Sustainability Competencies in Complex Contexts: Educational Approaches with Gender and Human Development Perspectives

Dear Colleagues, 

The increasing complexity of contemporary social, environmental, and economic challenges demands educational approaches that enable individuals to navigate uncertainty, interdependence, and systemic change. In this context, sustainability competencies have become a central priority for higher education, institutions, and policymakers committed to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although the prior literature has substantially contributed to defining sustainability competencies, important gaps persist concerning their development within complex systems and the influence of gender and human development perspectives in shaping such competencies. 

(1) Focus, Scope, and Purpose 

1. Focus:

This Special Issue focuses on the development, enactment, and assessment of sustainability competencies within complex and dynamic educational and social environments. 

1. Scope:

This Special Issue welcomes empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions addressing:

–The integration of complexity theory in sustainability education;

–Gender and human development perspectives in competency formation;

–Innovative pedagogical models, transformative learning processes, and culturally responsive approaches;

–Measurement frameworks and evaluation tools informed by systems thinking. 

1. Purpose:

The purpose of this Special Issue is to advance interdisciplinary understanding of how individuals and institutions cultivate sustainability competencies in contexts marked by uncertainty, diversity, and structural inequalities. By doing so, it aims to identify educational strategies that enhance agency, ethical decision-making, and collaborative problem-solving for sustainable development. 

(2) Contribution to the Existing Literature 

This Special Issue will complement existing literature by explicitly linking four domains that are often examined separately: sustainability competencies, complexity studies, gender research, and human development theory. While prior research has explored each of these areas independently, fewer studies integrate them to explain how learners acquire and apply competencies in real-world complex systems. By bridging these fields, this Special Issue will provide a more holistic and systemic perspective, expanding current knowledge on transformative sustainability education and offering conceptual and methodological innovations to advance global scholarship. 

Dr. José Carlos Vázquez-Parra
Dr. Inés Álvarez-Icaza Longoria
Prof. Dr. Luz Elena Malagon
Guest Editors

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