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Sustainability Skills in Adult Education - A Competence Framework

March 2024

DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.12978.62407

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Authors:

Randolph Preisinger-Kleine

Laureano Jiménez Esteller

Universitat Rovira i Virgili

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In this publication we present an action-based competence framework for sustainable development that is tailored to the needs of adult education. The competence framework is one of the main tools developed as part of the European 5P-Competences Project. It serves as a comprehensive guide for anyone concerned with the development of teaching / learning for sustainable development. Its focus is on skills and competences relevant to sustainable development from a lifelong learning perspective.

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5P Competences

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Competence Framework

Sustainability Skills in Adult Education

Thomas Eckert, Randolph Preisinger-Kleine, Nina Cugler, Laureano Jiménez Esteller

Authors

Thomas Eckert,Eckert T., Preisinger-Kleine R., Cugler N., Esteller L. J.

Acknowledgements

Marie Lichtenberger, Catharina Blanke, Karsten Krüger, Monica Cugler, Diana Treviño,

Niki Zafeiropoulou

Munich, 2023

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Content

The focus on lifelong learning ......................................................................... 5

Sustainability competences as developmental tasks ..................................... 14

Catalogue of sustainability competences ...................................................... 17

Competences concerning material resources ........................................... 23

Competences concerning social values ..................................................... 29

Competences concerning self-efficacy ...................................................... 34

The Competence Model ................................................................................ 38

The Competence Atlas .................................................................................. 42

Developing learning for sustainable development with the aid of the 5P

competence framework ................................................................................ 46

Mapping the competences ........................................................................ 46

Defining the Learning Outcomes ............................................................... 49

References .................................................................................................... 61

In the following chapters, we present the competence framework for Sus-

tainable Action developed within the European 5P-Competences Pro-

ject. The competence framework is one of the main tools developed as

part of the 5P Competences Project. It serves as a comprehensive guide

for anyone concerned with the development of teaching / learning for

sustainable development. Its focus is on skills and competences relevant

to sustainable development from a lifelong learning perspective.

The project brings together education and training providers, non-gov-

ernmental organisations and municipalities from five European coun-

tries. These project partners are dedicated to advancing Education for

Sustainable Development (ESD) by developing a structured and well-de-

fined competence framework and promoting its integration into adult ed-

ucation for sustainable development.

For more than thirty years, the United Nations has been actively advocat-

ing for sustainable development, formulating 17 goals with the aim of

achieving them by 2030. The subsequent Incheon Declaration places

special emphasis on education and training, designating them as crucial

components in this collective effort.

Achieving these goals requires more than just changes in the educational

system, focusing not only on ensuring a fair distribution of education and

improving learning outcomes. It is equally crucial to attain pertinent ed-

ucational objectives and develop relevant competences. To support that

the GreenComp competence framework was established in 2022 (EU-

Commission, 2022) and learning objectives were published in 2017

(UNESCO, 2017). Common to these two publications, as well as similar

ones, is their foundation in sustainable development as such. From this

they are asking for learning objectives that can be deduced, such as un-

derstanding concepts of poverty and engaging in critical discussions

about their normative and cultural assumptions. Moreover, they call for

the development of relevant competences needed to actively contribute

to sustainable development such as respect for sustainability and the

ability to critically engage in discussions related to it.

Without a doubt, those publications contributed to a better understand-

ing of the competences needed to build sustainable societies. However,

they also raise questions.

To name just a few, the learning objectives and competencies proposed

here are so general that they could be formulated even without any ref-

erence to sustainability. The justification for the relevance of learning ob-

jectives and competences, such as 'systems-thinking competency,' 'stra-

tegic competency,' or 'self-awareness competency' (UNESCO, 2017, p.

10), does not necessarily hinge on the concept of sustainability. Conse-

quently, educational innovations would not be necessary either, as these

learning objectives and competences have always been relevant.

It is also noticeable that the learning objectives defined are primarily

connected to formal learning at schools and universities, while the con-

nection between lifelong learning and sustainability remains rather

vague, despite rhetorical proclamations. Those objectives can be incor-

porated into a catalog, describing skills and competences which are

generally important. However, this catalog may not necessarily be

linked to real-life problems or situations encountered in everyday life.

However, it’s every day life that is the major impetus for lifelong learn-

ing.

This impression is reinforced by the fact that while there is a wide range

of proposals for implementing education for sustainability, the majority

of them are tailored to the needs of the formal education system.

In contrast to competence frameworks for sustainable development that

focus on imparting sustainability competencies within the formal educa-

tion system, our emphasis is on lifelong learning, and consequently, on

informal and non-formal learning. The advantage of this perspective lies

in the fact that informal learning, unlike formal learning, arises directly

from the everyday experiences of adults. To achieve the broadest possi-

ble impact, as unanimously advocated by local and regional stakehold-

ers, adult education for sustainable development at local level must pre-

cisely address this point.

The focus on lifelong learning

In this project, our focus is on a lifelong-learning perspective. Before

delving into the project's design, it's crucial to explore the implications

of this viewpoint. Despite (or perhaps because of) our frequent use of

terms like 'lifelong-learning' or 'informal learning' in everyday language,

there exist significant variations in their meanings. Recent publications,

exemplified by Rohs (2015), highlight that the term 'informal learning'

can be broadly defined as any learning that is not formal. Informal learn-

ing then serves as a residual category, representing learning outside or-

ganized contexts.

Alternatively, some definitions trace the origin of the term 'informal

learning' to the field of vocational occupation and training, emphasizing

on-the-job learning and the distinction between general and vocational

education. In this context, informal learning also plays a pivotal role in

organizational learning (Senge, 1990). Another perspective on the defi-

nition of 'informal learning' originates from the European Projects 'Learn-

ing Regions' or 'Learning in Place,' contextualizing informal learning

within regional development. Here, 'informal learning' emerges as a sig-

nificant element of regional task-orientation (Kuper & Kaufmann, 2010).

Overall, the understanding of 'informal learning' largely depends on the

political background associated with the term, resulting in variations

across European countries.

To adhere to a widely accepted definition, we rely on recent empirical

studies on lifelong learning and informal learning, particularly referenc-

ing the Adult Education Survey. The following definitions can be found

on EUROSTAT's websites1:

“Lifelong learning encompasses all learning activities undertaken

throughout life with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and compe-

tences, within personal, civic, social or employment-related perspec-

tives. The intention or aim to learn is the critical point that distinguishes

these activities from non-learning activities, such as cultural or sporting

activities.” (Eurostat, 2016)

According to this definition, 'lifelong learning' persists throughout an in-

dividual's entire life, pursued with the explicit goal of improving

knowledge, skills, and competences. Consequently, learning that occurs

by chance is not considered relevant to 'lifelong learning.' These learn-

1 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/trng_aes_12m0_esms.htm

ing activities are categorized into three distinct groups: formal, non-for-

mal, and informal. The definitions for each category are outlined as fol-

lows:

• Formal education and training are defined as “education that is in-

stitutionalised, intentional and planned through public organisations

and recognised private bodies and – in their totality – constitute the

formal education system of a country. Formal education programmes

are thus recognised as such by the relevant national education au-

thorities or equivalent authorities, e.g. any other institution in coop-

eration with the national or sub-national education authorities. For-

mal education consists mostly of initial education. Vocational educa-

tion, special needs education and some parts of adult education are

often recognised as being part of the formal education system.” (IS-

CED 2011)

• Non-formal education and training is defined as “education that

is institutionalised, intentional and planned by an education pro-

vider. The defining characteristic of non-formal education is that it

is an addition, alternative and/or complement to formal education

within the process of the lifelong learning of individuals. It is often

provided to guarantee the right of access to education for all. It

caters to people of all ages but does not necessarily apply a con-

tinuous pathway-structure; it may be short in duration and/or low-

intensity, and it is typically provided in the form of short courses,

workshops or seminars. Non-formal education mostly leads to

qualifications that are not recognised as formal or equivalent to

formal qualifications by the relevant national or sub-national edu-

cation authorities or to no qualifications at all. Non-formal educa-

tion can cover programmes contributing to adult and youth liter-

acy and education for out-of-school children, as well as pro-

grammes on life skills, work skills, and social or cultural develop-

ment.” (ISCED 2011) In short, non-formal education and training

covers institutionalised taught learning activities outside the formal

education system.

