Sustainable Development Goals and Education: A Bibliometric Mapping Analysis

Abstract

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at improving life in all its dimensions, covering all sectors, with a particular emphasis on education. The study presented here focuses on universities as priority organisations and agents of change within the sphere of their social commitment. We thus conducted an analysis of the related scientific production as well as a bibliometric mapping, identifying the main publications indexed in the Web of Science, within its main collection. Focusing on scientific production, we examine the types of documents published, the evolution of the number of publications, the countries of origin of the publications, the most cited sources and articles, together with the most productive authors and a co-citation analysis. Regarding the bibliometric mapping analysis, the five core clusters included in the study were: SDGs in general; SDG 4 on Quality Education; Education for Sustainable Development; Higher Education; and Education Management. Among the main conclusions reached, we would emphasise the need for a change in role and function of university education to tackle sustainable development.