Principal Topic

The empirical evidence shows that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have received significant attention for addressing global challenges like poverty, inequality, and environmental sustainability. However, there is growing interest in exploring their potential impact on improving students' competencies in core subjects like mathematics, which fosters problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.In this context, the study aims to investigate the impact of the SDGs on students' mathematical competencies by comparing Austria and Sweden. Specifically, it seeks to answer: (1) Do SDGs enhance knowledge acquisition in mathematics? (2) How does causality influence the relationship between SDGs and numbers? (3) Are these texts in the sense of SDGs fact-based, normative, or pluralistic in terms? 

Methodology/Key Propositions

The empirical analysis is based on 250 essays. Business school students from Austria and teacher students from Sweden were given the task of writing a 100–150-word essay on natural and rational numbers, including the SDGs. Mathematical terms such as whole numbers, order, the number 0, positive, non-negative, denominator, numerator and quotient were to be part of the essay.In our methodological framework, the unit of analysis is the students' writing, which gives us insight into their perceptions of the link between mathematical literacy and the SDGs. 

Results and Implications

The main findings indicate that the SDGs have a minor influence on Austrian students' decision-making, with the number associated with each SDG being the key factor. Most Austrian students (55.9%) focused on SDG 4 'Quality education', followed by SDG 1 'No poverty' (15.8%) and SDG 12 'Responsible consumption and production' (5.9%). Swedish students also favored SDG 4 (21.4%), followed by SDG 1 (14.5%), but ranked SDG 10 'Reduced inequality' (7.5%) third. Overall, Austrian students mainly viewed the SDGs through a mathematical lens, without recognizing numbers as tools for addressing sustainability. In contrast, some Swedish students saw mathematics as a tool to allocate resources and reduce inequality, aiming for a more just society.