• Informal learning is defined as “forms of learning that are inten-

tional or deliberate, but are not institutionalised. It is consequently

less organized and less structured than either formal or non-formal

education. Informal learning may include learning activities that oc-

cur in the family, workplace, local community and daily life, on a self-

directed, family-directed or socially-directed basis”. (ISCED 2011)

For a clearer grasp of the fundamental distinctions among formal, non-

formal, and informal learning, the definitions can be visually repre-

sented. According to Bilger et al. (2013, p. 19), a flowchart, as outlined in

the Classification of Learning Activities (CLA) by Eurostat (2016, p. 21),

can be created. This visual aid aims to foster a shared understanding of

the various types of learning:

This understanding can be applied to define the term ‚Education for

sustainable development’ (ESD). In the words of the UNESCO (2014, p.

12), “ESD empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsi-

ble actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just so-

ciety, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural diver-

sity. It is about lifelong learning, and is an integral part of quality educa-

tion. ESD is holistic and transformational education which addresses

learning content and outcomes, pedagogy and the learning environ-

ment. It achieves its purpose by transforming society.” The definition

also implies two key aspects: a) Environmental and Sustainable Devel-

opment (ESD) can be pursued through formal, non-formal, and informal

learning, and b) it necessitates intentionality: the purpose of making in-

formed decisions and undertaking responsible actions for environmen-

tal integrity, economic viability, and social justice. This conceptualization

of ESD aligns with recent publications by Wals & Mochizuki (2017) and

Rieckmann & Barth (2022). Wals & Mochizuki emphasize a gap in

knowledge regarding ESD within the realm of non-formal education.

Consequently, the project's intent to establish a competency framework

for ESD enters a field with limited research, particularly in the domain of

non-formal education. Since informal learning is closely tied to practical

actions in daily life (be it occupational, private, or societal), the compe-

tency framework must prioritize knowledge that serves as a precondition

for these actions. It should not focus on knowledge arising as a conse-

quence of these actions, as the latter does not align with informal learn-

ing, given its non-intentional nature.

Implications for learning objectives from the lifelong learning per-

spective and the concept of developmental tasks

From the perspective of lifelong learning, as described earlier, the

learning objectives formulated for formal learning fall short in address-

ing the needs of informal learning. This is due to several reasons:

• The learning objectives and competences are often formulated in

a very general manner, lacking a specific justification for their rel-

evance to concepts like sustainability, such as 'systems-thinking

competency,' 'strategic competency,' or 'self-awareness compe-

tency' (UNESCO, 2017, p. 10). Consequently, the argument arises

that educational innovations are not necessarily required since the

objectives have always been relevant.

• Educational objectives are primarily linked to formal learning set-

tings in schools and universities. While they can be integrated into

a catalog outlining general skills and competences, this catalog

may not be directly connected to problems or situations encoun-

tered in everyday life - the very context that drives informal learn-

ing.

• It is (almost) impossible to derive actionable insights for pedagog-

ical interventions from analytical categories that justify the

weighting of educational objectives (or competences) for individ-

ual learners or determine the sequence in which different parts of

the competences can or should be taught.

Therefore, from a Lifelong Learning perspective, it is imperative to aug-

ment existing competence frameworks (or lists of educational objec-

tives) with a concept grounded in everyday situations, including profes-

sional contexts. The objective of this project is to establish a competence

framework aligned with UNO and UNESCO publications, reflecting cur-

rent developments in our partner countries and community activities.

The framework should remain open and adaptable to new trends, with a

primary focus on informal learning.

To achieve this goal, we will build upon the concept of developmental

tasks widely utilized in developmental psychology. Originally, this con-

cept refers to culturally or societally determined expectations at a spe-

cific point in time for individuals of a certain age. Havighurst (1972), a

notable proponent of this concept, applied it to adolescents, outlining

tasks such as preparing for a professional career, readiness for marriage

and family, adaptation of sex roles, acceptance of one's own body and

person, and achieving emotional independence from parents and other

adults.

Havighurst himself emphasizes the adaptability of this concept across

various life stages. For early adulthood, tasks may include choosing a life

partner, establishing a family, managing a home, and building a career.

In middle age, individuals may focus on maintaining a standard of living,

fulfilling civic and social responsibilities, sustaining a relationship with a

spouse, and adapting to physiological changes. Later in maturity, tasks

may shift towards adjusting to deteriorating health, transitioning to re-

tirement, fulfilling social and civil obligations, and coping with the loss

of a spouse.

Building on Havighurst's work, Hurrelmann (1998) further refines the

concept, approaching it from a socialization perspective that is closely

aligned with informal learning. Hurrelmann identifies four developmen-

tal tasks:

• Training of discipline and intellectual and social compe-

tences: Actively assuming tasks and duties that are personally sat-

isfying and contribute to public welfare.

• Designing a self-image of body and soul: Developing a per-

sonal identity, fostering close connections with loved ones, and

maintaining satisfying contacts with others.

• Developing skills to productively use economic, leisure, and

media offerings: Creating strategies for relaxation and regener-

ation.

• Designing a value orientation and developing the ability to

participate actively in the political shaping of living condi-

tions.

In developmental psychology and theory of socialization, the inquiry into

the repercussions for adolescents who fail to successfully navigate de-

velopmental tasks is common. Here, we apply the concept of develop-

mental tasks to lifelong learning, a notion akin to Hericks (2009), who

employs the concept in his theory of teacher professionalization. In this

context, we refer to tasks that must be acquired and updated throughout

the entire lifespan, closely linked to the perspective of sustainability. If

this ongoing acquisition and updating do not occur sufficiently, it is not

just the individual who is adversely affected; it is the sustainability itself.

Starting from a literatury review that besides many others included the

publications of the OECD three core aspects (learning objectives) for Ed-

ucation for Sustainable Development (ESD) were identified: Generation,

justice and responsibility.

1. The topic of generation is closely connected to sustainability and

is explicitly mentioned in GreenComp, the European sustainabil-

ity competence framework (supporting fairness, p. 14). The idea

is that each generation lives in, or learns to live in, a world shaped

and designed by previous generations. They inherit this world

from their predecessors, preserving certain aspects while modi-

fying others, with the ultimate goal of passing on the world to the

next generation or generations.

One of the prerequisites for sustainable development is to be con-

scious of this aspect and to approach it critically and responsibly.

This pertains to the overall history of humanity, the nation one re-

sides in, family, and one's personal history. Norms and values must

be scrutinized and brought to consciousness. Individuals need to

ask themselves what legacy they wish to leave for their own chil-

dren, the children of their friends, their community, their country,

and the world.

