JSR

Background: Current frameworks for education for sustainable development (ESD) follow the guidelines of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations in 2015, with particular attention to SDG 4, “Quality Education”. As we approach the deadline set by the 2030 Agenda, a systematic review for what has been accomplished in ESD is required to facilitate quality education for all going forward. Methods: We accumulated 571 recent publications (from 2016 to 2022) and performed a review to identify new trends and issues in ESD. Results: The number of ESD publications has gradually increased since 2016 despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational systems worldwide. The publications are not evenly distributed among regions and countries, implying an inconsistency in ESD progress and achievement across the globe. We identify five major educational issues in recent publications and characterize them over time and world regions. These emerging themes can serve as critical reference for fundamental-to-national ESD reform for decision makers, especially for those countries and regions with few publications. Our analysis suggests the introduction of the SDG framework in 2015 widened the scope of ESD and raised awareness of the interconnections between ESD and other socioeconomic domains (other SDGs), while ESD and water (SDGs 6 and 14) may be neglected subjects. Conclusions: This study serves as an important step in organizing the developing trends of ESD research in the context of the SDGs and provides pivotal reference for decision makers and educators furthering SDG 4 targets and indicators.

education; quality education; sustainable development; SDG 4