Olaya Álvarez García

Olaya Álvarez García is a Lecturer in the Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology at the University of the Balearic Islands. She holds a degree in Environmental Sciences from the Autonomous University of Madrid (2007) and a European PhD in Environmental Education from the University of the Balearic Islands (2016). Her research and teaching focus on environmental education, teacher training, and sustainable development.

Her research interests span environmental education, teacher training, sustainable development, and climate change education. She has conducted research stays at international centers including the Institute for Educational Research (Vercaruzana University, Mexico) and Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (Greece). Her work examines environmental competencies of pre-service teachers, climate change education, and vocational training programs.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on environmental literacy, sustainable development in education, and vocational training. Key themes include climate change perception analysis, greenwashing in educational contexts, and strategies for preventing early dropout in vocational education. Her research often employs comparative and empirical approaches to assess educational programs and teacher competencies.

Álvarez García leads the Education for Sustainability Research Group (GREAS) and participates in multiple research structures including the Academic and Scientific Integrity Group (GRIAC), the Research and Innovation in Vocational Training Group (LABVET), and the Interdisciplinary Lab on Climate Change (LINCC UIB). She has secured competitive research funding from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for projects running through 2028.

She teaches Environmental Pedagogy and Environmental Education Programs across multiple degree programs including Pedagogy and Social Education. Her teaching portfolio includes both undergraduate and master's level courses, with particular focus on teacher training and environmental education curricula.