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Education Sciences
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Education for a Sustainable Future: Inspiring Change for a Greener...
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Education for a Sustainable Future: Inspiring Change for a Greener Planet

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 22 May 2026 | Viewed by 1050

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sandra Ajaps

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Interests: environmental education; sustainability education; international education; decolonising methodologies; critical pedagogy; participatory action research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The escalating environmental, social, and economic crises of the 21st century highlight the urgent need to reimagine the role of education in advancing a sustainable planet. Education is not only a means of knowledge transmission but also a transformative force that fosters critical consciousness, collective responsibility, and action for long-term societal change. This Special Issue, “Education for a Sustainable Future: Inspiring Change for a Greener Planet,” seeks to bring together high-quality, interdisciplinary research that critically examines how education can empower current and future generations to address pressing global challenges and drive systemic change.

We invite submissions that explore innovative pedagogical approaches, curriculum design, teacher education and professional development, community-based learning, equity, inclusion, and global citizenship, and policy frameworks that integrate environmental sustainability principles across formal, non-formal, and informal educational contexts. Empirical studies, theoretical contributions, comparative analyses, and practice-based insights or evaluations are particularly welcome.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to advance scholarly discourse, share impactful practices, and contribute to the global effort to cultivate informed, responsible, and empowered learners who can shape a more just, resilient, and sustainable future.

Deadline for Abstracts (250 words) : 31 January 2026
If more time is needed, please feel free to let us know.

Dr. Sandra Ajaps
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • education for sustainable development
  • sustainability education
  • indigenous knowledges
  • decolonial approaches
  • transformative learning
  • pedagogical innovation
  • global citizenship education
  • teacher education
  • social and environmental justice
  • sustainable futures

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 1149 KB  
Article
Decolonising Environmental Education Pedagogy: A Participatory Action Research Approach
by Sandra Ajaps
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(2), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16020199 - 28 Jan 2026
Viewed by 120
Abstract
The continued marginalisation of Indigenous knowledges and practices in environmental education sustains curricula and pedagogies grounded in Western worldviews. This exclusion reinforces limited or deficit-oriented perceptions of Indigenous cultures, environments, and epistemologies. Therefore, this study draws on the theory of critical consciousness to [...] Read more.
The continued marginalisation of Indigenous knowledges and practices in environmental education sustains curricula and pedagogies grounded in Western worldviews. This exclusion reinforces limited or deficit-oriented perceptions of Indigenous cultures, environments, and epistemologies. Therefore, this study draws on the theory of critical consciousness to examine the need for Indigenous peoples and educators to become critically aware of the forces shaping their educational experiences and to use this awareness to transform their lives and teaching practices for a sustainable future. To illustrate how this transformation might occur, a qualitative study was conducted with ten Nigerian secondary school teachers who engaged with the design and implementation of a decolonisation model for environmental education. Findings show that seven participants successfully adopted the model, and several demonstrated notable shifts in their perspectives during the process. The study offers two key contributions: a conceptual framework for understanding decolonisation in environmental education and a practical decolonisation model for teachers. These contributions have broader relevance for educational reform and environmental education in countries with similar contexts to Nigeria and in marginalised communities in the Global North, where learners are often alienated from their local realities in favour of globalist perspectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for a Sustainable Future: Inspiring Change for a Greener Planet)
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20 pages, 498 KB  
Article
Fostering Action Competence Through Emancipatory, School-Based Environmental Projects: A Bildung Perspective
by Suchawadee Ketchanok and Jeerawan Ketsing
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(12), 1706; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15121706 - 17 Dec 2025
Viewed by 475
Abstract
Although much research in environmental and sustainability education has focused on knowledge and awareness, fewer studies have examined how school-based projects can foster young learners’ capacity for action. This study investigates how emancipatory, school-based environmental projects can foster young learners’ foundational capacities for [...] Read more.
Although much research in environmental and sustainability education has focused on knowledge and awareness, fewer studies have examined how school-based projects can foster young learners’ capacity for action. This study investigates how emancipatory, school-based environmental projects can foster young learners’ foundational capacities for contributing to a more sustainable and caring future. Grounded in the Bildung perspective and the action competence framework, a 16-week intervention was implemented with Grade 8 students who collaboratively identified and addressed authentic environmental issues—such as waste mismanagement, sanitation concerns, and safety risks—within their school community. Using a concurrent mixed-methods design, quantitative data from the Student Action Competence Questionnaire were integrated with qualitative evidence from worksheets and reflective journals. Results show consistent improvement across all dimensions of action competence, particularly in democratic collaboration and students’ willingness to take shared responsibility for environmental well-being. Qualitative findings reveal the development of critical reflection, co-creation with school stakeholders, and a growing sense of social responsibility, as students engaged in activities ranging from redesigning waste systems to proposing improvements through official communication channels. Rather than focusing on large-scale environmental outcomes, the projects cultivated everyday practices of care, participation, and ethical awareness—key dispositions for inspiring long-term change toward a greener and more sustainable future. The study highlights how context-based, dialogic learning can empower students as emerging environmental citizens within their immediate communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for a Sustainable Future: Inspiring Change for a Greener Planet)
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