IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i5p1947-d328158.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mapping the Landscape and Structure of Research on Education for Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Review

Author

Listed:
  • Philip Hallinger

    (Center for Research on Sustainable Leadership, College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
    Department of Educational Leadership and Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa)

  • Vien-Thong Nguyen

    (Center for Research on Sustainable Leadership, College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
    Faculty of Education, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam)

Abstract

This systematic review of research used science mapping as a means of analyzing the knowledge base on education for sustainable development (ESD) in K-12 schooling. The review documented the size, growth trajectory and geographic distribution of this literature, identified high impact scholars and documents, and visualized the “intellectual structure” of the field. The database examined in this review consisted of 1842 English language, Scopus-indexed documents published between 1990 and 2018. The review found that the knowledge base on ESD has grown dramatically over the past 30 years, with a rapidly accelerating rate of publication in the past decade. Although the field has been dominated by scholarship from Anglo-American_European nations, there is evidence of increasing geographic diversification of the ESD knowledge base over the past 15 years. Citation analyses identified authors who have had a significant influence on the development of this literature. Author co-citation analysis revealed three “schools of thought” that comprise the “intellectual structure” of this knowledge base: Education for Sustainable Development, Developing a Sustainability Mindset, Teaching and Learning for Sustainability. Document content analyses led to the conclusion that the current knowledge base is heavily weighted towards critical, descriptive and prescriptive papers, with an insufficient body of analytical empirical studies. Several recommendations are offered for strengthening this literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Philip Hallinger & Vien-Thong Nguyen, 2020. "Mapping the Landscape and Structure of Research on Education for Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:5:p:1947-:d:328158
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/5/1947/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/5/1947/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Julia Breßler & Susann Kappler, 2017. "A Systematic Review of Education for Sustainable Development," Chemnitz Economic Papers 007, Department of Economics, Chemnitz University of Technology, revised May 2017.
    2. Simon Zaby, 2019. "Science Mapping of the Global Knowledge Base on Microfinance: Influential Authors and Documents, 1989–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-21, July.
    3. Philippe Mongeon & Adèle Paul-Hus, 2016. "The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: a comparative analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 106(1), pages 213-228, January.
    4. Saeed-Ul Hassan & Peter Haddawy & Jia Zhu, 2014. "A bibliometric study of the world’s research activity in sustainable development and its sub-areas using scientific literature," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 99(2), pages 549-579, May.
    5. United Nations, 2016. "The Sustainable Development Goals 2016," Working Papers id:11456, eSocialSciences.
    6. Andrew Dobson, 2007. "Environmental citizenship: towards sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(5), pages 276-285.
    7. Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Niklas Gericke & Daniel Olsson & Teresa Berglund, 2015. "The Effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-25, November.
    8. Henry Small, 1973. "Co‐citation in the scientific literature: A new measure of the relationship between two documents," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 24(4), pages 265-269, July.
    9. Philip Hallinger & Suparak Suriyankietkaew, 2018. "Science Mapping of the Knowledge Base on Sustainable Leadership, 1990–2018," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-22, December.
    10. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    11. Cohen, Barney, 2006. "Urbanization in developing countries: Current trends, future projections, and key challenges for sustainability," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 63-80.
    12. Philip Hallinger & Chatchai Chatpinyakoop, 2019. "A Bibliometric Review of Research on Higher Education for Sustainable Development, 1998–2018," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, April.
    13. Magnus Boström & Erik Andersson & Monika Berg & Karin Gustafsson & Eva Gustavsson & Erik Hysing & Rolf Lidskog & Erik Löfmarck & Maria Ojala & Jan Olsson & Benedict E. Singleton & Sebastian Svenberg &, 2018. "Conditions for Transformative Learning for Sustainable Development: A Theoretical Review and Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, November.
    14. Helen Kopnina, 2014. "Revisiting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): Examining Anthropocentric Bias Through the Transition of Environmental Education to ESD," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 73-83, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ho, Manh-Toan, 2020. "The rise of research on development economics in Vietnam: Analyses and implications for the public and policymakers from SSHPA 2008-2020 dataset," Thesis Commons msy6e, Center for Open Science.
    2. Vivek Warke & Satish Kumar & Arunkumar Bongale & Ketan Kotecha, 2021. "Sustainable Development of Smart Manufacturing Driven by the Digital Twin Framework: A Statistical Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-49, September.
    3. , Aisdl, 2020. "The rise of research on development economics in Vietnam: Analyses and implications for the public and policymakers from SSHPA 2008-2020 dataset," OSF Preprints 9nbyr, Center for Open Science.
    4. Vuong, Quan-Hoang & Huyen, Nguyen Thanh Thanh & Pham, Thanh-Hang & Phuong, Luong Anh & Nguyen, Minh-Hoang, 2020. "Mapping the intellectual and conceptual structure of research on gender issues in the family business: A bibliometric review," OSF Preprints jgnrw, Center for Open Science.
    5. Roberto Pico-Saltos & Paúl Carrión-Mero & Néstor Montalván-Burbano & Javier Garzás & Andrés Redchuk, 2021. "Research Trends in Career Success: A Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-24, April.
