Effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Kindergarten, School and University: Empirical Educational Research Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been a topic in educational policy and education for almost 30 years. In a very broad sense, ESD can be understood as the total of all actions by which actors (e.g., educators, teachers, lectures) seek to promote learners’ sustainability competencies, enabling them to shape a sustainable development. Since its beginning, an almost unmanageable number of ideas and concepts for the realization of ESD's goals within the framework of formal education have been developed and published. ESD is now anchored in many educational plans, curricula, and study regulations. Educators in kindergartens, teachers in schools, and university teachers have since then striven to realize the goals of ESD in many different areas. In addition, extensive research on ESD has developed, taking school and extracurricular contexts into focus. This research has led to numerous findings. Studies in this field have shown a wide range of theoretical and methodological positions. We think that it is now time to examine and discuss about empirically proven and evidence-based ESD not only regarding the achievement of the desired goals, but also concerning the forms of practice of ESD in general.  This refers to empirical data concerning variables affecting teaching and learning in ESD (e.g., characteristics of the stakeholders, teachers, pupils, learning methods, content, learning opportunities, learning materials, educational plans).

This Special Issue focuses on all aspects of ESD and the effectiveness of the chosen measures to achieve its goals from an empirical perspective, comprising different formal educational settings from preschool to higher education. Suggested topics include:

- Empirical findings on the recommended and/or pursued learning goals of ESD in kindergartens, primary or secondary schools, and Higher Education (e.g., universities, vocational schools)

- Empirical studies about competence-related characteristics (e.g., knowledge, attitudes, motivation, abilities) of stakeholders of ESD (e.g., teachers, pupils)

- Empirical findings on the state of ESD implementation in educational plans, curricula, and study regulations

- Empirical findings on the state of ESD-related teacher education and teacher training at universities and professional development centers

- Empirical findings on the variety, distribution, and effectiveness of ESD-related teaching methods (e.g. ,teaching procedures, learning opportunities, contents)

- Empirical findings on the variety and effectiveness of ESD-related teaching and learning materials and media (e.g., textbooks, digital media, internet, films)

 - Empirical findings on the variety and effectiveness of teaching ESD-related contents in different school and study subjects

Prof. Dr. Werner Rieß
Prof. Dr. Christoph Mischo
Prof. Dr. Katja Scharenberg
Guest Editors

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