IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i4p1374-d320105.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Developing Students’ Action Competence for a Sustainable Future: A Review of Educational Research

Author

Listed:
  • Shih-Yeh Chen

    (Taichung Municipal Dali High School, Taichung 41260, Taiwan)

  • Shiang-Yao Liu

    (Graduate Institute of Science Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan)

Abstract

The goal of education for sustainable development is to develop future citizens who can make informed decision and take responsible action to solve the problem. The concept of action competence proposed by Jensen and Schnack in 1997, which emerges as a critical thought from traditional environmental education, gradually attracts the attention with the maturing on the idea of sustainability. This research aims to systematically analyse the peer-reviewed studies published between 1997 and 2017 that embraced the concept of action competence as the instructional approach. After coding 170 articles from two quality databases, some patterns emerge from the year of publication in the resulting 34 empirical studies. Findings on the research design, pathway of intervention, instructional setting, and learning outcome increase our understanding of action competence applied in the authentic context. There is a sharp increase on the inter-disciplinary topic of sustainable development. It reflects the influence of the intergovernmental agreement and the resilience of action competence from environmental education to education for sustainable development. Reviewed studies indicate that action-oriented and transformative pedagogy cultivate students to be active participants, empower their capability of deliberating the causes and effects, and construct their visions for finding strategies toward the problems.

