En i onmen al Educa ion Resea ch
ISSN: 1350-4622 (P in ) 1469-5871 (Online) Jou nal homepage: www. and online.com/jou nals/cee 20
A mul i-s akeholde pe spec i e on he
de elopmen o key compe encies o
sus ainabili y in Educa ion o Sus ainable
De elopmen a school
Julia Gün he , Sina Mus e , Kla a Kaise & Ma co Rieckmann
To ci e his a icle: Julia Gün he , Sina Mus e , Kla a Kaise & Ma co Rieckmann (2024) A
mul i-s akeholde pe spec i e on he de elopmen o key compe encies o sus ainabili y in
Educa ion o Sus ainable De elopmen a school, En i onmen al Educa ion Resea ch, 30:10,
1651-1667, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2024.2349934
To link o his a icle: h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13504622.2024.2349934
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En i onmEn al Educa ion EsEa ch
2024, ol. 30, no. 10, 1651–1667
A mul i-s akeholde pe spec i e on he de elopmen o
key compe encies o sus ainabili y in Educa ion o
Sus ainable De elopmen a school
Julia Gün he a,b , Sina Mus e a, Kla a Kaise a and Ma co Rieckmannb
aimpac E alua ion, acke e. ., Be lin, Ge many; bEduca ional sciences, uni e si y o ech a, ech a, Ge many
ABSTRACT
A ange o s akeholde g oups a e in ol ed wi h os e ing Educa ion o
Sus ainable De elopmen (ESD). I is c ucial ha hei iews on he aims
o ESD a e aligned. This is a p e equisi e o coo dina ed in eg a ion o
ESD in o he o mal educa ion sys em. Howe e , esea ch has no
explo ed whe he s akeholde g oups ha e simila ideas abou he aims
and lea ning ou comes o ESD. This s udy in es iga es he di e ences
and simila i ies in s akeholde s’ opinions on he sus ainabili y key com-
pe encies s uden s should de elop. We conduc ed 15 in e iews wi h
Ge man expe s in ESD p ac ice, policy, and science, analyzing he esul s
deduc i ely using Quali a i e Con en Analysis wi hin he UNESCO ame-
wo k o Key Compe encies o Sus ainabili y. An induc i e app oach was
used o iden i y aspec s and concep s o compe ence ha wen beyond
his amewo k. Mos o he compe encies men ioned could be assigned
o he UNESCO amewo k, bu we iden i ied he addi ional compe ency
o pa icipa ing a he poli ical le el as being impo an o ESD. The
expe s also iden i ied se e al o he concep s. The h ee s akeholde
g oups emphasized di e en compe encies and concep s, p obably due
o hei di e ing p o essional backg ounds. Howe e , simila i ies p edom-
ina ed, and he expe s la gely ag eed on which compe encies should
be de eloped. S uc u al di icul ies wi h in eg a ing ESD in o he edu-
ca ion sys em a e he e o e no likely o be he esul o undamen al
di e ences in pe spec i e be ween he h ee s akeholde g oups on he
aims o ESD. Howe e , hei di e en ames o e e ence migh lead o
miscommunica ion and misunde s anding, which could impede in eg a-
ion. This aspec needs ho ough examina ion in he u u e.
1. In oduc ion
The e is a b oad consensus in educa ional discou se ha he aim o Educa ion o Sus ainable
De elopmen (ESD) is o enable lea ne s o con ibu e o sus ainable de elopmen (Rieckmann
2018). ESD lea ning ou comes ha e inc easingly ocused on compe encies o e he pas wo
decades (Bo mann 2008; de Haan 2008, 2009; Redman and Wiek 2021; Rieckmann 2011, 2018;
UNESCO 2017). Since he ecogni ion o Weine ’s (2001) wo k, he discou se has iden i ied he
compe encies o be de eloped by lea ne s as he main aim o ESD, wi h se e al au ho s p o-
posing compe ence models and compila ions. While some au ho s ocus on indi idual
© 2024 he au ho (s). Published by in o ma uK limi ed, ading as aylo & F ancis G oup
CONTACT Julia Gün he j.guen he @acke .co impac E alua ion, acke e. ., Be lin, Ge many.
his is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he c ea i e commons a ibu ion-noncomme cial-node i a i es license (h p://
c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which pe mi s non-comme cial e-use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided
he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed, and is no al e ed, ans o med, o buil upon in any way. he e ms on which his a icle has been
published allow he pos ing o he accep ed manusc ip in a eposi o y by he au ho (s) o wi h hei consen .