Within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) of the United Nations, this aspect is particularly empha-

sized in SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Addition-

ally, relevant goals include SDG 1-3 (No Poverty, Zero Hunger,

Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 5-12 (Gender Equality, Clean

Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work

and Economic Growth, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure,

Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption

and Production), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institu-

tions).

2. Justice is explicitly mentioned in competences of the Green-

Comp. It is directly referred to in three SDGs (SDG 5: Gender

Equality, SDG 10: Reduced Inequality, and SDG 16: Peace, Justice

and Strong Institutions) and it is implicitly referred to in some

other goals (SDG 1: No Poverty or SDG 2: Zero Hunger). Justice is

discussed as justice between nations, between regions and be-

tween persons. Closely connected to this are questions about

equality and inequality. Those questions relate to the distribution

of natural resources, the organization of power or domination.

3. Responsibility was already addressed by Havighurst (1948) and

Hurrelmann (1995). Sustainability just is another aspect of respon-

sibility. It means being responsible for one’s own actions, for

one’s own values and one’s engagement for sustainability. This is

addressed in the competency framework, too (Valuing Sustaina-

bility or Political Agency and Collective Action), but it is also ex-

pressed in the SDGs. It is about being and feeling responsible for

others and the conditions for having a ‘good life‘. So, it is also

strongly connected with the question of generations.

Sustainability competences as developmental tasks

Out of these topics three developmental goals can be drawn that are de-

scribed in the following paragraphs:

1. Existence and Continuance of the World:

The first developmental task (material resources) is aiming at the ex-

istence and the continuity of the world. This pertains to one’s own

future, the future of the society and the future of forthcoming gener-

ations. The main question posed is: on what (material) basis can this

future be designed? This underscores the importance of resource

management. The developmental task in this context is, to acquire

the skills of effectively managing our material resources to allow for

a worthwhile and sustainable future, as persons, other persons and

societies at large.

2. Social Cohesion and Justice:

The second developmental task (social cohesion / justice / social

fairness) is focusing on the social cohesion of a society, interpersonal

relationships, and the outcomes of comparing oneself to others. It re-

volves around the concepts of fairness and the values associated with

it. The developmental task in this context is to cultivate social values

and formulate a concept of social fairness.

3. Self-Efficacy and Active Engagement for Sustainability:

The third developmental task (self-efficacy) is connected to one’s

own position in the world. This is not ascribed as it might have been

the case in former times, it is earned, and it can be assured by one’s

own efforts. Therefore, it is important to be convinced of one’s own

self-efficacy and to be engaged in sustainability as far as one’s own

abilities and interests allow that.

The three developmental tasks have in common, that they cannot be

achieved finally. They have to be thought over the whole lifetime, they

have to be modified and updated and some competences have to be

learnt newly. Concerning the aspect of lifelong learning this does not

happen independently from one’s own life. The opposite is true: it hap-

pens it happens enclosed in one’s own life, and therefore is intricately

interwoven with it. This is the reason why in this project initiatives and

projects are collected and analysed which are undertaken in connection

with these developmental tasks on a national and on a regional level.

The project initially aimed to analyze international, national, and re-

gional publications on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to

identify specific goals for the competence framework, with a focus on re-

gional differentiation. This approach was aligned with the UNESCO's

roadmap for ESD implementation (2020), emphasizing efforts at the local

level using a whole-institution approach (p. 16, also p. 22).

However, it became apparent that this intention could not be realized

due to the fact that publications at the national and regional levels all ref-

erenced the central publications of the UNESCO. Consequently, a deci-

sion was made to analyze concrete intiatives and projects undertaken in

the countries of the project members.

While the analysis of developmental tasks could be conducted using pro-

ject descriptions, it posed a challenge to draw from those descriptions a

direct line to the regional level, since projects could operate at regional,

national, or international levels.

Given the importance attributed to the regional level by UNESCO (2020),

reference was made to Bronfenbrenner's social ecological model (1981).

This model categorizes various ecological systems with different influ-

ences on the cognitive and social development of individuals, particu-

larly children. The graphical illustration of the model is one of many, de-

picting the interconnectedness of these systems.

With regard to those three tasks the following levels of action can be dis-

tinguished:

• Micro level

whether the development tasks are addressed by sustainability ac-

tion that takes place in a person's immediate personal environment,

i.e. primarily affect the person themselves,

• Meso level

whether they are aiming at a person's environment that is in direct,

personal contact with him or her, such as the family or immediate cir-

cle of friends,

• Exo level

whether they address groups or events in a person's immediate en-

vironment of which the person is not a member or in which the per-

son is not involved, but which have a significant influence on the per-

son's options for action, such as changes in the possibilities for sus-

tainable consumption or sustainable energy use.

• Macro level

or whether it refers to things that prevail in a society as a whole, such

as values, conventions, traditions, regulations, laws or ideologies

(macro level).

Consequently, the analysis aims to culminate in a competence frame-

work for sustainable development within the realm of lifelong learning.

However, it's crucial to note that this framework, being grounded in em-

pirical analysis rather than theoretical considerations, may not encom-

pass the complete spectrum of competences required to comprehen-

sively support sustainable development in all its facets. To address this,

the empirical framework later on is juxtaposed with a well-established

theoretical framework from other contexts that can be adapted. The cho-

sen theoretical framework is the competence atlas by Heyse &

Erpenbeck (2017). The rationale behind this choice will be elucidated in

the subsequent discussion, which explores various conceptualizations of

the term 'competence.'

Catalogue of sustainability competences

The partnership produced a catalogue of competences, which corre-

spond to the development tasks outlined before. In essence those skills

and competences were identified using an inductive approach. In partic-

ular, by analyzing citizen-driven initiatives on different levels that ad-

dress sustainability issues. We coded the initiatives as follows:

Classification: according to a) the developmental task the project fo-

cuses on (material resources, self-efficacy, justice/social fairness) and b)

the level of impact (micro-level, meso-level, exo-level, macro-level),

Goals of the civic initiative: For example: avoiding waste, ecological

friendly cooking, ecological sensible purchase of food, keeping the city

clean etc.

Teachable competences that can be deduced from the goals: For ex-

ample: Knowledge about and handling of material resources, knowledge

about the attributes of food, knowledge about how to buy ecological

friendly food, getting a feeling of togetherness by meeting many like-

minded persons, getting a sense of responsibility for the well-being and

image of the city by realizing that the group can make a difference.

Psychological distance of sustainability actions: Independently from

the coding of the competences it is important to mention the level, the

citizen initiatives are aiming at, the psychological distance of sustainabil-

ity actions, and the goals connected with them. According to Bron-

fenbrenner’s socio-ecological socialisation theory (Bronfenbrenner

1981) the following differentiations are important (to illustrate this point,

we provide examples from the analysis of German initiatives).

Micro level

• Actions that are directly connected to a person or those who are

in a direct contact with her.

Example: Rehab republic (https://rehab-republic.de/) because it

addresses concrete persons to take part in the actions such as or-

ganizing Trash-Cleanups, ESD-Workshops, Zero-Waste Meeting

Points, clothing exchange meetings and diverse workshops such

as cooking in groups with foods that would've been thrown away

otherwise. They also organize a sustainable city festival “Yeah!”

offering such mentioned activities during on one day.

Meso level

• Actions aiming at the (personal) environment of a person, includ-

ing for example persons who are closely connected to each other

such as e.g. family or close friends.

Example: Bergwaldprojekt (https://www.bergwaldprojekt.de/).

