Educational Technology for Advancing Sustainability: Addressing Socio-Environmental Challenges and Controversial Issues

Dear Colleagues,

Socio-environmental problems and controversial issues are increasingly shaping contemporary societies, with direct implications for sustainable development and citizenship engagement. These challenges require not only scientific and policy responses, but also educational strategies that foster critical thinking, civic participation, inclusion, and transformative actions.

In this context, educational technology plays a pivotal role in connecting sustainability education with innovative approaches to teaching, learning, and community engagement. Digital tools—such as immersive environments, simulations, artificial intelligence, and participatory platforms—enable educators and learners to explore complex sustainability and socio-environmental problems, visualize local and global case studies, promote dialogue on controversial issues, and co-create solutions through inclusive and democratic processes.

Beyond classrooms, educational technology integrates formal, non-formal, and informal learning, empowering citizens and communities to actively address socio-environmental challenges. This approach directly supports the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

The Special Issue, “Educational Technology for Advancing Sustainability: Addressing Socio-Environmental Challenges and Controversial Issues”, welcomes theoretical, empirical, and practice-based contributions, focusing on (but not limited to) the following themes:

• Climate change education, human activities, and digital technologies.
• Managing controversial issues in social studies from a critical perspective.
• Using digital simulations and immersive experiences for sustainability learning.
• Employing virtual and augmented reality to address socio-environmental challenges in education.
• Artificial intelligence for sustainability education.
• Fostering community participation and inclusive citizenship in the digital age.
• Addressing global challenges and local responses through educational technologies.
• Teachers’ professional development on sustainability-related issues, the management of controversy and the didactical use of technologies.

Dr. Emilio José Delgado-Algarra
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.