ARTICLE HISTORY
Recei ed 11 Ma ch 2022
Accep ed 27 Ap il 2024
KEYWORDS
Educa ion o Sus ainable
De elopmen ; key
compe encies o
sus ainabili y; ESD
ou comes; school
educa ion;
mul i-s akeholde
pe spec i e; SDG 4 –
quali y educa ion
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13504622.2024.2349934
1652 J. GÜNTHER ETAL.
compe encies o hose ela ed o speci ic aspec s o sus ainabili y, o he s ha e compiled an
o e a ching se o key compe encies. One ea ly single compe ence app oach was ha o Egge
and Bögeholz, who ocused solely on socioscien i ic decision making in he con ex o sus ain-
able de elopmen (Egge e  al. 2013; Egge and Bögeholz 2010). Wals o mula ed ou in e -
dependen dimensions o sus ainabili y compe encies and associa ed ‘sus ain-abili ies’ (2015, 12).
A ounda ional publica ion wi h a b oade , mo e o e a ching pe spec i e on compe encies
in ESD is de Haan (2010), in which he p oposed he ‘shaping compe ence’ (Ges al ungskompe enz),
which e e s o and builds on he OECD’s key compe encies model (2005). This concep was
pe cei ed, accep ed and applied (in Ge many) in ields a beyond he esea ch communi y,
including p ac i ione s and policy make s. O he sus ainabili y key compe encies amewo ks
include hose de eloped by Wiek, Wi hycombe, and Redman (2011, Wiek e  al. 2016) and F isk
and La son (2011). Redman and Wiek (2021) ecen ly alida ed hei se o key compe encies
in an in e na ional li e a u e e iew, expanding i o include u he p o essional and gene al
compe encies. The p elimina y wo k by Wiek e al. on key compe encies was aken up, discussed
and de eloped by UNESCO (2017), Rieckmann (2018) and B undie s e  al. (2021), which ook
p e ious scien i ic wo k on key compe encies o sus ainabili y and made hem accessible o a
wide , in e na ional and no exclusi ely scien i ic audience, combining compe encies wi h lea ning
ou comes ela ing o he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (SDGs).
The ques ion o which compe encies should be os e ed by ESD and de eloped by lea ne s
in o de o enable hem o con ibu e o sus ainable ans o ma ion has also been in es iga ed
beyond he Eu ocen ic ho izon h ough Delphi s udies: a s udy conduc ed by Rieckmann (2012)
in ol ed expe s om Chile, Ecuado , Ge many, Mexico and he Uni ed Kingdom, and he Delphi
s udy by Demssie e al. (2019) ocused on E hiopia. Rieckmann iden i ies he challenge o he e
being ‘no explici consensus on a speci ic amewo k o key compe encies in sus ainabili y’ (2021,
14). B undie s e al. (2021) in e na ional Delphi s udy wi h 14 expe s was based on he ame-
wo k p oposed by Wiek, Wi hycombe, and Redman (2011), one o he mos ci ed in esea ch,
and ecommended ha wo addi ional compe encies – in ape sonal and implemen a ion com-
pe ency – be added o he amewo k. In ecen yea s, publica ions ha e inc easingly ocused
on linking he compe encies o be acqui ed h ough ESD wi h lea ning objec i es se ou in
cu icula and educa ion plans (Cha i 2022; Fekih Zgui , Dubis, and Koç 2021; F ed iksson e al.
