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Mapping the Landscape and Structure of Research on Education for Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Review

Author

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  • Philip Hallinger

    (Center for Research on Sustainable Leadership, College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
    Department of Educational Leadership and Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa)

  • Vien-Thong Nguyen

    (Center for Research on Sustainable Leadership, College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
    Faculty of Education, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam)

Abstract

This systematic review of research used science mapping as a means of analyzing the knowledge base on education for sustainable development (ESD) in K-12 schooling. The review documented the size, growth trajectory and geographic distribution of this literature, identified high impact scholars and documents, and visualized the “intellectual structure” of the field. The database examined in this review consisted of 1842 English language, Scopus-indexed documents published between 1990 and 2018. The review found that the knowledge base on ESD has grown dramatically over the past 30 years, with a rapidly accelerating rate of publication in the past decade. Although the field has been dominated by scholarship from Anglo-American_European nations, there is evidence of increasing geographic diversification of the ESD knowledge base over the past 15 years. Citation analyses identified authors who have had a significant influence on the development of this literature. Author co-citation analysis revealed three “schools of thought” that comprise the “intellectual structure” of this knowledge base: Education for Sustainable Development, Developing a Sustainability Mindset, Teaching and Learning for Sustainability. Document content analyses led to the conclusion that the current knowledge base is heavily weighted towards critical, descriptive and prescriptive papers, with an insufficient body of analytical empirical studies. Several recommendations are offered for strengthening this literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Philip Hallinger & Vien-Thong Nguyen, 2020. "Mapping the Landscape and Structure of Research on Education for Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:5:p:1947-:d:328158
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    5. Esther Prieto-Jiménez & Luis López-Catalán & Blanca López-Catalán & Guillermo Domínguez-Fernández, 2021. "Sustainable Development Goals and Education: A Bibliometric Mapping Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Ho, Manh-Toan, 2020. "The rise of research on development economics in Vietnam: Analyses and implications for the public and policymakers from SSHPA 2008-2020 dataset," Thesis Commons msy6e, Center for Open Science.
    7. , Aisdl, 2020. "The rise of research on development economics in Vietnam: Analyses and implications for the public and policymakers from SSHPA 2008-2020 dataset," OSF Preprints 9nbyr, Center for Open Science.
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