AbstractEducation for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Climate Change Education (CCE) aim at increasing (young) people′s competencies and critical engagement. Their impact depends on innovative learning settings. In this study, we deliver scientific evidence of the success of ESD/CCE in schools when pupils do their own research and co-operate with experts.
The COP21 Agreement 2015 sets very high targets, which cannot be reached by political agreements or technological progress alone. Within this context, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and particularly Climate Change Education (CCE), play an ever increasing role regarding a holistic societal transformation towards a sustainable world. Creating ESD/CCE learning settings and delivering scientific evidence for their success has turned into a vital challenge in order to meet the high expectations. In this longitudinal study, based on the research project k.i.d.Z.21 - Competent into the Future, we deliver scientific evidence of the success of CCE when based on transdisciplinary and/or moderate constructivist theories, and show that the impact is even higher when both approaches are combined. The data presented derive from scientific surveys and tests, involving 343 teenagers before and after intensive collaboration with a high number of experts, including renowned climate change scientists.