2020; Paaske, Segu a-Bonilla, and He nandez-Milian 2021; UNESCO 2017). In Ge many, he
S anding Con e ence o he Minis e s o Educa ion and Cul u al A ai s issued he Cu iculum
F amewo k o Educa ion o Sus ainable De elopmen (Sch eibe & Siege) in 2016. Though he
documen is no binding, i p o ides ecommenda ions o he eaching o ESD a schools and
add esses compe encies in he o m o educa ional objec i es. The scien i ic deba e on ESD has
also included he empi ical implica ions o pedagogical app oaches o designing sui able
lea ning en i onmen s. A li e a u e e iew by Lozano e  al. (2017) iden i ied a ange o peda-
gogical app oaches and examined hei bene i s o he acquisi ion o sus ainabili y compe encies.
In he same ein, an in ensi ying discou se on ESD compe encies, i.e. he p o essional compe-
ence o educa o s, can be obse ed in ecen yea s (Va e, Laussele , and Rieckmann 2022).
Poli ically, he cu en goal is o ake ESD om p ojec o s uc u e (Na ionale Pla o m Bildung
ü nachhal ige En wicklung 2017; UNESCO 2014). The ESD o 2030 p og am u he s eng hens
he ela ionship be ween educa ion and he SDGs, encou aging he s a es in ol ed o main-
s eam ESD in hei na ional educa ion sys ems (UNESCO 2020). A ange o s akeholde g oups
a e in ol ed in he p ocess o os e ing ESD in he o mal educa ion sys em, namely educa ional
p ac i ione s, policy make s, and scien is s. While decisions abou o e all di ec ion a e made a
he poli ical le el, esponsibili y o he success ul implemen a ion o ESD alls o educa ion
p ac i ione s. In his con ex , he science can p o ide insigh s and pe spec i es o help he
o he wo s akeholde g oups s ee and implemen he ele an p ocesses. The mo e success ully
he h ee s akeholde g oups in e ac , he be e he chances a e likely o be ha ESD will be
implemen ed success ully. I he h ee g oups end o ac independen ly o wi h li le e e ence
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 1653
o each o he , he e may be obs acles o implemen a ion and/o miscommunica ion in he
con ex o he implemen a ion p ocess. In e connec ed ac ion is equi ed a a a ie y o le els,
pa icula ly whe e go e nance is o ganized h ough mul i-s akeholde ne wo ks. In Ge many,
o ins ance, s akeholde s om ields such as p ac ice, poli ics, science, ci il socie y, and business
wo k oge he in mo e o less ins i u ionalized bodies. Examples include he Regional Cen es
o Expe ise (RCEs), which ope a e in egional con ex s wo ldwide, and he expe o ums o
he Na ional Pla o m ad ising he Fede al Go e nmen o Ge many on he s uc u al imple-
men a ion o ESD. One s udy in Ge many looked a he di e en s akeholde g oups in ol ed
in he mul i-ac o policy ne wo ks ha a e d i ing he implemen a ion o ESD (Singe -B odowski
e al. 2020). The s udy used he lens o educa ional go e nance o in es iga e how he g oups
coo dina ed hei ac ions wi h each o he . Fu he s udies a e in es iga ing go e nance p ocesses
in mul i-s akeholde in e aces and ne wo ks ha p o ide in o ma ion in he con ex o policy
esea ch conce ning ESD (Feins ein, Jacobi, and Lo z-Sisi ka 2013; Lo z-Sisi ka, Rosenbe g, and
Ramsa up 2021; Rickinson and McKenzie 2021). Howe e , esea ch has no ye explo ed whe he
di e en s akeholde g oups ha e simila expec a ions as ega ds he aims o ESD, i.e. he
compe encies s uden s should de elop in he con ex o ESD a school.
This s udy in es iga es he simila i ies and di e ences be ween he iews o s akeholde
g oups in Ge many on he aim o compe ence de elopmen wi hin he amewo k o ESD,
ocusing on he ollowing wo esea ch ques ions: (1) Acco ding o expe s om ESD p ac ice,
policy, and science, wha compe encies should s uden s de elop in he con ex o ESD a school
in o de o be able o engage wi h global sus ainabili y ans o ma ion? (2) Wha a e he sim-
ila i ies and di e ences be ween he iews o he h ee g oups?
