Traditional, content-based pedagogies cannot adequately tackle the challenges of the 21st Century in terms of sustainability

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the limitations and stated research gap and recommendations and future work of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 1977 and 2026, spanning 8 journals. Those papers have been cited 18 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 8 representative gaps

• A Study on Environmental Education at school and College level in Nagapattinam District (2026) · International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management · doi

  The findings of the study are applicable to environmental education and it does not applicable to other subjects. This study does not cover experimental aspect of environmental education, because studying of all aspects of environmental education is not under the purview of an individual researcher due to constraints imposed by money, time, energy and efforts. Discussion of the study: The research indicates the school wise respondent’s views on environmental education curriculum. It can be assessed with the help of 9 factors on a 5-pointrating scale. These include teachers to manipulate small objects, lessons required the use of memory strategies, lessons require understanding and using abstract ideas, lessons encourage teachers to think of future, group activities, lessons required teachers to read and write, lessons draw teachers to explore through experimentation, lessons required teachers to systematically solve the problem and lessons required cause effect reasoning. Out of the chosen 9 variables on environmental education curriculum, the respondents rate first order priority to the environmental education curriculum in terms of the lessons enable teachers to manipulate small objects as their secure mean score is 4.16 on a 5 point rating scale. This shows the highest level of preference to the environmental education curriculum. The respondents rate second order priority to the environmental education curriculum that lessons should require the use of memory strategies. In this perception, they secure a © 2026 The Author(s). Published by IJCOPE Journal. Website: https://ijcope.org/ 2 International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management ISSN: 3108-1754 (Online) Volume 02 Issue 04 April-2026 | Impact Factor: 3.5 mean score of 4.09 on a 5-point rating scale. This indicates the respondent’s attitudes towards use of memory strategies in environmental education curriculum. The respondents rate third order priority to the environmental education curriculum that lessons require to understand and use abstract ideas as they secure a mean score of 3.85 on a 5 point scale. In general, respondents rate fourth order priority to the environmental education curriculum that lessons should think of future as they secure a mean score of 3.85 on a point rating scale. The respondents rate fifth order priority to the environmental education curriculum in terms of group activities on environmental education as it secures mean score 3.76 on a 5 point rating scale. The respondents rate the sixth order priority to the environmental education curriculum that lessons require the teachers to read and write environmental issues as their secure mean score in 3.67 on a 5-point rating scale. The respondents secure 3.56 as mean score on a 5-point rating scale with respect to their views on environmental education curriculum in terms of teacher’s role in exploration of knowledge through experimentation. It is the seventh level environmental attitude. The respondents rate eighth order priority to the environmental education curriculum that lessons should enable the teachers to systematic solve the problem as they secure a mean score of 3.40 on a 5 point rating scale. The respondents secure 2.90 as mean score on a 5-point rating scale. With respect to their views on environmental education curriculum in terms of lessons require cause and effect reasoning. It is interesting to observe among the chosen schools that the teachers of Matriculation schools occupy the first position with respect to their overall views on environmental education curriculum as they secure a mean score of 4.00 on a 5 point rating scale and followed Aided Secondary Schools, Municipal secondary schools and Government secondary schools. It could be seen clearly from the above discussion that there is correspondence between education status of teachers and their views on environmental education curriculum. It could be noted that the education status, the ratings on environmental education curriculum and the vice versa.

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: environmental education curriculum lessons scale teachers mean score point respondents secure rating rate order priority
• Transforming Environmental Education by Innovative Approaches to Teaching Sustainability and Biodiversity in the 21st Century (2026) · Natural and Engineering Sciences · doi

  Traditional, content-based pedagogies cannot adequately tackle the challenges of the 21st Century in terms of sustainability. There is a need to change the conceptualization and implementation of environmental education. The study aims to address the gap in the literature by exploring the role of innovative pedagogical practices in transforming the teaching of sustainability and biodiversity in environmental education.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: traditional content-based pedagogies cannot adequately tackle challenges century
• Green Campus initiatives among public secondary schools in Ilocos Sur: A basis for policy recommendation (2026) · International Journal of Education Learning and Pedagogical Sciences (INJELPS) · doi

