Education for Sustainable Development: Challenges and Opportunities of Transformative Learning and Teaching

The Sustainable Development Goals shed light on the enrichment of societies. In this context, social, economic, environmental, cultural, and political/governance aspects consider the quality of life (Martinez et al., 2020). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development raises issues in the areas of “People”, “Planet”, “Prosperity”, “Peace,” and “Partnership”, where the quality of life is considered a public policy for all societies (Murgas et al., 2022). The involvement of technology in the digital transformation and the impact of COVID-19 raise the question of the importance of education for the quality of life. The transformation of educational strategies, in particular, becomes important. The ways of learning and teaching are transformed for the future of education. In this context, a transformation of perspective leads to “a more fully developed (more functional) framework that is more (a) inclusive, (b) differentiating, (c) permeable, (d) critically reflective and (e) integrative of experience” (Mezirow, 1996). A perspective transformation usually occurs through a series of cumulative transformed meaning schemes or as a result of an acute personal or social crisis, for example, a natural disaster, the death of a significant other, a divorce, a debilitating accident, war, loss of a job or retirement; a new way of life with new codes of conduct in support of the sustainable development goals is essential for the quality of education.

This Special Issue outlines the challenges and opportunities in transformative learning and teaching for sustainable development in education. This issue covers education for sustainable development, technology, and management for transformative learning and teaching. Original research articles and reviews are welcome in this Special Issue. The research areas include new technologies, education, management, quality, professional development, transformative learning and teaching, and sustainable development. In this context, eight articles have been published in this Special Issue.

Radushinsky et al. (2024) present an analysis of indicators of scientific quality assessment at research universities. It also examines the models of university science in different countries, the characteristics of university types—engineering (technical or technological) and comprehensive (multidisciplinary)—and the problems that arise with their possible solutions for university science. The authors put forward a combination of indicators for assessing the quality of results of basic scientific research and engineering projects, as well as the performance of specialized scientific units of universities. As a result of the research, it was determined that it can be useful for improving quality management systems (QMSs) at research universities.

Demir’s (2024) study investigates the relationship between self-regulated online learning, perceived flexibility, and attitudes toward using distance learning environments among undergraduate students at a state university in Izmir, Turkey. The results show that undergraduate students exhibit high levels of self-regulation, perceive moderate flexibility, and have positive attitudes toward using distance learning environments. The analysis showed that self-regulated online learning is moderately related to perceived flexibility and strongly related to attitudes toward using distance learning environments.

Dev et al. (2024) aim to introduce a Sustainable Inclusive Framework Studio (SIF Studio) model that includes inclusive principles in their study. SIF Studio is a framework emphasizing inclusiveness, sustainability, and innovation in education. The study revealed a significant difference in the perceptions of students, teachers, and parents before and after the introduction of SIF Studio. By designing and developing SIF Studio specifically for educational institutions, this research aims to close the gap between inclusiveness goals and practical application while targeting sustainability goals. In this direction, the study makes significant contributions to the field.

The fourth article discusses the results of the study of educational effectiveness at the tertiary level by Vasilev et al. (2024). From the participant’s perspective, the factor subgroup “Teacher competence” was the most important, while the subgroup “Infrastructure facilities” was the least valuable. A list of priority measures that will make it possible to increase educational effectiveness in higher education institutions is presented.

The main objective of the fifth study was to examine the experiences of both students (in learning) and educators (in teaching) during the emergency transition to online education in the higher education system during the COVID-19 pandemic, using Qatar as a case study. The study was conducted by Al Qashouti et al. (2024). The study showed that students and educators exhibited a high level of agreement regarding their perceptions of the digital tools used and the accompanying support provided during the educational transition. The findings identified an urgent need for higher education institutions to use digital tools strategically.

The sixth study, focusing on teacher candidates, aims to determine the awareness of higher education students about SDGs and global citizenship and their understanding of the concept of global citizenship, to raise awareness about sustainable development goals and to evaluate the applicability of these goals to create a sustainable world for future generations. The results show that factors such as social justice and equality, selflessness, globalization and social values, sustainable future and responsibility, global citizenship education, awareness, and respect are identified as the main elements that can contribute to the development of global citizenship in this study. As a result, it has been determined that global citizenship has the potential to directly contribute to SDGs and that these potentials can be better explored through global citizenship education programs that can integrate all SDGs without prioritizing one over the other for teacher candidates (Akçay et al. 2024).

Bessadok and Bardesi (2024) investigate the importance of students’ desires as motivation and expectations in adopting e-learning by considering the influence of cultural values in their study. The research uses a theoretical framework that integrates the Technological Acceptance Model, the Unified Technology Acceptance and Use Theory, and the DeLone and McLean Information System Success Model with Schwartz’s human values. The research reveals that students prone to change and self-improvement have higher motivation and expectations toward e-learning, while those with a conservative perspective have lower motivation and expectations.

The recent systematic literature review based on the PRISMA methodology aims to contribute to academic knowledge on sustainable development goals (SDG) governance at the local level by revealing the contribution of HEI-community partnership approaches to transformative learning and action for sustainability. It has revealed various strategies used to build long-term, effective, and durable learning skills for sustainable development for all ESD stakeholders at the local level, including communities, HEIs, and city authorities. The study proposes these interventions as tools for better local governance for integrating SDGs in HEIs and communities, particularly through SDG4 Quality Education (Eichberg and Charles, 2024).