We app oached he ques ions by conduc ing and analyzing 15 expe in e iews. We ini ially
used he eigh compe encies o mula ed by UNESCO (2017) as a ame o e e ence o he
compa ison o he h ee s akeholde g oups. This s udy is based on UNESCO's de ini ion o
compe encies as ‘ he speci ic a ibu es indi iduals need o ac ion and sel -o ganiza ion in
a ious complex con ex s and si ua ions’ (2017, 10), which in u n goes back o he p elimina y
wo k o Weine (2001). We will in oduce UNESCO’s compe ence amewo k (2017) in de ail in
he me hods sec ion (see 2.3). In o de o d aw conclusions and de i e ecommenda ion o
he implemen a ion p ocess, we also analyzed o he ames o e e ence and he o he compe-
encies men ioned and conside ed he esul s in he con ex o ele an p elimina y wo ks. This
s udy p o ides insigh s in o he pe spec i es o he s akeholde g oups ha a e d i ing he
implemen a ion o ESD in he school sec o in Ge many. I p o ides benchma ks o assis na ional
and in e na ional expe s in ol ed wi h he implemen a ion o ESD in de eloping a deepe
unde s anding o he simila i ies and di e ences be ween s akeholde g oups’ ideas on ESD
aims. We hope ha his will help s akeholde g oups o ake a mo e in o med and conscious
app oach o implemen a ion. Ou esul s may be especially ele an o s akeholde s ha a e
pa o mul i-s akeholde s uc u es and a e a emp ing o coo dina e hei ac i i ies.
2. Ma e ials and me hods
2.1. Sampling design and da a collec ion
We conduc ed 15 semi-s uc u ed, guided expe in e iews (Kaise 2014) be ween May and
Augus 2019. In e iewees we e selec ed o he sample om a pool o 83 expe s iden i ied
as being in ol ed in ESD in Ge many. The iden i ica ion o expe s s a ed in Ma ch 2019 and
was no comple e a he beginning o da a collec ion, as we con inuously selec ed sui able
candida es. Expe s we e iden i ied as sui able h ough an in e ne sea ch based on hei p o-
essional posi ions. We also asked ou ne wo k and he in e iewees hemsel es o ecommen-
da ions. We assume ha he 83 iden i ied expe s co e he g ound o a la ge ex en , al hough
we canno claim he numbe o be exhaus i e.
1654 J. GÜNTHER ETAL.
We op ed o a pa allel sampling design, as he goal was o compa e h ee s akeholde
g oups o equal le el. Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2007) sugges a minimum o h ee cases pe
subg oup in o de o ensu e su icien da a and obus esul s. We decided o in e iew i e
expe s pe subg oup o achie e a sa is ac o y le el o da a sa u a ion. We no iced signs o
high da a sa u a ion a e abou 12 in e iews. The inal h ee in e iews con i med his imp es-
sion, as hey mainly con ained edundan in o ma ion and he new da a did no p o ide en i ely
new insigh s wi h ega d o he esea ch ques ions (B yman 2012).
The selec ion o in e iewees o each s akeholde g oup aimed o achie e maximum a ia ion
and was guided by he ollowing c i e ia: gende pa i y, indi iduals in ol ed wi h ESD bo h
inside and ou side schools, ep esen a i es om di e en Ge man s a es (Bundeslände ) and
commi ees, and expe s om a ious scien i ic disciplines. The inal sample included i e expe s
each om ESD p ac ice, policy, and science. Eigh women and se en men we e in e iewed.
We chose expe s om se en di e en Ge man s a es: Se en om Be lin, h ee om
Baden-Wü embe g, and one each om Hambu g, Saa land, Hesse, Lowe Saxony, and
Mecklenbu g-Wes e n Pome ania. The expe s om he ield o p ac ice included wo school
p incipals, one indi idual wo king as a eache and eache aine and wo ESD s akeholde s
om ou side he class oom. The policy expe s we e no poli icians bu ESD s akeholde s whose
p o essional posi ion o quali ied in ol emen wi h s a e-appoin ed bodies mean hey had an
in luence on poli ical decision-making o ESD implemen a ion in he educa ion sys em. The
expe s om he scien i ic ield came om he disciplines o en i onmen al psychology ( wo
expe s), educa ional science ( wo expe s), and didac ics (one expe ). In he spi i o ‘da a
minimisa ion’ as de ined in A . 5 (1) o he GDPR, we es ic ed he pe sonal da a we collec ed
abou he expe s o ha which was ele an o ou esea ch ques ions.