    6. Birgitta Nordén & Helen Avery, 2021. "Global Learning for Sustainable Development: A Historical Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-31, March.
    7. Haitham Nobanee & Fatima Youssef Al Hamadi & Fatma Ali Abdulaziz & Lina Subhi Abukarsh & Aysha Falah Alqahtani & Shayma Khalifa AlSubaey & Sara Mohamed Alqahtani & Hamama Abdulla Almansoori, 2021. "A Bibliometric Analysis of Sustainability and Risk Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, March.
    8. Jasmina Saric & Fabian Käser & Jon-Andri Lys & Jürg Utzinger & Thomas Breu, 2021. "Synergising Research and Service Activities at Swiss Research Institutions to Accelerate Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-20, August.
    9. Charlotte S. Diepolder & Holger Weitzel & Johannes Huwer, 2021. "Competence Frameworks of Sustainable Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-26, December.
    10. Andrea Venturelli & Roberta Fasiello & Simone Pizzi, 2021. "CSR Education in Economia Aziendale Curricula: An Overview," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-11, November.
    11. Esther Prieto-Jiménez & Luis López-Catalán & Blanca López-Catalán & Guillermo Domínguez-Fernández, 2021. "Sustainable Development Goals and Education: A Bibliometric Mapping Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    12. Moaaz Kabil & Setiawan Priatmoko & Róbert Magda & Lóránt Dénes Dávid, 2021. "Blue Economy and Coastal Tourism: A Comprehensive Visualization Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-25, March.
    13. Chuang Yang & Qi Xiu, 2023. "A Bibliometric Review of Education for Sustainable Development, 1992–2022," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-20, July.
    14. Wakara Ibrahimu Nyabakora, 2023. "Earnings management in public companies: a bibliometric review," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(9), pages 1-23, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Philip Hallinger, 2021. "A Meta-Synthesis of Bibliometric Reviews of Research on Managing for Sustainability, 1982–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Philip Hallinger, 2020. "Analyzing the intellectual structure of the Knowledge base on managing for sustainability, 1982–2019: A meta‐analysis," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1493-1506, September.
    3. Suparak Suriyankietkaew & Phallapa Petison, 2019. "A Retrospective and Foresight: Bibliometric Review of International Research on Strategic Management for Sustainability, 1991–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27, December.
    4. Philip Hallinger & Ray Wang, 2020. "The Evolution of Simulation-Based Learning Across the Disciplines, 1965–2018: A Science Map of the Literature," Simulation & Gaming, , vol. 51(1), pages 9-32, February.
    5. Astrid Kainzbauer & Parisa Rungruang & Philip Hallinger, 2021. "How Does Research on Sustainable Human Resource Management Contribute to Corporate Sustainability: A Document Co-Citation Analysis, 1982–2021," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, October.
    6. João Paulo Coelho Ribeiro & Fábio Duarte & Ana Paula Matias Gama, 2022. "Does microfinance foster the development of its clients? A bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-35, December.
    7. Andreas Ch. Hadjichambis & Demetra Paraskeva-Hadjichambi & Eleni Sinakou & Anastasia Adamou & Yiannis Georgiou, 2022. "Green Cities for Environmental Citizenship: A Systematic Literature Review of Empirical Research from 31 Green Cities of the World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-30, December.
    8. Philip Hallinger & Chatchai Chatpinyakoop, 2019. "A Bibliometric Review of Research on Higher Education for Sustainable Development, 1998–2018," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, April.
    9. Yue Guiling & Siti Aisyah Panatik & Mohammad Saipol Mohd Sukor & Noraini Rusbadrol & Li Cunlin, 2022. "Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Organizational Citizenship Behavior From 2000 to 2019," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, February.
    10. Gabriela Grosseck & Laurențiu Gabriel Țîru & Ramona Alice Bran, 2019. "Education for Sustainable Development: Evolution and Perspectives: A Bibliometric Review of Research, 1992–2018," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-35, November.
    11. Suthep Nimsai & Chanin Yoopetch & Polin Lai, 2020. "Mapping the Knowledge Base of Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Bibliometric Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-21, September.
    12. Sooksan Kantabutra, 2023. "What do We Know about Vision? A Sustainability Lens," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-27, May.
    13. Andreas Fröberg & Suzanne Lundvall, 2021. "The Distinct Role of Physical Education in the Context of Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals: An Explorative Review and Suggestions for Future Work," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    14. Trin Thananusak, 2019. "Science Mapping of the Knowledge Base on Sustainable Entrepreneurship, 1996–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-20, June.
    15. Serhat Burmaoglu & Ozcan Saritas, 2019. "An evolutionary analysis of the innovation policy domain: Is there a paradigm shift?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 118(3), pages 823-847, March.
    16. Tianhan Gui & Wei Zhong, 2024. "When urban poverty becomes a tourist attraction: a systematic review of slum tourism research," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    17. Shaikha R. Al-Nuaimi & Sami G. Al-Ghamdi, 2022. "Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Sustainability Aspects among Higher Education Students in Qatar," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-17, October.
    18. Ignacio Rodríguez-Rodríguez & José-Víctor Rodríguez & Niloofar Shirvanizadeh & Andrés Ortiz & Domingo-Javier Pardo-Quiles, 2021. "Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data and the Internet of Things to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scientometric Review Using Text Mining," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-29, August.
    19. Simon Zaby, 2019. "Science Mapping of the Global Knowledge Base on Microfinance: Influential Authors and Documents, 1989–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-21, July.
    20. Gutiérrez-Nieto, Begoña & Serrano-Cinca, Carlos, 2019. "20 years of research in microfinance: An information management approach," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 183-197.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:5:p:1947-:d:328158. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.