  1. Educational administrators may consider scaling successful local initiatives, such as Project GEMMA, across divisions to support standardized and context-responsive implementation of Green Campus programs. 2. School leaders and local government units may strengthen partnerships and allocate sustainable resources to support infrastructure development and the integration of environmental education into teaching and learning processes. 3. Teachers and school administrators may adopt student-centered and incentive-based approaches to promote active participation in environmental programs and reinforce positive ecological behaviors. 4. Curriculum developers and educators may integrate sustainability concepts across subject areas through interdisciplinary and project-based learning approaches to enhance long-term educational outcomes. 5. Policymakers and school leaders may adopt a Whole-School Approach by embedding environmental practices into curriculum design, school policies, and daily operations, while clearly defining roles and responsibilities to ensure sustainability and accountability. REFERENCES Alkair, S., Ali, R., Abouhashem, A., Aledamat, R., Bhadra, J., Ahmad, Z., Sellami, A., & Al-Thani, N. (2023). A STEM model for engaging students in environmental sustainability programs through a problem-solving approach. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 22(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015x.2023.2179556 Aregarot, P., Kubaha, K., & Chiarakorn, S. (2024). A study of sustainability concepts for developing green universities in Thailand. Sustainability, 16(7), 2892. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072892 Biney, E. (2025). Systematic review of problem-based learning in environmental education. Educational Point, 2(2), e131. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/17292 Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2024). Thematic analysis: A practical guide (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. Climate and Clean Air Coalition. (2016). A handbook for schools on organic waste management. International Solid Waste Association. https://www.ccacoalition.org/sites/default/files/resources/2016_A-Handbook-for-schools-on- organic-waste-management_ISWA_CCAC.pdf Congress of the Philippines. (2001). Republic Act No. 9003: Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2001/01/26/republic-act-no-9003-s- 2001/ Congress of the Philippines. (2008). Republic Act No. 9512: National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008. Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2008/12/12/republic- act-no-9512/ Delos Santos, A. M., & Bautista, R. L. (2025). Sustaining the green shift: Structural barriers to environmental club longevity in Philippine public schools. Journal of Educational Policy and Management, 14(2), 45–68. https://doi.org/10.53378/jepm.2025.7612 Department of Education. (2014). Im

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: environmental https republic school education sustainability educational waste management philippines green programs learning based schools
• Enhancing Civic Awareness and Environmental Responsibility through Social Studies Education for Sustainable Development in Nigeria (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  1. Integrating environmental education into social studies education curriculum will acquaint students, teacher and policy maker on waste disposal and conservation. 2. Civic concepts such as citizenship, human right, democracy, rule of law, leadership, and responsibilities should fully incorporated into social studies education at all levels of education. 3. Schools should organize activities such as tree planting, sanitation exercises, recycling projects and environmental clubs to help students develop.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: education environmental social students integrating curriculum acquaint teacher policy maker waste disposal conservation civic concepts
• The Effects of a Water Conservation Instructional Unit on the Values Held by Sixth Grade Students (1977) · The Journal of Environmental Education · cited 10× · doi

  Subsequent recommendations for research that now seem pertinent are: 1. The measurement of the retention of the values verbalized b y students exposed to an instructional unit on water conservation. 2. The measurement of the extent to which transfer is made from verbal responses t o action behavior. 3. The development of methods which would specifically permit the observa- tion of the directionality of value shifts made by individuals. 4. The generation of further instructional models concerning environmental issues other than water conservation, e.g., conservation of electricity, noise pollution, or solid waste disposal. 1. Hungerford, Harold R., and Knapp, Chfford E. “Conservation Education: Problems and Strategies.” The Science Teacher 36 (May, 1969): 29. KEFERENCES 2. Hungerford, Harold R., and Litherland, Ralph A. Teacher’s Guide to Modules I , 11, 111, IV and V of the Autonomous Learner Design for Environmental Education. By the authors, Science Education, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois and Special Services Divi- sion, Carbondale Elementary Schools, Carbondale, Illinois, 1973: IM-I, 1. 3. Breer, Paul E. and Locke, Edwin A. Task Experience as a Source of Attitudes. Homewood: The Dorsey Press, 1965: 9-10. 4. Bisaga, Henry R. “Middle School Students’ Value Clarification in Environmental Education as a Function of Autonomous Research.” Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Department of He- - mentary Education, Southern Illinois University, 1975: 115-1 16. 5. Harmin, Merrill; Kirschenbaurn, Howard; and Simon, Sidney B. clarifying Values ?%rough Subject Mutter. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Winston Press, 1973: 8-38. 6. Tomera, Audrey N. Ecology: A Work Text. Portland, Maine: J. Weston Walch, Publisher, 1972: 58-60. NEW FROM ERIC Recent publications from the ERIC Center for Science, Mathematics, and Environ- mental Education are noted below. They are available from: ERIClSMEAC Information Reference Center

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: education conservation illinois environmental science carbondale measurement values students instructional water made value hungerford harold
• Impact of active learner involvement in a contextual and relevant environmental education programme on learning effectiveness (2026) · Journal of Turkish Science Education · doi