In compliance wi h he u he da a p o ec ion p o isions se ou in he GDPR, we p o ided
he expe s wi h a decla a ion o consen . This in o med hem abou he esea ch p ojec , he
p ojec pa ne s in ol ed, he legal basis o da a p ocessing, hei igh s, and con ac pe sons.
We assu ed he expe s ha he da a collec ed would be anonymized. Expe s’ consen o his
p ocedu e was ob ained p io o in e iews and con i med by all in e iewees h ough hei
signa u e o he decla a ion.
The in e iew guide was de eloped by he i s au ho in coope a ion and con inuous dis-
cussion wi h six o he esea che s. The guide was signi ican ly mo e ex ensi e han he ques ions
he answe s o which we e ele an o he da a analysis p esen ed in his pape . Howe e , he
ques ion ‘Which compe encies a e – in you opinion – essen ial o ESD and should be p omo ed
in schools?’ was explici ly posed in e e y in e iew. The expe s we e asked o spon aneously
name he compe encies ha hey conside ed mos ele an o child en and young people o
de elop h ough ESD. These answe s, as well as he expe s’ explana ions o he compe encies
hey men ioned, o med he basis o he analysis. The in e iews we e conduc ed by he i s
au ho (Gläse and Laudel 2010) and las ed abou one hou each; an audio eco ding was made
o each in e iew.
2.2. Da a analysis
We decided on Quali a i e Con en Analysis (QCA), as de eloped by Gläse and Laudel (2010),
because as a me hodology i has h ee ad an ages o e o he p ocedu es (e.g. May ing 2015).
Fi s ly, i pu s he p inciple o a heo y-based app oach in o p ac ice, o mula ing he ini ial
coding sys em on he basis o heo e ical a iables de i ed om he esea ch ques ions. Secondly,
i in eg a es he p inciple o openness, as analysis p ocess enables he coding sys em o be
adap ed wi hou disca ding indi idual coding ca ego ies. This ensu es ongoing co ela ion
be ween he analysis p ocess and he esea ch ques ions. A hi d ad an age o QCA acco ding
o Gläse and Laudel (2010) is ha i gi es all quali a i e ma e ial equal weigh . The i s un
o he analysis applies he coding sys em o all documen s, and i can be decided whe he he

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 1655
in o ma ion a ising om each coding i s in o he exis ing coding sys em o whe he he sys em
needs o be adap ed o expanded.
Ha ing collec ed he da a, we anonymized he in e iews, and ansc ibed and summa ized
hem. Analysis was ein o ced by a p ocess o communica i e alida ion: decisions ela ing o
he analysis p ocess we e aken o econ i med in equen exchanges wi hin eams o ou
esea che s. This collabo a i e wo king ensu ed ha decisions abou da a analysis p ocesses and
in e p e a ion we e subjec o in e subjec i e alida ion, wi h he aim o inc easing he eliabili y
o he s udy. The analysis was unde aken using MAXQDA so wa e acco ding o Gläse & Laudel’s
QCA me hodology (2010). We desc ibe below how we adap ed he gene al p inciples o he
QCA as se ou in sec ion 2.2 o acili a e analysis o ou esea ch objec i es.
