IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i8p3661-d1637432.html

Advancing Social Sustainability Through the Development of Action Competence: A Scoping Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Pia Andersson

    (ENCELL, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, 553 18 Jönköping, Sweden)

  • Lilly Augustine

    (CHILD, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, 553 18 Jönköping, Sweden)

  • Renira Rampazzo Gambarato

    (MKV, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, 553 18 Jönköping, Sweden)

Abstract

Action competence emerged in the 1980s in Denmark as a response to a demand for transformative and educational approaches fostering informed actions for real-world challenges, often with a focus on environmental sustainability. As action competence initially emerged in response to environmental concerns, its applicability to the social dimension of sustainability education requires deeper examination and understanding. This review synthesizes and analyzes studies on action competence in social sustainability, focusing on its conceptualization, integration, and practical applications. Its aim is to deepen our understanding of how action competence, as a critical tool, can foster more equitable, resilient, and sustainable social futures. A systematic online database search was conducted with ERIC, EBSCO, Scopus, Web of Science, as well as national databases in the Nordic countries. The inclusion criteria required the term “action competence” to appear in the title, abstract, or keywords, along with a focus on social sustainability. Studies that solely addressed environmental aspects were excluded. A total of 288 records were identified, of these 169 were unique, and 28 were included in the sample. The results highlight the critical role of action competence in equipping individuals and communities with the tools to foster sustainable and equitable societies.

Suggested Citation

  • Pia Andersson & Lilly Augustine & Renira Rampazzo Gambarato, 2025. "Advancing Social Sustainability Through the Development of Action Competence: A Scoping Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:8:p:3661-:d:1637432
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/8/3661/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/8/3661/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Efrat Eizenberg & Yosef Jabareen, 2017. "Social Sustainability: A New Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, January.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Veronica Bergan & Inger Wallem Krempig & Tove Aagnes Utsi & Kari Wallem Bøe, 2021. "I Want to Participate —Communities of Practice in Foraging and Gardening Projects as a Contribution to Social and Cultural Sustainability in Early Childhood Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Lin Cong & Chinaza Solomon Ironsi, 2025. "Integrating mobile learning and problem-based learning in improving students action competence in problem-solving and critical thinking skills," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Jolita Vveinhardt & Vilija Bite Fominiene & Regina Andriukaitiene, 2019. "“Omerta” in Organized Sport: Bullying and Harassment as Determinants of Threats of Social Sustainability at the Individual Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-31, April.
    3. Huilian Han & Hui Li, 2020. "Coupling Coordination Evaluation between Population and Land Urbanization in Ha-Chang Urban Agglomeration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-23, January.
    4. Jubril Olakitan Atanda & Ayşe Öztürk, 2020. "Social criteria of sustainable development in relation to green building assessment tools," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 61-87, January.
    5. Maciej Piekarski & Łukasz Bajda & Ewelina Gotkowska, 2021. "Transformation of Socialist Realistic Residential Architecture into a Contemporary Sustainable Housing Habitat—General Approach and the Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-29, December.
    6. Lea Primožič & Andreja Kutnar, 2022. "Sustainability Communication in Global Consumer Brands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-16, October.
    7. Antón, Jesús & Asai,Masayasu & Vanni,Francesco, 2025. "Towards a new policy narrative for agriculture: capturing social sustainability issues," Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA), vol. 14(3).
    8. Homeyra Khatami & Neda Abdolvand & Saeid Homayoun & Saeedeh Rajaei Harandi, 2025. "Sustainable Development and Corporate Profitability: Data Mining Approach," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 1973-2000, October.
    9. Zehua Wang & Fachao Liang & Sheng-Hau Lin, 2023. "Can socially sustainable development be achieved through homestead withdrawal? A hybrid multiple-attributes decision analysis," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, December.
    10. Çağla Beyaz & Çilen Erçin, 2023. "Evaluation of Modern Architecture Criteria in the Context of Sustainability and Architectural Approach; Modern Period in North Nicosia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-48, June.
    11. Fernando Caixeta & André M. Carvalho & Pedro Saraiva & Fausto Freire, 2022. "Sustainability-Focused Excellence: A Novel Model Integrating the Water–Energy–Food Nexus for Agro-Industrial Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-20, August.
    12. Pablo Bris & Félix Bendito, 2017. "Lessons Learned from the Failed Spanish Refugee System: For the Recovery of Sustainable Public Policies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-27, August.
    13. Gloria Janeth Murillo-Aviña & Sialia Karina Mellink-Méndez & Josué Aarón López-Leyva & Víctor Manuel Ramos-García, 2022. "Challenges and Opportunities Post Pandemic of Organizational Ergonomics to Promote the Social Sustainability in Cultural and Creative Industries: A Critical Review and Future Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-16, November.
    14. Sidsel Boldermo & Elin Eriksen Ødegaard, 2019. "What about the Migrant Children? The State-Of-The-Art in Research Claiming Social Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-13, January.
    15. Ying Yan & Abdol Aziz Shahraki, 2023. "Exploring the Mutual Relationships between Public Space and Social Satisfaction with Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-15, May.
    16. Vincent R. Nyirenda & Bimo A. Nkhata & Oscar Tembo & Susan Siamundele, 2018. "Elephant Crop Damage: Subsistence Farmers’ Social Vulnerability, Livelihood Sustainability and Elephant Conservation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-19, October.
    17. Yésica Gomez‐Jaramillo & Lina Berrouet & Clara Villegas‐Palacio & Linda Berrio‐Giraldo, 2024. "Conceptual framework for analyzing the sustainability of socio‐ecological systems with a focus on ecosystem services that support water security," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 2298-2313, June.
    18. Juha Hämäläinen & Kaisa Pihlainen & Riitta Vornanen, 2020. "Sustainable Family Life and Child Welfare: A Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-21, November.
    19. Byron Ioannou & Gregoris Kalnis & Lora Nicolaou, 2021. "Public Space at the “Palm of a Hand”: Perceptions of Urban Projects Through Digital Media," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 242-256.
    20. Jianglin Lu & Keqiang Wang & Hongmei Liu, 2023. "Land Development Rights, Spatial Injustice, and the Economic Development in Net-Incremental Reduction Regions of Construction Land: Evidence from Shanghai, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-25, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:17:y:2025:i:8:p:3661-:d:1637432. 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.