This project allows volunteers to gather for a weekend or a week

inside a forest in Germany. There they will help plant new trees

and take care for the existing forest (e.g. in the subproject “Nei-

haufeschte (Pflanztage)” or “planting days” in English). The or-

ganisation provides accommodation, tools and food, as well as a

workshop on how to plant trees correctly and then supervises the

volunteers during their work. It is coded as a meso-level project,

since it involves the individual volunteers and their relationship to

the group they are cooperating with.

Exo level

• Actions referring to groups or events in the direct environment of

a person. An environment in which persons are not a member by

themselves, but which has a strong effect on the possibilities of

action, such as changes for sustainable consumption or sustaina-

ble usage of energy.

Example: Community Kitchen in Share (https://www.br.de/na-

chrichten/bayern/die-community-kitchen-lebensmittel-retten-

fuers-klima,T034FGv) because it provides food for the people and

children of a certain region.

Macro level

• Actions aiming at things that relate to the whole of a society, such

as values, conventions, traditions, rules and regulations, laws or

ideologies.

Example: Girls Day/Boys Day

(https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/de/forschung/gleichstellung-und-

vielfalt-im-wissenschaftssystem/girls-day/girls-day-maedchen-

zukunftstag.html) This project offers children the opportunity to

discovers jobs that are traditionally “not for girls” or “not for

boys”. The children get one day off of school for participating in

this project and receive the opportunity to “work” for one day in

a job they are interested in (for example in a kindergarten, a me-

dia company, a construction site, in a research facility, …) to

learn that specific jobs are not only for one gender and to get

more ideas about what they would like to do or learn in their own

future. As the project – besides other goals – is aiming at societal

changes of values on “appropriate” jobs for different genders

and operates on the macro-level here.

More than three quarters of the projects can be attributed to the micro

level, which is corresponding to the fact, that the focus of the project is

on informal learning. Nearly 37 % of the projects are connected to the

macro level. That means that they are aiming at a political level. Most of

the projects are affecting more than one level.

Similar to that are the results concerning the developmental tasks. Most

of the projects (75 %) are aiming at competences concerning material

resources, 54 % on competences concerning self-efficacy and 56 % on

competences concerning social values.

An example of this approach is provided on the next page.

Rehab Republic

https://rehab-republic.de/

This collective organizes Trash-Cleanups, ESD-Workshops, Zero-Waste

Meeting Points, clothing exchange meetings and diverse workshops

such as cooking in groups with foods that would've been thrown away

otherwise. They also organize a sustainable city festival “Yeah!” offering

such mentioned activities during on one day.

Classification

The project is mainly focussing on material resources (1), because it is

clearly focussing on resources: food, clothing, cooking. It is also aiming

at social cohesion (2), because it is organizing social events and so try-

ing to give people the feeling of cohesion.

The project is located on the micro-level, because it addresses concrete

persons to take part in the actions. It is also located on the meso- and

exo-level, because it tries to create social events for friends and people

in a certain region.

Goals of the civic inititiative

• Avoiding waste

• Ecological friendly cooking

• Ecological sensible purchase of food

• Keeping the city clean

Teachable competences that can be deduced from of the goals:

• Knowledge about and handling of material resources.

• Knowledge about the attributes of food.

• Knowledge about how to buy ecological friendly food.

• Getting a feeling of togetherness by meeting many like-minded

persons

• Getting a feeling of responsibility for the well-being and image

of the city by realizing that the group can make a difference.

Local sustainability actions and initiatives can be categorized using this

method, both in terms of their contribution to the development tasks, the

competences they convey, and their scope. An advantage of this ap-

proach can be seen in its applicability beyond our project. For instance,

it can be used in the development of educational programs in the field of

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), as well as in the planning

of local ESD strategies.

Following the findings from our analysis the sustainability competences

and sub-competences can be mapped as follows. Besides a basic defini-

tion (D), we described each competence with the aid of three de-

scriptors: Knowledge (K), Skills (S) and Attitudes (A). Moreover, we pro-

vided examples to illustrate the competences (E).

Competences concerning material resources

Competences to sustainably handle items of every-day use

D: To manage items that we are using in our every-day-life (such as

clothes, paper, water) in a sustainable way means that we take care

of their life cycle. This implies being informed about where they are

coming from, how they were produced and how they are distributed,

or how they can be acquired. As well as treating things carefully, us-

ing them in a sustainable way, avoiding waste, and disposing them in

a way that fits into a natural life cycle.

K: Having the necessary information about local and global items and ob-

jects used in daily life, their origin, the ecological footprint of their

production and transport/distribution. Knowing about options of how

to acquire these things and how to use them while considering the

lifecycle of the products in use. Knowledge of how to capitalize on lo-

cal products to avoid the excessive costs of export products.

S: Being able to use every-day-items properly, parsimoniously, and in

an ecological way. Having the necessary skills to consider ecological

aspects in using things and to put them into an ecological life cycle.

A Being committed to respecting and incorporating ecological aspects

in every-day-life and in objects of daily use.

● Knowledge about the negative effects of water pollution

● Knowledge about different forms of composting

● Skills related to biodiversity protection

● Skills for combating pollution (e.g. in rivers or the ocean)

● Skills about possible consequences of environmental changes

on the earth’s biosphere

● Skills about the importance of vegetation in urban areas

● Skills about planning and caring for trees

● Skills related to gardening at home

Competences for recycling, zero waste, and emission management

D These competences contain the knowledge necessary for participa-

tion in product cycles (e.g. recycling), avoiding waste and an ecolog-

ical friendly way of handling emissions. The competences are espe-

cially related to the motivation for own action and for improving both

private and public behaviour.

K Knowledge about the properties of things used in everyday life and

options for their ecological use, such as technical procedures of par-

simonious heating and necessary tools for this, the ecological footprint

of things, procedures of recycling things of daily use or (e.g. buying

second hand products), or how to dispose things correct and avoid

waste.

S Persons can select among different options with the aim to minimize

their ecological footprint concerning energy (e.g. heating or travel-

ling) and concerning tool use or reuse in daily life. They are able to

integrate things of their daily use into ecological friendly cycles at the

place they are living.

A Persons are aware of their own contribution to pollution and want to

reduce their ecological footprint. They are open for innovative tech-

nologies and techniques to reduce pollution of air, water and soil.

They want to undertake efforts to reduce pollution.

● Skills about concepts such as sustainability, gas emissions,

pollution, global warming, ecology

● Skills about classification, sorting and recycling of litter

● Skills related to sustainable transport

● Skills related to urban biodiversity

● Skills of resources for a more sustainable city

● Willingness to make efforts to reduce pollution.

Competences for sustainable nutrition

D Persons with competences for sustainable nutrition are able to grow

or to buy food in a healthy and sustainable way. They know about the

relevant classifications of food and healthy ingredients. They can pre-

pare and cook in a healthy way, and they know about ways of balanced

nutrition and its necessity. Furthermore, they are able to dispose the

rests of their food in a sustainable way.

K Knowing how to grow food in an ecological way or where and how to

buy ecological friendly food, the classifications of food and the mean-

ing of ingredients (e.g. of labelling). They know about balanced nutri-

tion and its importance, as well as corresponding recipes for healthy

food preparation and methods for managing the leftovers or kitchen

waste.

S Having the necessary farming skills to grow food in a healthy way. Be-

ing able to buy necessary ingredients, prepare healthy meals and

handling leftovers while avoiding waste.