An ini ial a p io i coding sys em was c ea ed on he basis o he UNESCO amewo k on Key
Compe encies o Sus ainabili y (2017). This amewo k is no s ic ly scien i ic bu builds on
p e ious wo k such as ha o Weine (2001), de Haan (2010), Wals (2015), Rieckmann (2012)
and Wiek, Wi hycombe, and Redman (2011, Wiek e  al. 2016). B undie s e  al. (2021) also con-
side ed he amewo k in hei u he de elopmen o he compe encies p esen ed by Wiek,
Wi hycombe, and Redman (2011). The UNESCO amewo k can hus be placed in he con ex
o he scien i ic ESD discou se on compe encies (see also Rieckmann 2018). Mo eo e , i has
he ad an age ha i eaches a wide ci cle o s akeholde s han an exclusi ely scien i ic pub-
lica ion on compe encies. We he e o e ound i pa icula ly use ul o add essing he concep ions
o compe encies no only o scien i ic s akeholde s, bu also o p ac ice and policy expe s. The
UNESCO Key Compe encies o Sus ainabili y amewo k (2017) comp ises eigh c oss-cu ing
compe encies: sys ems hinking, an icipa o y, no ma i e, s a egic, collabo a ion, c i ical hinking,
sel -awa eness and in eg a ed p oblem-sol ing compe ency. Fo a mo e de ailed de ini ion o
each compe ency, see UNESCO (2017, 10, Box 1.1.). The compe ency de ini ions we e used o
de ine he a p io i coding sys em; his was hen applied deduc i ely o he in e iew ma e ial.
The p inciple o openness was also applied, in o de o ensu e ha issues going beyond he
deduc i e applica ion o he UNESCO amewo k we e conside ed and highligh ed. New codes
we e hus induc i ely de eloped o ele an issues aised by he expe s; hese could no be
conside ed in he deduc i e analysis, howe e . A e a i s un h ough he ma e ial, he coding
sys em was inalized and hen eapplied in a second un. Adjus men s we e made a he coding
le el only.
Following coding, he expe s’ di e ing emphases wi h ega d o compe encies we e analyzed,
and he possibili y o sys ema ic di e en ia ion by g oup a ilia ion in es iga ed. Fo his pu pose,
we calcula ed (1) he o al numbe o codings pe compe ency and g oup a ilia ion and (2)
he o al numbe o expe s men ioning a compe ency pe a ilia ed g oup. A high numbe o
o al men ions alone was no deemed o ep esen he ocus o a g oup. A high numbe o
codings migh be due, o example, o one expe speaking a numbe o imes and in dep h
abou a single compe ency, while ha compe ency migh ha dly be men ioned by o he expe s
om he same ield. We he e o e also ook in o accoun he numbe o expe s who men ioned
a compe ency. We coun ed each expe only once in his con ex – i.e. whe he he indi idual
did o did no conside ha he compe ency in ques ion was impo an . This esul ed in a
maximum numbe o i e whe e a compe ency was men ioned by all expe s om he ield.
The wo indica o s we e in e p e ed in ela ion o each o he . Analysis was applied bo h o he
indi idual compe encies in he UNESCO amewo k and o he codes o compe encies and
compe ence concep s going beyond ha amewo k.
The ends ha eme ged o ESD p ac ice, policy, and science we e hen examined o de e -
mine whe he he expe s had simila o di e en unde s anding o he de ini ion o a compe-
ency. By way o example, he combina ion o he wo indica o s (numbe o codings and
numbe o expe s) enabled analysis o expe s’ s a emen s on he sys ems hinking compe ency.
Fi s ly, his compe ency had by a he g ea es o al numbe o codings (62, see Figu e 1) and
hus supplied he la ges olume o empi ical ma e ial om which simila i ies and di e ences
1656 J. GÜNTHER ETAL.
could be de i ed. Secondly, he e we e he g ea es di e ences be ween g oups in e ms o
he numbe o imes his compe ency was men ioned. Some o he policy expe s associa ed
he sys ems hinking compe ency wi h a speci ic concep , which hey used as a ame o e -
e ence. Subsequen ly, i was deemed ele an o ake a close look a he ames o e e ence
men ioned by he s akeholde g oups in in e iews and discuss whe he di e ences in p io i-
iza ion could be iden i ied.
3. Resul s
In he ollowing, we i s p esen he esul s o he deduc i e analysis (sec ion 3.1). We ca ied
ou an illus a i e analysis o he sys ems hinking compe ency, inding no e idence o unda-
men ally di e ing unde s andings o his compe ency be ween he h ee s akeholde g oups,
e en hough hey placed s onge emphasis on di e en aspec s. I emains an open ques ion
as o whe he he e a e di e ences ega ding he unde s anding o he o he compe encies in
he UNESCO amewo k, as he e was insu icien da a o enable eliable conclusions o be
d awn abou he g oups’ unde s anding o hese. We also p esen below o he compe ence
concep s used by he s akeholde g oups as ames o e e ence. The esul s o he induc i e
analysis a e deal wi h in sec ions 3.2 and 3.3.
