As multiple global sustainability crises are getting more severe and existential, a better understanding of how people undergo deep personal transformations related to sustainability is needed. In the educational debate on sustainability learning, transformative learning theories are widely used. To analyze specific phases of transformative learning, we derived five meta-phases from the literature (novel experience, reflection, social exchange, shift of action, shift of meaning). Although human emotions often arise during the confrontation with sustainability issues and are central to moral action, no substantial, theorized understanding of the role of emotions within sustainability-related transformative learning exists to date. We conducted a systematic review (following the PRISMA guidelines) and screened 355 publications to close this research gap. After applying the exclusion criteria, the in-depth analysis of 20 studies showed that sound theoretical references to theories of emotion and transformative learning are rare. The review shows clearly that diverse emotions permeate sustainability-related transformative learning processes. Among these are both negative emotions to novel learning experiences concerning sustainability (e.g., sadness, shame, disgust, guilt) as well as positive emotions in the context of social exchange (e.g., awe, gratitude, fun) and associated with newly formed actions (e.g., fulfillment, pride). Accordingly, to enable emotionally positive learning experiences, relationship and action orientation are particularly important within sustainability learning. The analyzed studies call for an educational practice where emotions can be experienced, expressed, and understood in a safe atmosphere. Future research in this area should use more stable theoretical foundations for emotions and transformative learning theory and apply methods that can capture deeper levels of subjective experience.

Whole Institution Approaches (WIAs) to sustainability in education emphasize the strong link between the socio-physical environment and the learning processes and outcomes. However, there has been a lack of instruments for quantifying the implementation of WIAs based on the experience of learners and educators. In this article, we present the systematic development, pretesting, validation and first application of a novel WIA-Scale (learners: 13 items, educators: 15 items). As part of a large-scale assessment in Germany (school education, vocational education and higher education; n = 2,985), we apply the WIA-Scale and assess how WIAs are related to the effectiveness of sustainability learning. Based on extensive validation, the scale quality was evaluated as high. The application showed that young people who experience more sustainability in line with the WIA feel strongly more motivated and empowered by their educational institution to contribute to sustainability. Also, regression modeling revealed that WIA implementation is the strongest of various predictors of how sustainable learners act beyond the educational institution. Further, educators who experience more sustainability in line with the WIA feel considerably more motivated and report more sustainable behavior. They also view Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as more relevant and participate more frequently in training on ESD. For future use, we provide the WIA-Scale in its original version, a 7/8-item variant and a one-item proxy. The scale may be used as a process indicator for high-quality sustainability education and as part of organizational development. Overall, the study shows that experienced WIAs are measurable and highly effective for quality sustainability learning.

(1) Hope and optimism are strongly connected to physical and psychological health and have been much researched in the field of positive psychology. Research has shown that hope is connected to pro-environmental behavior and plays an important role in ESD. (2) In order to operationalize hope and optimism, in a survey, 2564 young people and 525 teachers in Germany assessed the probability and desirability of predefined future scenarios. (3) Only every fourth respondent is optimistic regarding the global future. The biggest discrepancy between expectation and desirability exists with regard to climate change. Latent class analysis revealed four classes, whereby 50% of the participants are “sustainability-affine but disillusioned”. This half of the sample has great potential to promote a sustainable future: For them, a positive socio-ecological future has by far the highest value. They report the strongest emotions regarding SD and want to take the most responsibility for SD. Surprisingly, they do not disclose more sustainable behavior in comparison to the other classes. (4) The low expectation of positive socio-ecological developments might be a central factor in preventing half of the sample from behaving more sustainable and indicating a strong potential for hope. The implications for Education for Sustainable Development are discussed.

Despite its role as a key factor for transformation, there is still a lack of large-scale studies on the effects of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The aim of this study is to predict sustainable behavior based on reported implementation of ESD as well as psychological (e.g., attitudes, emotions) and socio-demographic variables. Descriptive statistics and a multiple regression model were used to analyze data from 2564 young people from different formal educational fields and 525 teachers from Germany. Both learners and educators desire a distinctly higher amount of ESD within formal educational settings compared to the status quo. The multiple regression model explains 26% of variance in sustainable behavior. By far the strongest predictors are, firstly, connectedness with nature, followed by emotions regarding sustainability and ESD implementation on the content level (making connections between past, present and future, the local and the global, and ecology, economy and the social). One implication of the research findings is an “update” for ESD: Emphasizing the emotional dimension of education and relating the didactics of “controversial issues” to ESD.

Introduction: School-based programmes may promote knowledge and skills required to address climate change and better health and well-being in adolescents, yet evidence of their effectiveness is limited. In preparation for evaluating the Public Climate School, a school-based intervention to promote climate awareness and action in adolescents, we conduct a pilot study intended to assess procedures for participant recruitment, retention, and data collection, data quality issues and to provide preliminary parameter estimates to guide sample size calculations. Methods and analysis: This unblinded, cluster-controlled pilot study targets students in twelve classes from grades seven to thirteen in German public schools. Seven and five classes were allocated to the intervention and waitlist control arms, respectively. The intervention consisted of (1) live lessons on YouTube, (2) climate-related challenges of the day, (3) workshops and (4) peer exchange sessions. Waitlist control classes participated three weeks later. Measures included the proportion of students completing baseline and follow-up surveys, a comparison of baseline characteristics between students in the retained subsample and those lost to follow-up, proportions of students completing online and paper–pencil-based surveys and problems during data collection based on information reported by teachers. Data quality was assessed as proportions of missing data, associations between missingness and sociodemographic measures using logistic regression models and basic psychometric properties of scales including ceiling effects and internal consistency. Intentions to reduce one’s ecological footprint, the primary outcome, and all secondary outcomes for effect estimation were assessed one week pre- and post-intervention from November to December 2021 using items adapted from internationally used instruments and will be investigated using generalised linear mixed models and intention-to-treat analyses. Conclusions: The pilot study will lay the methodological groundwork for a large-scale cluster-randomised effectiveness and process evaluation of the Public Climate School. If proven effective and rolled out more broadly, the Public Climate School has the potential to contribute meaningfully to national climate mitigation and adaptation efforts by reaching a substantial share of adolescents in public schools, including those traditionally less involved in climate action.