanities, Engineering, Social Sciences, Sciences, and Health Sciences across all stages of concern. However, despite these differences, professional development initiatives should be designed to match all teaching staff regardless of years of service and subject area by encouraging teamwork and increasing understanding of the critical importance of transformative teaching and learning.
Keywords: sustainable development goals; teaching; curriculum; professionalization; academic disciplines; Latin America; years of academic teaching service sustainable development goals; teaching; curriculum; professionalization; academic disciplines; Latin America; years of academic teaching service

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MDPI and ACS Style

Makrakis, V.; Kostoulas-Makrakis, N.; Siegmund, A.; Martelletti, D.M.; Álvarez-Vanegas, A.; Ceja, M.A.C.; Gonzalez, M.; Carrillo Artavia, C.; Jiménez-Elizondo, N.; Velázquez Muñoz, D.E.; et al. Professionalization of Academic Teaching in Latin American Universities to Address SDGs Applying the Stages of Concern Theory. Sustainability 2025, 17, 5850. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135850

AMA Style

Makrakis V, Kostoulas-Makrakis N, Siegmund A, Martelletti DM, Álvarez-Vanegas A, Ceja MAC, Gonzalez M, Carrillo Artavia C, Jiménez-Elizondo N, Velázquez Muñoz DE, et al. Professionalization of Academic Teaching in Latin American Universities to Address SDGs Applying the Stages of Concern Theory. Sustainability. 2025; 17(13):5850. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135850

Chicago/Turabian Style

Makrakis, Vassilios, Nelly Kostoulas-Makrakis, Alexander Siegmund, Delfina María Martelletti, Alejandro Álvarez-Vanegas, Mateo Alfredo Castillo Ceja, Miguel Gonzalez, Carolina Carrillo Artavia, Nadiarid Jiménez-Elizondo, David Eduardo Velázquez Muñoz, and et al. 2025. "Professionalization of Academic Teaching in Latin American Universities to Address SDGs Applying the Stages of Concern Theory" Sustainability 17, no. 13: 5850. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135850

APA Style

Makrakis, V., Kostoulas-Makrakis, N., Siegmund, A., Martelletti, D. M., Álvarez-Vanegas, A., Ceja, M. A. C., Gonzalez, M., Carrillo Artavia, C., Jiménez-Elizondo, N., Velázquez Muñoz, D. E., Jimenez-Elizondo, A., & Larios, N. (2025). Professionalization of Academic Teaching in Latin American Universities to Address SDGs Applying the Stages of Concern Theory. Sustainability, 17(13), 5850. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135850

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