Motivations to Engage in Sustainability: Exploring Future Primary Teachers’ Perceptions in Spain

Sustainability is a key competence in Spanish higher education and a central axis in initial teacher training. However, future teachers’ motivations have received limited attention. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study analyses the self-perception of knowledge, motivations, and opportunities for sustainability among first and fourth-year students of the bachelor’s degree in primary education at two Spanish universities. The quantitative phase included distributing a Likert-type questionnaire to 396 students, with scales validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, while the qualitative phase was developed through 12 semi-structured interviews analysed via thematic analysis. The results show a high perception of conceptual knowledge, especially among final-year students, as well as a partial and predominantly environmental understanding of sustainability. With respect to motivations, intrinsic and transcendent motivation, linked to personal satisfaction and a commitment to the common good, stand out, while extrinsic and collective motivation carry less weight. Likewise, the participants identify numerous institutional and community opportunities for sustainability, although they recognise that leading a consumerist lifestyle is a major barrier. The findings reveal significant educational tensions in sustainability.