Achieving and Monitoring Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a systematic review of literature (56 studies) related to Sustainable Development Goal 4.7. The goal of the research reported on here is to contribute to the discussion around strategies for working towards and monitoring SDG4.7 at the institutional level. Within this overarching focus, our review of the literature was designed to identify studies that have looked at both student learning and teacher education related to SDG4.7. This twin focus stems from the recognition that achieving the SDGs will be particularly difficult if policymakers are not attentive to both sides of the learning equation—that is, first, to the ways that teachers learn to teach about issues related to SDG4.7 and, then, the ways that students acquire this knowledge and are assessed. The five findings sections of this review correspond to the five areas of emphasis embedded in the language of SDG4.7, namely, education for (a) sustainable development, (b) human rights, (c) gender equality, (d) promoting of a culture of peace and non-violence, and (e) appreciation of cultural diversity. In accordance with the purpose of this review, the synthesis for each area of emphasis digs into the details of the educational interventions, monitoring and evaluation strategies, and results that are documented in the publications analyzed. Thus, this review can be useful for informing educational or pedagogical approaches related to SDG4.7, as well as for designing monitoring and evaluation tools for the SDGs.