Where Does Empirical ESD Research Stand? Topics and Methodological Trends

What do we actually know empirically about Education for Sustainable Development, and where are the gaps? In a new chapter in the Handbuch Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (Wochenschau Verlag, 2026), Daniel Fischer and Marco Rieckmann (University of Vechta) give an overview of empirical research on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): its main topics, its methodological approaches and current research gaps. The chapter is written in German.

The chapter organises empirical ESD research along three strands: theoretical and conceptual contributions on the educational-theoretical foundations of ESD, research on teaching and learning that looks at learning processes and effects, and implementation research on anchoring ESD in school and university development. Across these strands, the authors trace methodological developments, from qualitative-reconstructive approaches and quantitative longitudinal and case studies to participatory, transdisciplinary and transformative research designs, as well as the growing use of digital survey formats for internationally comparative studies.

In its outlook, the chapter names key challenges: including educational areas that have so far received little attention, making findings comparable across countries, and systematically linking the micro, meso and macro levels of education systems. It shows how empirical ESD research connects to general empirical educational research, while its normative references and transdisciplinary openings give its own impulses for reflexive, socially relevant educational research.

Abstract (translated from German):
In educational research, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has established itself over the last two decades as an independent, interdisciplinary field. Besides educational science and subject didactics, other disciplines such as psychology, sociology, media education and cultural studies make important contributions. ESD research covers all areas of education, from early childhood to higher and adult education, with general schools, universities and teacher education as a cross-cutting area receiving particular attention. This chapter gives an overview of empirical research on ESD, focusing on central topics as well as methodological developments and trends. Finally, we outline current challenges and research gaps for the further development of the field.

Reference:
Fischer, D. & Rieckmann, M. (2026). Zum Stand der empirischen Forschung in der BNE: Themenfelder und methodische Trends. In A. Carrapatoso, S. Kenner, C. Bergmüller-Hauptmann, T. Inkermann & R. Reinhardt (Hrsg.), Handbuch Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (S. 177–188). Frankfurt am Main: Wochenschau Verlag. https://doi.org/10.46499/2254.3688