Innovative Research Methods for Sustainable Educational Development
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 May 2026 | Viewed by 2714
Special Issue Editor
Interests: educational research; research methods; educational management; distance learning; open and technology leadership; educational program and instruction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue, “Innovative Research Methods for Sustainable Educational Development”, focuses on advanced and innovative research methods in education sciences. In order to break away from the monotony of research, there is a need to use new research approaches that will further enrich known quantitative and qualitative research. Innovative research methodologies are crucial for sustainable educational advancement for various reasons. As educational institutions encounter swift transformations driven by globalization, technological progress, and evolving societal demands, conventional research methodologies may prove inadequate in effectively tackling these difficulties. Several fundamental considerations underscore the necessity of innovative research methodologies:
- The need to solve complex educational problems;
- Increasing dependence on technology in education;
- Promoting inclusion and equality;
- Promoting interdisciplinary collaboration for the development of sustainable education;
- Identifying new pedagogical models that better suit the needs of the 21st century;
- Developing personalized learning environments appropriate for 21st-century learning skills
- Understanding the increasing student movements on digital platforms and identifying ways to increase accessibility to these environments;
- Continuous improvement and innovation: increasing use of artificial intelligence in education.
We are looking for applications that not only propose new research methods but also demonstrate how these innovative methods can be integrated to support sustainable development in education and visualize the results of their implementation.
Technology, interdisciplinary approaches, and an evolving social environment create new research methods in various fields. These innovative methods are generally more robust, dynamic, and efficient. The methods mentioned below combine traditional techniques with modern tools and approaches. In addition to the topics mentioned below for this Special Issue, research with innovative methods that you think will contribute and are suitable for this Special Issue will also be welcomed.
- Mixed-methods research with big data integration;
- Participatory action research with digital tools;
- AI-powered research tools;
- Blockchain in education;
- Fuzzy logic and complex system modeling;
- Crowdsourced Text Analysis;
- Neuro-qualitative research;
- Bibliometric visualized methods.
Dr. Umut Akçıl
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- sustainable education
- innovative research methods
- AI-powered research
- empirical research
- action research
- mixed-methods research
- advanced-visualized research methods
- research with big data integration
- interdisciplinary approaches
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