Suggested Citation

  • Shih-Yeh Chen & Shiang-Yao Liu, 2020. "Developing Students’ Action Competence for a Sustainable Future: A Review of Educational Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-14, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:4:p:1374-:d:320105
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1374/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1374/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Martín Bascopé & Paolo Perasso & Kristina Reiss, 2019. "Systematic Review of Education for Sustainable Development at an Early Stage: Cornerstones and Pedagogical Approaches for Teacher Professional Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Petra Simonova & Jan Cincera & Roman Kroufek & Sarka Krepelkova & Andreas Hadjichambis, 2019. "Active Citizens: Evaluation of a Community-Based Education Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-10, January.
    3. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    4. Eleni Sinakou & Vincent Donche & Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Peter Van Petegem, 2019. "Designing Powerful Learning Environments in Education for Sustainable Development: A Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-23, October.
    5. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    6. Carleton-Hug, Annelise & Hug, J. William, 2010. "Challenges and opportunities for evaluating environmental education programs," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 159-164, May.
    7. Carola Garrecht & Till Bruckermann & Ute Harms, 2018. "Students’ Decision-Making in Education for Sustainability-Related Extracurricular Activities—A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-19, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tamara Esquivel-Martín & José Manuel Pérez-Martín & Beatriz Bravo-Torija, 2023. "Does Pollution Only Affect Human Health? A Scenario for Argumentation in the Framework of One Health Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    2. Jefferson Rodrigues-Silva & Ángel Alsina, 2023. "STEM/STEAM in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS): A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Marilena Labianca, 2021. "Can GIS Foster Conscious and Critical Learning in Geography? An Application from Students to a Real Case Included in the National Strategy for Inner Areas: Monti Dauni, Apulia (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    4. Quentin Ssossé & Johanna Wagner & Carina Hopper, 2021. "Assessing the Impact of ESD: Methods, Challenges, Results," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-26, March.
    5. Jose Antonio Prieto-Saborit & David Méndez-Alonso & Ana Fernández-Viciana & Laxmi J. Dixit Dixit & Paloma Nistal-Hernández, 2022. "Implementation of Cooperative Learning and Its Relationship with Prior Training of Teachers, Performance and Equity in Mathematics: A Longitudinal Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Antonio Torralba-Burrial & Eduardo Dopico, 2023. "Promoting the Sustainability of Artisanal Fishing through Environmental Education with Game-Based Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-15, August.
    7. Heidi Honegger Rogers & Megan Tucker & Mary Pat Couig & Vanessa Svihla, 2023. "Facilitating an Interprofessional Course on Climate Change and Public Health Preparedness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-15, May.
    8. Hye Yeon Park & Carlos V. Licon & Ole Russell Sleipness, 2022. "Teaching Sustainability in Planning and Design Education: A Systematic Review of Pedagogical Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-17, August.
    9. Andra-Teodora Gorski & Elena-Diana Ranf & Dorel Badea & Elisabeta-Emilia Halmaghi & Hortensia Gorski, 2023. "Education for Sustainability—Some Bibliometric Insights," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-17, October.
    10. Asheena Singh-Pillay, 2023. "Pre-Service Teachers’ Experience of Learning about Sustainability in Technology Education in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-13, January.
    11. Teen-Hang Meen & Charles Tijus & Jui-Che Tu, 2020. "Selected Papers from the Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-5, July.
    12. Lorenz Probst, 2022. "Higher Education for Sustainability: A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence 2013–2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-24, March.
    13. Zhenwen Liu & Hsi-Chi Yang & Yan-Chyuan Shiau, 2020. "Investigation on Evaluation Framework of Elementary School Teaching Materials for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-19, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Atif Saleem & Philip Saagyum Dare, 2023. "Unmasking the Action-Oriented ESD Approach to Acting Environmentally Friendly," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-22, January.
    2. Birgitta Nordén & Helen Avery, 2021. "Global Learning for Sustainable Development: A Historical Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-31, March.
    3. Issa Ibrahim Berchin & Ana Regina de Aguiar Dutra & José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, 2021. "How do higher education institutions promote sustainable development? A literature review," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(6), pages 1204-1222, November.
    4. Daniel El Chami & André Daccache & Maroun El Moujabber, 2020. "How Can Sustainable Agriculture Increase Climate Resilience? A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-23, April.
    5. Coral Campbell & Christopher Speldewinde, 2022. "Early Childhood STEM Education for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-11, March.
    6. Sheina Koffler & Celso Barbiéri & Natalia P. Ghilardi-Lopes & Jailson N. Leocadio & Bruno Albertini & Tiago M. Francoy & Antonio M. Saraiva, 2021. "A Buzz for Sustainability and Conservation: The Growing Potential of Citizen Science Studies on Bees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.
    7. Suparak Suriyankietkaew & Phallapa Petison, 2019. "A Retrospective and Foresight: Bibliometric Review of International Research on Strategic Management for Sustainability, 1991–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27, December.
    8. Giulia Sesini & Cinzia Castiglioni & Edoardo Lozza, 2020. "New Trends and Patterns in Sustainable Consumption: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-25, July.
    9. Dorin Maier & Andreea Maier & Ioan Așchilean & Livia Anastasiu & Ovidiu Gavriș, 2020. "The Relationship between Innovation and Sustainability: A Bibliometric Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-20, May.
    10. T.E.T Dantas & S.R Soares, 2022. "Systematic literature review on the application of life cycle sustainability assessment in the energy sector," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 1583-1615, February.
    11. Bryony M. Bowman & Dexter V. L. Hunt & Chris D. F. Rogers, 2022. "Gazing into the Crystal Ball: A Review of Futures Analysis to Promote Environmental Justice in the UK Water Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-18, April.
    12. Olivera Kostoska & Ljupco Kocarev, 2019. "A Novel ICT Framework for Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-31, April.
    13. María Huertas González-Serrano & Vicente Añó Sanz & Rómulo Jacobo González-García, 2020. "Sustainable Sport Entrepreneurship and Innovation: A Bibliometric Analysis of This Emerging Field of Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-26, June.
    14. Varvara Nikulina & David Simon & Henrik Ny & Henrikke Baumann, 2019. "Context-Adapted Urban Planning for Rapid Transitioning of Personal Mobility towards Sustainability: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-37, February.
    15. Paula Benevene & Ilaria Buonomo, 2020. "Green Human Resource Management: An Evidence-Based Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-25, July.
    16. Eleni Sinakou & Vincent Donche & Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Peter Van Petegem, 2019. "Designing Powerful Learning Environments in Education for Sustainable Development: A Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-23, October.
    17. Ali Bastas, 2021. "Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies: A Systematic Review of Latest Trends and Themes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-22, April.
    18. Paula Benevene & Ilaria Buonomo & Eric Kong & Martina Pansini & Maria Luisa Farnese, 2021. "Management of Green Intellectual Capital: Evidence-Based Literature Review and Future Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-22, July.
    19. Julia Lohmann & Jennifer Breithecker & Ulrike Ohl & Petra Gieß-Stüber & Hans Peter Brandl-Bredenbeck, 2021. "Teachers’ Professional Action Competence in Education for Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review from the Perspective of Physical Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-26, December.
    20. Pedro Mauricio Acosta Castellanos & Araceli Queiruga-Dios & Lina González Álvarez, 2021. "Inclusion of Education for Sustainable Development in Environmental Engineering. A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-11, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:4:p:1374-:d:320105. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.