In he con ex o he i s esea ch ques ion (which compe encies s uden s should de elop
in ESD in schools), he expe s men ioned a o al o en compe encies. Beyond he eigh com-
pe encies co esponding o he UNESCO amewo k, he expe s highligh ed wo u he com-
pe encies as ele an – namely he compe ency o deal wi h knowledge and he compe ency
o pa icipa e. Fu he mo e, he expe s e e ed o h ee compe ence models ha hey used
as ames o e e ence. We will go in o mo e de ail on he compe encies and compe ence
models below and combine hem di ec ly wi h he esul s ha eme ged ou o he second
esea ch ques ion, in o de o gain deepe insigh in o he simila i ies and di e ences be ween
he h ee s akeholde g oups.
3.1. Key compe encies o sus ainabili y
3.1.1. Di e ences in he numbe o codings o key compe encies
Each g oup e e enced all he compe encies om he UNESCO (2017) amewo k, albei wi h
a ying in ensi y (Figu e 1). In o al, he expe s e e ed o he amewo k’s eigh compe encies
Figu e 1. o al numbe o codings (in e iew passages iden i ied) e e encing he unEsco amewo k o each expe g oup.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 1657
in 284 passages (codings). P ac i ione s commen ed mos equen ly on he UNESCO amewo k
compe encies, wi h a o al o 119 codings, 91 came om policy expe s’ s a emen s and 74
om scien is s’ s a emen s. Among he eigh compe encies, sys ems hinking was by a he
mos equen ly men ioned, wi h 62 men ions. Collabo a ion ecei ed 45 men ions and he
an icipa o y compe ency 37 men ions. The expe s ocused leas on he in eg a ed p oblem-sol ing
and no ma i e compe encies, which a ac ed 22 and 24 men ions espec i ely.
3.1.2. Di e ences in he numbe o expe s men ioning key compe encies
The collabo a ion compe ency was mos consis en ly men ioned by he expe s: 14 o 15 men-
ioned his compe ency and only one pe son ( om he ield o science) did no (Figu e 2). The
sys ems hinking compe ency was men ioned by 13 expe s. Only ele en expe s spoke abou
in eg a ed p oblem-sol ing and g oups’ es ima ion o he ele ance o his compe ency luc u-
a ed widely: All i e p ac i ione s and ou policy expe s men ioned i , bu only wo esea che s
did. A simila pic u e eme ged o he no ma i e compe ency: All he p ac ice and policy expe s
named i as impo an bu only wo esea che s e e enced i .
3.1.3. P ac ice
The educa ional p ac ice expe s had he highes numbe o codings o men ions o he sys ems
hinking compe ency (Figu e 1, 24 codings). This compe ency was men ioned by ou expe s
om his g oup (Figu e 2). Codings o he no ma i e, s a egic, collabo a ion and in eg a ed
p oblem-sol ing compe encies we e lowe bu we e men ioned by all i e expe s. The an ici-
pa o y compe ency had he lowes numbe s, bo h o codings and o he numbe o expe s
men ioning i . The ESD p ac i ione s men ioned all he UNESCO compe encies and he e was
no speci ic emphasis on any indi idual compe ency. Howe e , he an icipa o y compe ency was
somewha unde ep esen ed.
3.1.4. Policy
All i e expe s add essed he no ma i e and collabo a ion compe encies (Figu e 2). O he o he
compe encies in he UNESCO amewo k, all we e men ioned by ou expe s each, gi ing a
ela i ely di use pic u e o he policy expe s’ p io i ies. The e we e di e ences in he equency
o men ions o indi idual compe encies (Figu e 1), wi h he sel -awa eness compe ency in i s
place (17 codings), closely ollowed by he collabo a ion compe ency (15 codings). This g oup
Figu e 2. numbe o expe s om each expe g oup who men ioned a compe ency om he unEsco amewo k.
1658 J. GÜNTHER ETAL.
paid leas a en ion o in eg a ed p oblem-sol ing (six codings) and he s a egic compe ency
(se en codings).
