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Sustainability
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Sustainable Education: The Role of Innovation
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Sustainable Education: The Role of Innovation

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2027 | Viewed by 2906

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos Bustamante

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology and Sociology, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: neuroeducation; neuroscience; E-learning; educational technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Natalia Larraz Rábanos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: cognitive development; creativity; metacognition; thinking skills; teaching–learning process
Dr. Manuel Segura-Berges

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science Education, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: assistive technologies for education; special education, educational technology; addictive technological behaviors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition toward a sustainable future requires transformative changes in education and innovative approaches, involving the empirical validation of experiences. Integrated innovations in the classroom should be evaluated to assess their effectiveness on students' learning and to establish research plans. Thus, research on learning is closely linked to innovation. Furthermore, the boundaries between innovation and research are not always easy to delimit as, in general terms, research can both drive innovation and be influenced by it. The literature emphasizes that teacher-driven innovation involves intention and planning. Thus, research is crucial as it pertains to two important aspects: it both catalyzes and evaluates innovation.

Therefore, this Special Issue explores how innovation—technological, pedagogical, and institutional—can drive sustainability in education. We welcome contributions that examine cutting-edge approaches, including digital tools, interdisciplinary curricula, policy frameworks, and community-driven initiatives, that foster innovative and sustainable mindsets and practices. Papers may address case studies, theoretical advancements, or empirical research, highlighting the role of innovation in shaping sustainable education systems. This Special Issue encourages the submission of theoretical and empirical studies on the following themes (although other relevant topics will also be considered):

  • Empirically validated and innovative educational interventions.
  • Curricula and innovation.
  • Educative policy and innovation.
  • Digital transition and innovation.
  • Technology, innovation and special needs.
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and innovation.

Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos Bustamante
Dr. Natalia Larraz Rábanos
Dr. Manuel Segura-Berges 
Guest Editors

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 single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • innovation
  • sustainable education
  • digital transition
  • technology
  • SDG
 

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 689 KB  
Article
Exploring Barriers and Needs: Secondary Teachers’ Perspectives on Climate Change Education Within an International Environmental Campus
by Antonio García-Vinuesa, Mayara Palmieri and Francisco Sóñora-Luna
Sustainability 2026, 18(5), 2519; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052519 - 4 Mar 2026
Viewed by 445
Abstract
This study addresses a critical gap by examining the specific barriers and demands faced by secondary school teachers who are deeply engaged in climate change education. Using a qualitative design complemented by quantitative descriptive indicators (code frequencies and co-occurrence counts derived from qualitative [...] Read more.
This study addresses a critical gap by examining the specific barriers and demands faced by secondary school teachers who are deeply engaged in climate change education. Using a qualitative design complemented by quantitative descriptive indicators (code frequencies and co-occurrence counts derived from qualitative data), the study also includes an in-depth analysis of a focus group with 16 teachers at an international environmental campus (82 speaking turns, 136 coded segments). Moving beyond commonly identified challenges, the findings illuminate how structural constraints—such as curricular overload and the lack of interdisciplinary institutional support—intersect with high levels of personal commitment to climate change education. A central finding is the demotivating effect of unrewarded personal effort, whereby additional work related to climate action remains institutionally unrecognized. Moreover, teachers highlighted the difficulty of integrating climate change into non-scientific subjects, pointing to a disciplinary gap in available support. These insights, emerging from a highly committed community of practitioners, underline that effective teacher professional development must address not only general pedagogical needs but also the specific systemic and motivational barriers shaping sustainability-oriented climate change education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education: The Role of Innovation)
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29 pages, 379 KB  
Article
Vocational Counseling and Career Guidance: Premises for a Sustainable Educational Path—A Cross-Sectional Study in Brașov County, Romania
by Claudiu Coman, Ecaterina Coman, Marian Costel Dalban, Raluca Maria Șerbănescu, Marcel Iordache, Claudiu Mihail Roman and Victoria Rodica Cioca
Sustainability 2026, 18(5), 2412; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052412 - 2 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1017
Abstract
The transition from lower to upper secondary education is a critical developmental stage, requiring decisions with long-term academic and professional consequences. Addressing a gap in evidence that often treats counselling, family educational capital, and place of residence separately, this study examines how these [...] Read more.
The transition from lower to upper secondary education is a critical developmental stage, requiring decisions with long-term academic and professional consequences. Addressing a gap in evidence that often treats counselling, family educational capital, and place of residence separately, this study examines how these factors jointly relate to students’ high school track/profile choice and their intention to pursue higher education in the Romanian educational transition. Using a standardized questionnaire, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1392 lower secondary students (aged 13–14) from Brașov County, Romania, to map preferred tracks, influencing factors, perceptions of high school, and the values framing decision-making. High school track/profile choice emerged as a central “decision node”, strongly associated with participation in counselling p < 0.001; Cramer’s V = 0.678) and significantly related to parents’ educational level and university intentions. Substantial urban–rural differences were observed in track/profile choice (p < 0.001; V = 0.442), with urban students selecting the “real” track more frequently (≈68%) than rural students (≈37%). University intention was high overall, with a small but significant urban–rural difference (≈89.7% vs. ≈86.9%; p = 0.028; V = 0.072). Findings support integrating counselling into coherent adolescent career development models and expanding services to reduce contextual disparities through stronger school–family–community partnerships. This evidence is relevant for education policy and practice by supporting the scaling of school-based career guidance and targeted measures to reduce rural–urban disparities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education: The Role of Innovation)
21 pages, 3435 KB  
Article
Construction and Practice of the Practical Education System for Agricultural Hydraulic Engineering in the Context of Emerging Engineering Education
by Tao Lei, Xianghong Guo, Shuqin Lian and Yuanjie Bi
Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 696; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020696 - 9 Jan 2026
Viewed by 580
Abstract
Under the background of “Emerging Engineering Education”, promoting reform in the practical teaching of Agricultural Hydraulic Engineering is a crucial task for cultivating water conservancy professionals with sustainability competencies in the new era. This study addresses current issues in the practical education of [...] Read more.
Under the background of “Emerging Engineering Education”, promoting reform in the practical teaching of Agricultural Hydraulic Engineering is a crucial task for cultivating water conservancy professionals with sustainability competencies in the new era. This study addresses current issues in the practical education of Agricultural Hydraulic Engineering, including fragmented practical content, disjointed tiered training, superficial teaching models, and simplified assessment methods. Guided by the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) concept and incorporating sustainability education principles, and integrating the distinctive features and course orientation of the university’s programme, this study implements a multidimensional practical teaching reform characterized by “three level–four integration–five dimension–three objective” framework in Agricultural Hydraulic Engineering. This reform has achieved significant outcomes: teaching quality has been notably enhanced, with students demonstrating substantially improved practical and innovative capabilities, earning over ten national and provincial competition awards in the past two years. Faculty teaching research capabilities have strengthened, resulting in multiple provincial-level teaching reform projects and top-tier course approvals. The proportion of courses achieving a satisfactory level of target attainment stands at 66.7% of the total practical courses. Graduate and employer satisfaction rates reached 96.2% and 100%, respectively. The results demonstrate the strong applicability and effectiveness of this multidimensional practical teaching model in fostering talent equipped for sustainable water conservancy development, providing an important reference for practical teaching reforms in agricultural universities during the new era. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education: The Role of Innovation)
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