A Interest to live healthy and to act for one’s own well-being and the

well-being of one’s family and the society as a whole. Commitment to

prepare food in a healthy way.

● Knowledge about food processing

● Knowledge about healthy nutrition including understanding of

balance, timing and variety

● Knowledge about buying of ecological friendly food

● Skills needed to build a garden

● Skills to buy ecological friendly food

● Skills about planting and caring for trees

● Engagement on sustainable patterns of food consumption and

production

Competences necessary to understand the scientific background of

ecology

D To keep up with the current knowledge and techniques supporting

sustainable living it is important to address scientific discovery. This

is also important to understand interrelations between different as-

pects of living and of regional differences to come to an own opinion.

K Understanding of scientific concepts and terms concerning different

aspects of living, their intercorrelation and relevant regional differ-

ences; Knowing where and how to access scientific information to

solve concrete problems and knowing how to take this as a basis for

one’s own argumentation.

S Persons are able to read or to listen to scientific publications and can

integrate this knowledge into their own concepts. They can build a

critical view on scientific discovery (e.g. being able to distinguish be-

tween scientific and non-scientific knowledge) and can draw practical

conclusions, own argumentation, and scientifically informed actions

from it.

A Persons are interested in scientific discovery, want to stay informed

thoroughly on specific topics, and take part in discussions on specific

topics.

● Skills about topics of sustainable development from a scientific

perspective

● Understanding of scientific backgrounds of attributes, conse-

quences, and action plans

● Skills about causes and effects of climate change

● Knowledge about balance between consumption and re-

sources

● Scientific skills about plant ecosystems

● Skills about the healthy development of local communities

● Understanding of concepts of equality and equity

Competences for integrating Education for Sustainable Develop-

ment into educational activities

D These competences are important to spread the knowledge and com-

petences concerning sustainable development within formal and non-

formal learning activities. This also includes competences to establish

and support online-learning activities.

K Knowledge about effective learning and teaching methods.

Knowledge about the importance of informal learning and how to fa-

cilitate informal learning-activities. Knowledge of institutions already

engaged in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and how to

further support them.

S Ability to act as role model for sustainable development and to lead

by example. Being able to explain complex contexts to interested per-

sons in a passionate way, for example through design or selection of

appropriate learning activities such as online-courses.

A Engagement in teaching. Passion to disseminate knowledge and ex-

perience on sustainable development.

● Skills concerning fundamental personal competences, includ-

ing skills about self-regulation, flexibility, and wellbeing

● Skills about self-reflection on the topic of human rights educa-

tion, in relation to citizenship education based on the ‘Frame-

work for the Key Citizenship Competences’

● Knowledge about curriculum development on the topic of en-

vironmental sustainability

● Skills about implementation of citizenship education in EU

countries based on the ‘Framework for the Key Citizenship

Competences’

● Skills about staff training on sustainability

● Skills on how to help learners to develop sustainability

● Knowledge of methods on the application of human rights ed-

ucation, in relation to e.g. children, culture and sports, or the

environment

Competences for integrating Education for Sustainable Develop-

ment into political and entrepreneurial activities

D Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) allows every human be-

ing to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary

to shape a sustainable future. To bring ESD further it is important not

only to apply the strategies on a personal level but also at work, to-

gether with friends, the community and – on a political level – to en-

gage in local and national politics.

K Knowledge of formal and informal structures in relevant institutions

and their relevance as well of their interdependence. Knowledge of

the decision-making processes at work and in local and national poli-

tics.

S Skills necessary to understand (social) systems and to create and or-

ganize networks. Skills to convince persons to participate in sustaina-

ble development. Being able to organize shared actions in the field of

sustainable development. Networking and Entrepreneurial skills.

Leadership skills. Being able to engage concretely, together with

other people in public activities.

A Engagement for sustainable development in private and public con-

texts. Political interest and will for own engagement in sharing

knowledge and experiences with sustainable development. The will-

ingness to use own ideas in actions and to contribute to change.

● Experience in collaborating with local communities and large

partnerships on the topics like justice, human rights, sustaina-

ble development, and democratic participation

● Knowledge about tools for political advocacy on the topics like

justice, human rights, sustainable development, and demo-

cratic participation

● Knowledge about applying ESD training frameworks for teams

and organisations to their own settings and purpose

● Knowledge about local and wider community cooperation on

the topic of environmental sustainability

Competences concerning social values

Sense of belonging to the world (Sustainability values)

D Perceiving and understanding oneself as part of the world and the crit-

ical reflection on this. Being part of a group is central for the develop-

ment of values and to act within one’s community. This includes the

reflection of one’s own role as an individual as part of different com-

munities and society as a whole, as well as an understanding of how

relationships and groups form and develop. The development of val-

ues also includes learning about other persons values, to understand,

discuss, and respect these in order to create shared values and apply-

ing them as basis for shared sustainable action and visions for a more

sustainable future.

K These competences contain knowledge about values and their rele-

vance to persons thinking and behaviour as well as to group dynam-

ics. They also include knowledge about how individual and societal

values interrelate with sustainable behaviour and why such behaviour

is relevant for the world (e.g. through how climate change impacts dif-

ferent social groups)

S People can communicate with others, build and maintain relation-

ships, develop their own personality as individual and as part of a

group and the world. They can reflect on and show empathy for own

and other’s values as well as debate diverging principles.

A People are aware of their contributions to a group and their potential

impact to their community, they are open for being an active part of a

group and take on responsibilities. They are curious and willed to lis-

ten to perspectives and ideas of others, including those of minorities.

They are aware of the concept of sustainable goals (SDGs) and willing

to participate in resolving unsustainable problems.

● Skills about fundamental social competences, including skills

about empathy, communication, and collaboration

● Skills about values, skills, and attitudes of mutual respect in

accordance with human rights and democracy

● Skills about how to embody sustainability values

● Skills about solving problems through teamwork

● Getting a feeling of togetherness by meeting many like-

minded persons

● Getting a feeling of togetherness by cooperating with like-

minded persons

● Reflecting about the own value to visit side in all parts of the

world and its impact on sustainability

● Knowledge about SDGs and their implementation in the own

local social communities

Conscientiousness (Awareness)

D Developing a more sustainable way of living requires awareness of

current changes in the world that call for more sustainability. Under-

standing the influence an individual person can have on their commu-

nity, local politics and direct surroundings can be a key towards im-

plementing sustainable change in one’s own everyday life and to start

learning necessary skills. This includes the ability to understanding

one’s responsibility for own actions and the state of one’s environment

and the ability to act accordingly. These competences also include an

openness for new information and for learning especially about the

interconnected systems in one’s direct surrounding and to keep up

with new issues and ideas.

K These competences contain knowledge about how people, their be-

haviours and their local or global environment are interconnected.

They also include an understanding of one’s own perception and how

this (in-)forms one’s opinion and how to search for and find infor-

mation.

S These competences contain skills concerning self-awareness, self-re-

flection, and self-efficacy. This includes the critical reflection of own

perceptions and concepts, the search for and differentiation of trust-

worthy from unreliable information and the critical integration of new

information into one’s own concepts.

A Persons are open for taking responsibility for challenging tasks, are

willed to face inconvenient truths and to both learning or teaching new

things. The pay attention to their environment and other people and

seek exchange and new information.