  This research is, of course, limited in time and space. The highly beneficial effects of contextualising environmental education at various cognitive and behavioural levels can be confirmed or refuted by further research conducted in other countries and cultures. We recommend that future researchers and practitioners from different regions of the world study the impact of this dual contextualization (cultural and environmental) on the quality of learning related to environmental education and on the resolution of local environmental problems in the short, medium, and even long term.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: environmental education course limited time space highly beneficial effects contextualising various cognitive behavioural levels confirmed
• Teachers’ Understanding of and Practices in Critical Thinking in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review (2025) · Education Sciences · cited 8× · doi

  (3) responsibilities Modules or studies where students were assigned to make explicit plans for actions have been included in this category, as have articles where authors explicitly state that moving to act is part of the purpose of the teaching. environmental actions that are part of social Examples of Interpretation [Inspired from M. Davies (2015)] and a Representative Statement A teacher emphasises: (A) Reasoning as an important skill (B) Assessing sources The goal is to define, explain, and give a concrete example about how assessing sources and the use of reasoning are important skills to be developed and used by the students to approach environmental issues. “The goal is for students to evaluate, critically and scientifically, socio-political-inspired misleading information about climate change. Students examine information that most scientists understand to be biased, misleading and incorrect. This process allows students to engage in the scientific practices of thinking critically, identifying sources of bias and error, and questioning” (Brown & Golden, 2017, pp. 38–39). A science teacher will, among other things, show that openness to different perspectives is a way to engage in ESD contexts. “Students’ interviews showed that the course concepts foster the development of the disposition to maintain an open mind, self-confidence and the pursuit of truth (truth-seeking)” (Ampuero et al., 2015, p. 71). A science teacher can act on (thus demonstrating) certain positions towards environmental issues without necessarily personally agreeing with them. “In the gardens they [the students] made sure that nothing would get damaged or if it did they would come and fetch me [the teacher], when a twig was broken off a tree they came looking for me straight away [immediately], so they learned to value the gardens, the green areas” (Ampuero et al., 2015, p. 70). Educ. Sci. 2025, 15, 824 11 of 27 Table 3. Cont.

  generalfuture workevidence 5/5
  Keywords: students teacher environmental sources actions part inspired reasoning important assessing goal issues critically misleading information
• Preparing Environmentally Responsive Teachers: Ecological Literacy of Preservice Teachers in a Climate-Vulnerable Coastal Community (2026) · Journal of Practical Studies in Education · doi

  The findings of this study indicate that while BEED students possess moderately high ecological knowledge and strong pro- environmental attitudes, their ecological practices remain only moderate. This gap between awareness and sustained action suggests the need for stronger practical integration of ecological literacy within teacher education programs. Climate change education and environmental sustainability concepts should be systematically embedded across the Bachelor of Elementary Education curriculum rather than confined to science-related courses. Integrating ecological themes into professional education subjects, including teaching strategies, curriculum planning, and field study components, may enhance the translation of environmental knowledge into pedagogical practice. Given the significant influence of coastal residence on ecological literacy, contextualized and place-based learning approaches should be prioritized. Incorporating local environmental issues, community- based environmental projects, and partnerships with local government units and environmental organizations can provide preservice teachers with meaningful opportunities to apply ecological knowledge in real-world settings. Experiential learning strategies such as service-learning, coastal conservation initiatives, and sustainability-focused community immersion may strengthen ecological practices and reduce the observed gap between attitudes and behavior. Institutional support mechanisms should also be reinforced to sustain environmental engagement among preservice teachers. Establishing structured environmental programs, providing training in climate change education, and supporting student-led sustainability initiatives can create a supportive environment that encourages consistent ecological action. Strengthening institutional sustainability policies may further ensure that ecological literacy development is maintained as a core priority within teacher preparation programs. Future research may further examine the long-term development of ecological literacy and explore additional factors influencing ecological practices, including institutional culture, resource availability, and community engagement structures. Continued assessment and monitoring of ecological literacy outcomes may guide evidence-based improvements in curriculum design and teacher education policy. 7. Educational and Policy Implications for Teacher Education The findings of this study offer important implications for teacher education policy, curriculum development, and environmental education practice, particularly in climate-vulnerable coastal contexts. While BEED students demonstrated high ecological knowledge and strong pro-environmental attitudes, their ecological practices were only moderate, indicating a persistent gap between e

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: ecological environmental education literacy teacher knowledge practices sustainability curriculum attitudes programs climate coastal based learning

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