Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, Results

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD; also often called Education for Sustainability (EfS)) is a key lever of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which emphasize the need for everyone to have the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of creating a more sustainable world. H...

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Main Authors: Quentin Ssossé, Johanna Wagner, Carina Hopper
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2854
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spelling doaj-e056725e1e664cf3be19463f9fe210f62021-03-07T00:01:22ZengMDPI AGSustainability2071-10502021-03-01132854285410.3390/su13052854Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, ResultsQuentin Ssossé0Johanna Wagner1Carina Hopper2Independent Researcher, 75020 Paris, FranceIndependent Researcher, 75015 Paris, FranceIndependent Researcher, 08028 Barcelona, SpainEducation for Sustainable Development (ESD; also often called Education for Sustainability (EfS)) is a key lever of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which emphasize the need for everyone to have the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of creating a more sustainable world. However, while we can find examples of ESD across the globe, its potential to scale effectively and its impact on achieving the goals of sustainable development as compared with traditional curricula are often questioned. This literature review, at the crossroads of econometrics, educational sciences and psychology, aims to foster scaled ESD research and initiatives by offering a better understanding of the doubts that surround its potential impact. To that end, we (1) shed light on the methods and good practices for assessing this impact; (2) underline the specificity of the data to be collected in the context of these methods of assessment; and (3) outline the existing conclusions of impact studies dedicated to ESD that have served to highlight the limits and challenges for accurate measurement. These impact studies suggest that ESD will only achieve its objectives if pedagogical approaches are renewed. The inclusion of studies showing de facto poor results for ESD makes it possible to complete the picture of the endogenous and exogenous factors determining sustainable behavior that must be taken into account, both in the design of impact assessment tools and in the concrete implementation of ESD.https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2854education for sustainable developmentsustainability educationenvironmental literacycompetences for sustainable developmentsustainability citizensimpact assessment
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Quentin Ssossé
Johanna Wagner
Carina Hopper
spellingShingle Quentin Ssossé
Johanna Wagner
Carina Hopper
Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, Results
Sustainability
education for sustainable development
sustainability education
environmental literacy
competences for sustainable development
sustainability citizens
impact assessment
author_facet Quentin Ssossé
Johanna Wagner
Carina Hopper
author_sort Quentin Ssossé
title Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, Results
title_short Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, Results
title_full Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, Results
title_fullStr Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, Results
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, Results
title_sort assessing the impact of esd: methods, challenges, results
publisher MDPI AG
series Sustainability
issn 2071-1050
publishDate 2021-03-01
description Education for Sustainable Development (ESD; also often called Education for Sustainability (EfS)) is a key lever of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which emphasize the need for everyone to have the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of creating a more sustainable world. However, while we can find examples of ESD across the globe, its potential to scale effectively and its impact on achieving the goals of sustainable development as compared with traditional curricula are often questioned. This literature review, at the crossroads of econometrics, educational sciences and psychology, aims to foster scaled ESD research and initiatives by offering a better understanding of the doubts that surround its potential impact. To that end, we (1) shed light on the methods and good practices for assessing this impact; (2) underline the specificity of the data to be collected in the context of these methods of assessment; and (3) outline the existing conclusions of impact studies dedicated to ESD that have served to highlight the limits and challenges for accurate measurement. These impact studies suggest that ESD will only achieve its objectives if pedagogical approaches are renewed. The inclusion of studies showing de facto poor results for ESD makes it possible to complete the picture of the endogenous and exogenous factors determining sustainable behavior that must be taken into account, both in the design of impact assessment tools and in the concrete implementation of ESD.
topic education for sustainable development
sustainability education
environmental literacy
competences for sustainable development
sustainability citizens
impact assessment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2854
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