Transformative learning in the field of sustainability: a systematic literature review (1999-2019)

作者：Jorge Gustavo Rodríguez Aboytes, Matthias Barth · 发表于：International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1108/ijshe-05-2019-0168 · 被引用次数：227 · 研究领域：Sustainability in Higher Education、Adult and Continuing Education Topics、Environmental Education and Sustainability

Purpose This study aims to investigate how transformative learning has been conceptualised and operationalised in education for sustainable development (ESD) and sustainability learning and to collect evidence on how to support transformative learning in formal and non-formal environments. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a systematic literature review to provide a structured and replicable search and analysis of the relevant literature to produce a bibliometric overview that combines a quantitative description of the body of literature and qualitative analysis of the learning processes, outcomes and conditions. Findings The convergence between transformative learning and sustainability has become an emerging field of inquiry, despite the superficial use of transformative learning theory in many studies. By examining the learning process, outcomes and conditions in the core sample of studies, this study demonstrates that transformative learning theory – if carefully studied – can contribute to the design and implementation of educational interventions and assessments of learning towards sustainability. Furthermore, the sustainability context provides an empirical grounding that highlights the fact that social learning, the role of experience and the development of sustainability competencies are inherently part of transformative learning. Originality/value To date, few attempts have been made to better understand how transformative learning theory has been us...