One of the main challenges in sustainability discourse is its multifaceted nature often requiring that many different disciplines must cooperate in order to achieve progress. This issue also concerns sustainability education. In the article, we highlighted the experiences from the international cooperation of university teachers and researchers with highly diverse professional backgrounds who worked together on developing educational materials for university students in sustainability-oriented courses. The study is based on qualitative, participatory evaluation research, applying two rounds of open-ended questionnaires distributed to the same respondents (n = 18). For the analysis, we used the open-coding procedure for identifying the main categories. The results show some of the opportunities and barriers that emerged in the process of this cooperation. In particular, we discuss the issues related to the high heterogeneity of the group, such as the clashes of the different perspectives on the topics covered, group dynamics issues, trust, facilitation challenges, and also opportunities that such heterogeneity offers. We highlight the importance of open reflectivity in sustainability-oriented educational projects as the key to their successful implementation. Finally, we believe that results of this participatory study are useful in designing new projects aiming at further improvement of academic education in sustainability and sustainable development.

This paper describes the impact of the One World in Schools human rights education programme on the attitudes, self-efficacy and intention to act of a sample of Georgian secondary school students (n = 303). For the evaluation, a mixed approach was applied, combining pre/post experimental/control group design, post-programme teacher and student surveys, and focus groups (n = 48) with students. Data were collected from September 2014 to June 2015 in sampled Georgian schools. The analysis revealed that the programme had an impact in both the quantitative and qualitative parts of the research. In the qualitative part, the students reported a high level of empowerment thanks to the programme’s activities, while the changes reported in the pre/post testing were rather moderate. Moreover, the programme seems to have influenced girls more than boys. The cultural context of the evaluation and the implications for further implementation of the programme are discussed as well.

The article focuses on the social perception of urban parks, from the perspective of city dwellers. For the analyses, eight focus groups with N = 48 participants were organized. The findings indicated urban parks as a meaningful part of the city dwellers’ place identity, who interpret them as an “oasis of peace” or “places for meeting”. The article further analyzes the conflicts emerging from the clashes of different perspectives on how urban parks should be used, what functions they should fulfil, or what characteristics they should have. The article discusses the possible implications of some of these contradictions, connected with the changing nature–culture understanding in contemporary society and the unresolved marginalization of some of the social groups.

The paper analysis how the Schwartz’ theory of universal values promoted in the Real World Learning Model might be applied in educational practice. In its first part it introduces the Schwartz’ theory and its basic assumptions. In the second part it presents its critical reflection based on works of Pareto and Sorel. As they argue, the theory is too “optimistic” as it does not presuppose the ability of value of power to “mask” itself for other values. On the basis of this criticism, the paper discusses possible risks of non-reflected effort to force values of univerzalism or benevolence in education by the means of power discourse, and recommends an open self-reflection of a teacher as a prevention of such a risk.

The main aims of this paper are to establish the position of evolutionary ontology within the Czech environmental debate, to identify why its untapped potential may be an inspiration in other social science disciplines and, finally, to suggest that evolutionary ontology be reconfigured in a particular way so that it can capitalize on its potential. A brief introduction outlines the context and the main ideas of evolutionary ontology and is followed by a discussion of its weaknesses: an emphasis on a confrontational style in addressing other social science disciplines and ignoring the specific nature of the disciplines which represent the main target group of this theory. Consequently, I suggested three main changes as to how evolutionary ontology should be presented.