● Understanding how own actions can make an impact

● Develop a sense of responsibility in favour of the protection of

the planet’s ecosystems and for a clean environment

● Feeling of responsibility for the well-being of one’s city and

the neighbourhood

● Ability to identify barriers that prevent people from having

equal rights and living in dignity

● Skills about enacting one’s citizen’s rights

● Getting a feeling of responsibility to mobilize local authorities

to implement the 2030 Agenda in their towns

● Feeling of responsibility for taught topics

● To become aware of generated marine pollution

● Awareness about pollution dangers

● Social conscience about sustainable transport

Participation and Inclusion

D Developing a more inclusive society that allows participation of minor

groups, young people and for example people from rural areas. This

includes persons to actively engaging others, their ideas, and critical

discussions of perspectives, as well as making Education for Sustaina-

ble Development accessible. It also includes an increased awareness

of societal and political structures (both local and national).

K knowledge about societal structures and societal minorities, the local

and national political systems, as well as existing options for partici-

pation and how to create new ways for participation.

S Engaging others in participatory action, develop shared visions of sus-

tainability.

A Openness for learning, new perspectives, and respectful interaction.

● Skills about values, skills, and attitudes of mutual respect in

accordance with human rights and democracy

Social adaptability

D The ability to adapt to new situations, people or information, including

active transfer of knowledge and skills for example to solve problems

or educate target groups on how to adapt a more sustainable way of

living.

K These competences contain knowledge about one’s own resources

and how knowledge can be transferred, communicated or shared.

S These competences contain skills concerning self-reflection and the

ability to teach and transfer knowledge.

A Persons are perceptive of their (social) environment and are willed to

focus on unknown or challenging things and to learn or teach others.

● Understanding that the own actions can make a difference

● Raising awareness and spread the culture of sustainability

● Skills about fundamental social competences, including skills

about empathy, communication, and collaboration

Competences concerning self-efficacy

Evaluation of one’s own sustainable actions (Role distance)

D To evaluate one's sustainable action in private, social, and political life

in relation to own and societal expectations.

K Knowledge about differentiated impact of sustainable actions at local

and global level in the ecological, economic, and social dimension

and how to evaluate the impact on local and global level

S Being able to estimate the impact of sustainable action, being able to

reflect critically on the own action and being able to deduct and initi-

ate or propose corrective action

A Openness for critical thought and opinion; Openness for self-reflec-

tion

Empowerment

D Empowerment means to encourage people to take charge of their

lives and to be active citizens. With regards to sustainable action this

can happen through the integration of Sustainable Development Goals

into the personal social network (at work, personal networks, local

community among others). It is important to show enthusiasm and

commitment to one’s values and by this one can inspire others to get

engaged for sustainable development as well.

K Knowledge about own resources and about how oneself and other

people can be motivated for taking up actions and how to sustain both

motivation and action. Knowledge about Social Development Goals

and possibilities of their implementation into daily live. Knowledge

about how knowledge can be shared.

S If someone is an empowering person, they can excite others to engage

in a topic, to change their behaviour, and/or to participate in move-

ments concerning sustainable development. It includes reflecting on

and increasing self-determination.

A An empowering person must have self-determination, social interest

and willingness for engagement with relevant topics and self-devel-

opment. This can also include persuasive skills and empathy.

● Skills on strategies aiming at changing from “awareness” to “ac-

tive engagement” that will strengthen the capacities of citizens,

trainers, local authorities and civil society organisations.

Perseverance

D Perseverance can be understood as an essential element of self-man-

agement. It is a competence to motivate oneself to continue with one’s

activities and to take over responsibility for the actions undertaken by

oneself and from others.

K Understanding on psychological barriers of perseverance and how to

address them.

S Patience and endurance. Leadership. Competence of being active

and holding on in doing one’s own things. Taking over responsibility.

Carry others along and working together over a long time.

A People are not only used to take strong efforts to reach their goals, but

they also continue their efforts after having failed. They are strongly

convinced that patience and endurance are important to reach their

goals and that they will be successful.

● Activist capacities

Cooperation competences (Solidarity)

D Cooperation is a central aspect in sustainable action which requires

shared efforts at local levels in concrete activities and initiatives.

These competences include intra and interpersonal skills, such as am-

biguity tolerance, authentic value orientation and the ability to solve

conflicts to successfully work on tasks in teams and create solutions

and shared visions for a more sustainable future. These competences

are also required to sustain cooperation activities between persons

and within projects and includes teaching and learning activities.

K These competences contain knowledge about how people act and

think, how groups function and how people can help each other to

learn. For any cooperation with regards to initiatives it is important to

understand one’s partners to stay connected with them even if there

are difficulties.

S Persons can participate in the definition of sustainable goals. They can

communicate with others, find their own role in a group (e.g. as

leader), build and maintain relationships, develop solutions to prob-

lems together. They can uphold contact to relevant persons and show

central skills such as empathy, stress and ambiguity tolerance, role

distance.

A Persons have an interest on others and understand that actions are of-

ten more effective if people work together. For this a sense of solidar-

ity and reciprocity is essential. Persons are aware of their own stand-

points and can negotiate shared goals and maintain the intention to

solve problems together. They are open to contributions from others

and maintain a flexible way of thinking to find good compromises.

● Competences of social cooperation for sustainable cities and

their well-being

● Getting a feeling of responsibility for the well-being and im-

age of the city by realizing that the group can make a differ-

ence

● Feeling of togetherness with like-minded persons and solidar-

ity

● Developing an attitude of togetherness by meeting many peo-

ple with similar goals

● Skills about civic participation

● Understanding group dynamics

● Knowing the local social networks

Organizational competences

D These competences are important for being well organized as a per-

son – for example for creating a structured plan of actions, to pursue a

target and to manage projects.

K Understanding of how to divide problems into sub-problems which

can be solved and others for which a solution needs to be developed.

Knowledge on how to conduct structured planning of ways to find so-

lutions for the problems at hand.

S Skills necessary to solve problems, Coordinating activities of different

persons. Ability of being a leader and thinking ahead in terms of set-

ting goals for an initiative.

A People are convinced that success is not a matter of fate or good luck,

but rather a matter of effort. Also, they are willed to take effort in a

structured and rational way.

● Competences for organizing advocacy events

● Organizational skills

● Skills of the organisation and management of waste collection

The Competence Model

As said earlier, the beforementioned competences are grounded in em-

pirical analysis rather than theoretical considerations, and therefore may

not encompass the complete spectrum of competences required to com-

prehensively support sustainable development in all its facets. To ad-

dress this, the empirical framework later on is juxtaposed with a well-

established theoretical framework from other contexts that can be

adapted. The chosen theoretical framework is the competence atlas by

Heyse & Erpenbeck (2017). The rationale behind this choice will be elu-

cidated in the subsequent discussion, which explores various conceptu-

alizations of the term 'competence.'

How the concept of competence is understood in this project

The term 'competence' has been employed in various pedagogical con-

texts over recent decades. Depending on the context—whether in voca-

tional education, assessing literacy in schools, or establishing a shared

understanding of basic skills in EU countries—divergent interpretations

of the term 'competences' emerge. A widely accepted perspective views

competences as cognitive skills and proficiency that are both attainable

and teachable. These encompass a person's ability to solve problems,

along with the motivational, volitional, and social readiness and capabil-

ities to address these solutions successfully and responsibly (see

Weinert, 2002, p. 27). Meigel (2022) categorizes the differences in un-

derstanding into three groups:

1. Generalized Capacities (OECD): This interpretation of the term

'competences' aligns with the German Qualification Reference

Framework (DQR), rooted in the European Qualification Framework

(EQF). Similar to the EQF, the DQR features eight levels with a dis-

tinct structure. The DQR, however, refines and specifies the EQF by

expanding on its categories and competence descriptions in more

explicit terms. While the EQF comprises three categories (1.

