UN GLOBAL ACTION PROGRAMME ON ESD A TRAINING RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EVIDENCE BASE Daniel Fischer, Laura Ditges UN GAP ESD | A TRAINING RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EVIDENCE BASE

Challenges  more and better research, but also:  synthesizing existing evidence to substantiate research and practice UN GAP and the need for evidence UN GAP ESD | A TRAINING RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EVIDENCE BASE ESD „ remains poorly researched and weakly evidenced “ (Tilbury, 2001: 9)

Systematic literature review Appraising the Evidence Base: A Teaching Research Project UN GAP ESD | A TRAINING RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EVIDENCE BASE Training research project Advanced undergraduate students of environmental and sustainability studies Weeks Phases „a systematic, explicit, and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing the existing body of completed and recorded work produced by researchers, scholars, and practitioners” (Fink, 2009: 3) Research-based learning (Huber 2009) a.Research to produce results with relevance for others b.Active involvement in all phases c.Reflection on the research process Input I Consultation I Input IIConsultation II Examination & Evaluation How do school programs in the context of ESD support students in the development of participatory competence? (Project 1) What are the key qualities of different concepts of Holistic Education and how do they differentiate from established concepts of ESD? (Project 2)

Project 1) Holistic Education – Towards a more holistic ESD UN GAP ESD | A TRAINING RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EVIDENCE BASE Research Question What are the key qualities of different concepts of Holistic Education and how do they differentiate from de Haan’s concept of ESD? Database Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Key word string „holistic education“ Scanning of Abstracts 223 texts  57 full-texts available  24 fit texts Coding of Texts (A) Basic information, (B) Empirical evidence, (C) Institutional focus group of the paper and (D) Content structuring Synthesis & Interpreta- tion Quantitative analysis and qualitative interpretation of the findings Comparison of ESD and Holistic Education

Worldview and Concept of Student Goal of Education Methods of Education Interconnectedness with all life Wholeness of body, heart and mind Ultimacy Mindfulness, compassion, peace, freedom and cooperation Whole-society learning 4 ways of knowing and learning UN GAP ESD | A TRAINING RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EVIDENCE BASE Project 1) Holistic Education – Towards a more holistic ESD Implications for ESD?

Reflection on the potential of … UN GAP ESD | A TRAINING RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EVIDENCE BASE … the teaching approach to advance HESC … the method to advance ESC research and practice Aligning what and how : active engagement with a considerable body of ESD literature (what) – strong focus on the method (how) Orienting : Useful not only for meta-analyses or bibliometric studies, but also as a tool providing orientation on a given subject in a systematic and reproducible way Substantiating : Extends the often rather narrative accounts of the existing state of research  putting ESD on a more solid base Reaching out : Bridge traditional divides to other scientific communities at the intersection of ESC and utilize the best results available Learning by doing : own experiences increased knowledge of and sensitivity for processes of academic knowledge production Knowledge brokers : Promotes skills that are relevant not only for future researchers, but for any professionals engaging with ESC research

So far, so good, so what? (S. Sterling) Thank you! Daniel Fischer Laura Ditges UNESCO Chair Higher Education for Sustainable Development Leuphana University Scharnhorststraße Lüneburg, Germany UN GAP ESD | A TRAINING RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EVIDENCE BASE