3.1.5. Science
Clea e ocal poin s could be iden i ied om he s a emen s by he ESD scien is s. The sys ems
hinking and an icipa o y compe encies we e men ioned pa icula ly equen ly and in de ail.
This was suppo ed by he o al numbe o codings (Figu e 1, 26 and 16 codings) and by he
ac ha hese compe encies we e men ioned by all expe s in his ield (Figu e 2). In con as ,
he no ma i e and in eg a ed p oblem-sol ing compe encies we e men ioned leas equen ly
(Figu e 1, ou and h ee codings espec i ely). These ecei ed he lowes numbe o codings
and we e each men ioned by only wo o i e expe s.
3.1.6. Simila i ies and di e ences be ween s akeholde g oups
The h ee s akeholde g oups la gely ag eed on he ele ance o he sys ems hinking compe-
ency. The policy expe s discussed his compe ency wi h less equency (Figu e 1); he o he
wo g oups demons a ed a clea in e es in i . The expe s also gene ally a ed he collabo a ion
compe ency as ele an o ESD; scien is emphasized i less han he o he wo g oups, bu
ne e heless suppo ed his compe ency. We also ound simila i ies be ween he g oups wi h
ega d o he c i ical hinking compe ency, al hough he numbe o men ions was in he
mid- ange o all h ee g oups.
The opposi e endency was e iden o he an icipa o y compe ency. The scien is s had a
clea ocus on his compe ency, bu he numbe o men ions was in he middle ange among
he policy expe s and i was unde ep esen ed among he educa ion p ac i ione s. We also
ound di e ences in he es ima ion o he ele ance o he no ma i e compe ency, which had
a mid- ange numbe o men ions by p ac i ione s and policy expe s bu was unde ep esen ed
in he science expe s’ g oup. The e we e u he di e ences be ween he g oups o he
in eg a ed p oblem-sol ing compe ency. This was deemed o mino ele ance by he scien is s
and policy expe s bu was o g ea e ele ance o he p ac i ione s. Unlike he o he g oups,
he p ac i ione s also emphasized he s a egic compe ency. The policy expe s a ed he
sel -awa eness compe ency as impo an , while i was less equen ly men ioned by he
o he g oups.
3.2. Compe encies beyond he UNESCO amewo k
No all compe encies iden i ied in he in e iews we e co e ed by he UNESCO amewo k. The
expe s men ioned o he compe encies as being impo an o s uden s o de elop wi h ega d
o ESD in schools. Two aspec s s ood ou he e.
3.2.1. Compe ency o deal wi h knowledge
We summa ized one o he issues unde he umb ella e m knowledge. Some expe s add essed
knowledge in connec ion wi h he sys ems hinking compe ency. Howe e , he e we e o he
s a emen s on dealing wi h knowledge ha could no be assigned o any compe ency in he
UNESCO amewo k (2017). Di e en aspec s o knowledge appea ed in he expe s’ s a emen s.
We iden i ied se en expe s who alked in 15 in e iew passages abou he compe ency o
deal wi h knowledge and in o ma ion. The ele ance o his compe ency was p ima ily empha-
sized by p ac i ione s, ou o whom add essed i . The o he wo g oups add essed i o a
lesse ex en , wi h jus one policy expe and wo esea che s men ioning i .
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 1665
Acknowledgemen s
The au ho s would like o hank Benjamin Tempel, Sonja Schaal, S e en Schaal, Anne O e beck and Siegma O o
o hei suppo in de eloping he in e iew guide. In addi ion, he au ho s would like o hank he anonymous
e iewe s o hei help ul commen s on an ea lie e sion o his manusc ip .
Disclosu e s a emen
No po en ial con lic o in e es was epo ed by he au ho (s).
Funding
J.G., S.M. & K.K. ecei ed unding by he Ge man Fede al Minis y o Educa ion and Resea ch (g an numbe :
01JJ17112C).
ORCID
Julia Gün he h p://o cid.o g/0000-0002-1370-8855
Ma co Rieckmann h p://o cid.o g/0000-0002-1212-7346
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