Knowledge, 2. Skills, and 3. Responsibility and Autonomy), the DQR

introduces four categories (1. Knowledge, 2. Skills, equivalent to pro-

fessional competence, 3. Social competences, and 4. Independence,

akin to personal competence) (BMBF, 2011). This underscores the

German education system's commitment to a holistic understanding

of competence. The four-category structure was chosen to effectively

articulate a comprehensive ability to act in all its facets. Both the EQF

and DQR view competences as learning outcomes, rooted in the idea

that there is alignment between (professional) activities and the req-

uisite competences.

2. Definitions for Cognitive Skills (PISA, PIRLS, PIAAC): Another

perspective on competences is evident in international studies such

as PISA, PIRLS, or PIAAC. In these studies, there is a clear distinction

between cognitive and motivational components of competences.

The focus in competence descriptions is primarily on the cognitive

elements that can be taught in schools or other formal and non-formal

learning institutions. Consequently, this viewpoint leads to a more

precise understanding of competences concentrated on specific do-

mains or situations (Klieme & Hartig, 2007). Competences, in this

context, are seen as functional, facilitating a clear differentiation from

more general terms like intelligence or talent.

3. Competences as Dispositions for Self-Organization: In this inter-

pretation, competences are viewed as a person's ability to success-

fully navigate open, incalculable, complex, and dynamic situations

through self-organization (Heyse & Erpenbeck, 2004). In simpler

terms, competences represent the predisposition to organize one-

self, enabling individuals to adapt to concrete situations and chang-

ing conditions by adjusting their behavioral strategies effectively

(Heyse & Erpenbeck, 2004). This understanding aligns well with the

concept of informal learning, emphasizing that individuals define

their learning goals independently. Similar to informal learning,

competences are rooted in self-determination. Key principles in-

clude their non-linear development, self-reinforcement, as compe-

tences lead to the development of new ones through new experi-

ences. Additionally, competences depend on factors within individ-

uals, not external elements (environment), and are influenced by in-

ternalized values, personal development, and individual history.

As demonstrated, the concept of competences as dispositions for self-

organization aligns well with the notion of informal learning. In a cyclical

process, it influences (and is influenced by) mental actions, such as prob-

lem-solving or assessment, physical actions like working or manufactur-

ing, communicative actions, and reflexive actions like self-assessment.

These competences prove especially crucial in situations where estab-

lished routines are unavailable. Consequently, self-organized actions

have a reflexive impact on the individual (personal competence), the so-

cial environment (social and communicative competence), the objective

environment (domain and method-related competence), and one's moti-

vation and endurance (activation and action competences).

Given both the competence model and sustainability competences, we

then were able to defined the 4 main dimensions of the competence

framework, which pretty much reflect the categories of the EQF (Euro-

pean Qualification Framework for Lifelong Learning) and DQR (German

Qualification Framework for Lifelong Learning), in spite of different

terms used. And they are as well matching with the developmental tasks

explained before.

Following this, a person needs (1) personal competences, (2) social-

communicative competences, (3) domain and method-related compe-

tences, as well as (4) action competences to live and act in a sustainable

way.

• Personal competences (P) are dispositions within the individual

leading to self-organized action. They encompass the ability to

assess oneself, to reflect on oneself as a person and to develop

own individual values, motivation and standpoints. This is as well

affecting gifts, motivation, creativity and learning.

• Social and communicative competences (S) are dispositions to

collaborate with others in a self-organized, cooperative and com-

municative was. The behaviour of a person is orientated on

groups and relationships to others in order to create shared ac-

tion-plans to develop joined tasks and objectives. Social and

communicative competences are important to put coordinated

actions on a stable ground.

• Domain and method related competences (F): These disposi-

tions are the conditions for a self-organized, accurate, objective

and domain-based problem solving. This is depending on pro-

fessional and methodological knowledge and on the capability to

develop this knowledge further in a creative way.

• Activation and action competences (A) are dispositions to put

the other competences into action. This means to integrate the

personal, social-communicative and domain related compe-

tences of a person into his or her personal motives and endur-

ance.

Those four basic competences can be further subdivided, as it is shown

by Heyse and Erpenbeck (2017) for the field of occupational research.

The Competence Atlas

Based on the work of Heyse and Erpenbeck (2017), we elaborated a

"Competence Atlas" which suggests eight partial competences in each

dimension, making a total of of 64 partical competences.

What makes this matrix relevant for this project is – besides the reasons

mentioned above – the fact that they can be adapted to different sustain-

ability topics. The following graphic shows the personal competences,

social-communicative competences, domain- and method-related com-

petences as well as action competences of the competence-atlas,

adapted to the characteristics of both, informal / non-formal learning and

education for sustainable development. The single competences cannot

be derived by a logical deduction from basic competences. Instead, they

represent a mixture of the basic competences with a varying individual

focus.

Adapting the model from Heyse and Erpenbeck (2017) to informal learn-

ing in the field of sustainability, the following matrix (competence atlas)

can be formulated:

In the next step the three above mentioned developmental tasks (mate-

rial resources, social cohesion / justice / social fairness, self-efficacy; see

also the definitions above) can be integrated into the model as it is shown

by the colours red, yellow and green in the next figure. Again, the map-

ping cannot be done clearly and unambiguously, but it is plausible.

Figure 1: Competence Atlas for Sustainable Development

Self-efficacy

Material resources

Social cohesion / Justice / Social fairness

Figure 2: 5P Competence Atlas - Developmental Tasks

The marked competences are central for succcesfully managing the de-

velopmental tasks. This doesn't imply that competences not highlighted

in the figure are not important. Their acquisition is primarily either a

more general competence (such as organisational skills, verbal ability,

or problem-solving ability) or it is specialized (such as planning skills or

decision-making activity).

Our competence framework is derived from integrating citizen-driven

initiatives and projects on international, national, and regional level in

each country. Consequently, categories are created inductively from the

goals and objectives set out by those initiatives. These categories can be

subordinated to the developmental tasks, and this way integrated into

the competence atlas as well.

Developing learning for sustainable development with the

aid of the 5P competence framework

Complementary to the framework the partners developed an online

learning programme which consists of seven general modules: introduc-

tion to the 5P competence approach, presentation of the competence

framework and explanations on how to put it into practice. This is com-

plemented by 5 modules which along with concrete examples demon-

strate, how the competence framework can be used for developing adult

education for sustainability:

1. environment protection and climate change

2. inclusion and equity in education

3. sustainable management

4. migration and refugees

5. democracy and participation

The following example for the practical application of the 5P Compe-

tence Framework relates to the topic of environmental protection and cli-

mate change. It explains through the example of a concrete civic initia-

tive to recover the autochthonous forests of the Catalan coastal system as

an environmental recovery strategy to mitigate the impact of the climate

change and biodiversity loss. The aim is to explain how to use the com-

petence framework to improve informal and non-formal adult learning

processes in a course or other learning settings.

Mapping the competences

We recommend educators to start with a brainstorming session on the

knowledge, skills and attitudes to be learned in the course or learning

event such as

• Understanding and critically analysing the environmental, eco-

nomic and social impacts of human activities on the forests at local,

national and global levels (knowledge).

• Knowledge of sustainable forest conservation strategies, tech-

niques and procedures at local, national and global level.

• Acquire the skills to apply sustainable strategies, techniques and

procedures in daily life to protect the local forest.

