Learning for sustainability: Adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectives
The role of education is to enable change for the better. Sustainability education relies on humanity to act urgently to deal with what may be argued as the most pressing need of the 21st century. Transformative adult learning has the potential to drive positive behaviour change to address complex a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences and Humanities Open |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002517 |
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| author | Tarsilla Lehmann Usha Iyer-Raniga Kathleen Mahoney |
| author_facet | Tarsilla Lehmann Usha Iyer-Raniga Kathleen Mahoney |
| author_sort | Tarsilla Lehmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The role of education is to enable change for the better. Sustainability education relies on humanity to act urgently to deal with what may be argued as the most pressing need of the 21st century. Transformative adult learning has the potential to drive positive behaviour change to address complex and wicked global problems. Addressing the frequent question of how society will build and achieve sustainability change, this article utilises education as a means for meaningful and tangible sustainable change through learning for sustainability. Commonly known as ‘education for sustainability’ (EfS), the authors use the transformative learning (TL) process via embedded sustainability and cultural perspectives to demonstrate how learning through a sustainability and culturalism perspective can aid and enhance knowledge exchange. In parallel, this article presents an exploratory examination of how Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) can broaden and deepen intercultural learning, foster ethical responsibility, and promote non-essentialist discourses, resulting in improved awareness and understanding, taking a holistic approach to a sustainable future. We argue that innovative teaching methods such as COIL with embedded sustainability and cultural perspectives as demonstrated from a New Zealand vocational education (VE) course utilising sustainability and culturalism perspectives can transform learning, encouraging ethical and culturally responsive practice in individuals. Utilising quantitative methods, this study finds tangible enhanced changes in participants' sustainability knowledge, as well as significant improvement to personal and interpersonal awareness associated with cultural engagement, discourse, and metanarrative. The results of this case study demonstrate adult TL as contributory to current and future sustainable change and are applicable, not only to VE contexts but in any adult learning context. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-68a432c51a084c3386d68c3302f2a2c9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2590-2911 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences and Humanities Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-68a432c51a084c3386d68c3302f2a2c92025-08-20T02:37:06ZengElsevierSocial Sciences and Humanities Open2590-29112025-01-011110152310.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101523Learning for sustainability: Adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectivesTarsilla Lehmann0Usha Iyer-Raniga1Kathleen Mahoney2RMIT University (School of Property, Construction and Project Management), 124 La Trobe St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia; Corresponding author. School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia.RMIT University (School of Property, Construction and Project Management), 124 La Trobe St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia; Co-lead, Circular Built Environment (CBE), Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction hosted by UNEP, 75015 Paris, FranceSUNY Potsdam, State University of NY (Art Department), 44 Pierrepont Ave, Potsdam, NY, 13676, USAThe role of education is to enable change for the better. Sustainability education relies on humanity to act urgently to deal with what may be argued as the most pressing need of the 21st century. Transformative adult learning has the potential to drive positive behaviour change to address complex and wicked global problems. Addressing the frequent question of how society will build and achieve sustainability change, this article utilises education as a means for meaningful and tangible sustainable change through learning for sustainability. Commonly known as ‘education for sustainability’ (EfS), the authors use the transformative learning (TL) process via embedded sustainability and cultural perspectives to demonstrate how learning through a sustainability and culturalism perspective can aid and enhance knowledge exchange. In parallel, this article presents an exploratory examination of how Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) can broaden and deepen intercultural learning, foster ethical responsibility, and promote non-essentialist discourses, resulting in improved awareness and understanding, taking a holistic approach to a sustainable future. We argue that innovative teaching methods such as COIL with embedded sustainability and cultural perspectives as demonstrated from a New Zealand vocational education (VE) course utilising sustainability and culturalism perspectives can transform learning, encouraging ethical and culturally responsive practice in individuals. Utilising quantitative methods, this study finds tangible enhanced changes in participants' sustainability knowledge, as well as significant improvement to personal and interpersonal awareness associated with cultural engagement, discourse, and metanarrative. The results of this case study demonstrate adult TL as contributory to current and future sustainable change and are applicable, not only to VE contexts but in any adult learning context.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002517Vocational educationCollaborative online international learning (COIL)CultureEducation for sustainable development (ESD)Sustainable development goals (SDGs)Education for sustainability |
| spellingShingle | Tarsilla Lehmann Usha Iyer-Raniga Kathleen Mahoney Learning for sustainability: Adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectives Social Sciences and Humanities Open Vocational education Collaborative online international learning (COIL) Culture Education for sustainable development (ESD) Sustainable development goals (SDGs) Education for sustainability |
| title | Learning for sustainability: Adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectives |
| title_full | Learning for sustainability: Adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectives |
| title_fullStr | Learning for sustainability: Adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Learning for sustainability: Adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectives |
| title_short | Learning for sustainability: Adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectives |
| title_sort | learning for sustainability adult transformative learning through sustainability and culturalism perspectives |
| topic | Vocational education Collaborative online international learning (COIL) Culture Education for sustainable development (ESD) Sustainable development goals (SDGs) Education for sustainability |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002517 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tarsillalehmann learningforsustainabilityadulttransformativelearningthroughsustainabilityandculturalismperspectives AT ushaiyerraniga learningforsustainabilityadulttransformativelearningthroughsustainabilityandculturalismperspectives AT kathleenmahoney learningforsustainabilityadulttransformativelearningthroughsustainabilityandculturalismperspectives |