Manuel Fernández Santana

PhD student

I am a PhD student from TeknNad focusing in sustainability education in natural science didacts.

In my project, I focus on the role of values and emotions for addressing sustainability in education and motivating behavioral change, and how visualization encourages meaningul discussions to engage with sustainability-related topics. I contextualize my work in pre-service science teacher education, working with 'Naturkunskap' student teachers that explore sustainability topics from a historical and educational perspective. I am particularly interested in ethical and moral considerations and how these shape pre-service teachers' views on sustainability education as individuals and future educators.

Publications

2025

Manuel Fernández Santana, Gunnar Höst, Anders Jidesjö, Konrad Schönborn (2025)

Visualization to foster conversations on sustainability among naturkunskap pre-service teachers (Conference paper)

Manuel Fernández Santana (2025)

Navigating pre-service science teachers' role in sustainability education with the aid of visualization (Conference paper)

2024

Manuel Fernández Santana (2024)

Encouraging Behavioral Change Towards Sustainability through Affective Engagement (Conference paper)

Research

A pubil wearing vr glasses in a classroom

Science Education

Subject-based teaching in the natural sciences is a research area that conducts research in conjunction with teacher training at Linköping University, in particular the part which is carried out in Norrköping.

A teacher teaching some younger students about technology.

Technology and Science Education Research - TESER

Technology and Science Education Research – TESER – is a research unit in science and technology education research that was initiated in 2011.

A view of the earth from space with stars in the background.

LiU Sustainability Transformations

Linköping University Sustainability Transformations- LiUST, is a university-wide hub to elevate and increase the visibility of ongoing sustainability efforts at LiU, internally and externally.

News

30 April 2026

Sustainability, AI and the future of food - LiU researchers share their research

At the fair on the future of gastronomy, three LiU researchers share their research on AI on dairy farms, the role of emotions in sustainability education, and digital twins that can replace animal experiments.

A man and a woman are standing in a corridor in front of a yellow wall with framed art. Both are smiling at the camera. The man, with dark hair, a beard, and glasses, has a keffiyeh draped over his shoulders. The woman, with her blonde hair in a bun, is leaning on a wooden railing and wearing a dark blouse with a colorful floral pattern.

08 September 2025

The tale of two doctorate students and their journey

What drives two accomplished educators to leave behind the familiar comforts of Spain and Switzerland, return to Sweden's long winters and short days, and dive deeper into the world of academic research?

Organisation

Division of Learning, Aesthetics, Natural Science (LEN)

LEN is a division at IBL engaged in education and research within the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Linköping University.

Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning (IBL)

Human behaviour and learning is the focus for education and research at the department. We educate students and scientists that are well equipped to meet future challenges in society and working life.