• The ability to deal with ethical-environmental dilemmas and to

reason and justify possible solutions.

In the next step educators are expected look at the 5P-competence

framework to identify the competences that best fit the course or other

learning setting.

In this example we identify 3 competences in the dimension of material

resources:

• Competences to handle items of every-day use in a sustainable way

• Competences for recycling, zero waste, and emission management

• Competences necessary to understand the scientific background of

ecology

In the dimension of social values, we have 2 hits:

• Sense of belonging to the world (Sustainability values)

• Conscientiousness (Awareness)

Last but not least, we have two competences in the dimension of

self-efficacy:

• Empowerment

• Perseverance

Identifying the competences

Material Resources

Yes

Social Values

Yes

Self-Efficacy

Yes

Competences to handle items

of every-day use in a sustainable way

� Sense of belonging to the world (Sus-

tainability values)

� Evaluation of one’s own sustainable

actions (Role distance)

Competences for recycling,

zero waste, and emission management

�

Conscientiousness

(Awareness)

�

Empowerment

�

Competences for sustainable nutrition

Inclusion and Participation

Perseverance

�

Competences necessary to understand

the scientific background of ecology

�

Social adaptability

Cooperation competences

(Solidarity)

Competences to integrate Education for

Sustainable Development (ESD) into (lo-

cal) political activities and entrepreneur-

ial ideas

Organizational competences

Competence to integrate ESD

into teaching and learning

activities.

Defining the Learning Outcomes

Having provisionally selected the competences, the next step will be to

have a closer look at each of the selected singular competences in order

to concretise the learning outcomes. The first competence is: Compe-

tences to handle items of every-day use in a sustainable way. For its

adaptation to recovery of the native forest we propose:

Competences to handle items of every-day use in a sustainable way

Descriptor

To manage items that we are using in our every-day-life (such as clothes, paper,

water) in a sustainable way means that we take care of their life cycle. This implies

being informed about where they are coming from, how they were produced and

how they are distributed, or how they can be acquired. As well as treating things

carefully, using them in a sustainable way, avoiding waste, and disposing them in a

way that fits into a natural life cycle.

Knowledge

Having the necessary information about local and global items and objects used in

daily life, their origin, the ecological footprint of their production and transport

/distribution. Knowing about options of how to acquire these things and how to use

them while considering the lifecycle of the products in use. Knowledge of how to

capitalize on local products to avoid the excessive costs of export products.

• knowledge about the different ways of composting tree pruning residues

• knowledge about the protection of biodiversity in the surrounding forests

• knowledge about possible environmental changes in the local and global

environment

Skills

Being able to use every-day-items properly, parsimoniously, and in an ecological

way. Having the necessary skills to consider ecological aspects in using things and

to put them into an ecological life cycle.

• Ability to perform forest clearing

• Capacity on planning and care forest trees at local and global level

• Ability to carry out tree planting taking into account ecological aspects.

Attitude

Being committed to respecting and incorporating ecological aspects in every-day-

life and in objects of daily use.

• Commitment to respect and care for the forests in the local environment

• Interest in knowing where the trees come from, how they have been pro-

duced and how they are distributed for reforestation.

The second competence is: Competences for recycling, zero waste,

and emission management. For Its adaptation to recovery of native for-

ests, the following elements of knowledge, skill and attitudes can be

used:

Competences for recycling, zero waste, and emission management

Descriptor

These competences contain the knowledge necessary for participation in product

cycles (e.g. recycling), avoiding waste and an ecological friendly way of handling

emissions. The competences are especially related to the motivation for own action

and for improving both private and public behaviour.

Knowledge

Knowledge about the properties of things used in everyday life and options for

their ecological use, such as technical procedures of parsimonious heating and

necessary tools for this, the ecological footprint of things, procedures of recycling

things of daily use or (e.g. buying second hand products), or how to dispose things

correct and avoid waste.

• Knowledge about the negative effects of pollution on the forest

• Knowledge of sustainable strategies, techniques and procedures to protect

the forest

• Knowledge about possible consequences of climate change on the forest

• Knowledge about the interrelationship between climate, soil, agriculture,

diversity and carbon

Skills

Being able to use every-day-items properly, parsimoniously, and in an ecological

way. Having the necessary skills to consider ecological aspects in using things and

to put them into an ecological life cycle.

• Skills for combating pollution which negatively affects the forest

• Skills to observe possible consequences of environmental changes on the

earth’s biosphere

• Skills on the protection of biodiversity.

• Skills on analysing soil

Attitude

Being committed to respecting and incorporating ecological aspects in every-day-

life and in objects of daily use.

• Commitment to nature and to biodiversity conservation

• Awareness of and participation in nature conservation

• Commitment to the recovery of local native habitats

The last competence in the dimension of material resources is: Compe-

tences necessary to understand the scientific background of ecol-

ogy. For its concretisation in learning outcomes we propose:

Competences necessary to understand the scientific background of ecology

Descriptor

To keep up with the current knowledge and techniques supporting sustainable liv-

ing it is important to address scientific discovery. This is also important to under-

stand interrelations between different aspects of living and of regional differences

to come to an own opinion.

Knowledge

Understanding of scientific concepts and terms concerning different aspects of liv-

ing, their intercorrelation and relevant regional differences; Knowing where and

how to access scientific information to solve concrete problems and knowing how

to take this as a basis for one’s own argumentation.

• Knowledge about analysis and evaluation of the impacts of actions on envi-

ronmental protection.

• Knowledge about the negative effects of inadequate human actions

• Scientific knowledge about plant ecosystems

• Knowledge about reforestation and sustainable growing techniques

• Knowledge about sustainable growing and forest management methods

Skills

Persons are able to read or to listen to scientific publications and can integrate this

knowledge into their own concepts. They can build a critical view on scientific dis-

covery (e.g. being able to distinguish between scientific and non-scientific

knowledge) and can draw practical conclusions, own argumentation, and scientifi-

cally informed actions from it

• Skills to search for scientific publications

• Ability to reflect on the reliability of scientific studies on plant ecosystems

• Skills of forest reforestation techniques

• Skills in sustainable growing and forest management methods

Attitudes

Persons are interested in scientific discovery, want to stay in-formed thoroughly on

specific topics, and take part in discussions on specific topics.

• Commitment to awareness-raising campaigns in defence of the natural en-

vironment based on scientific evidences

• Involvement in scientific restoration of protected species

The first competence in the dimension of social values is: Sense of be-

longing to the world (Sustainability values). Its adaptation to recover-

ing of native forest led us to a definition as follows:

Sense of belonging to the world (Sustainability values)

Descriptor

Perceiving and understanding oneself as part of the world and the critical reflec-

tion on this. Being part of a group is central for the development of values and to

act within one’s community. This includes the reflection of one’s own role as an in-

dividual as part of different communities and society as a whole, as well as an un-

derstanding of how relationships and groups form and develop. The development

of values also includes learning about other persons values, to understand, discuss,

and respect these in order to create shared values and applying them as basis for

shared sustainable action and visions for a more sustainable future.

Knowledge

These competences contain knowledge about values and their relevance to per-

sons thinking and behaviour as well as to group dynamics. They also include

knowledge about how individual and societal values interrelate with sustainable

behaviour and why such behaviour is relevant for the world (e.g. through how cli-

mate change impacts different social groups).

• To know that the values and behaviour of people is very important for the

group dynamics in forest maintenance tasks

• To know the values of the other people in the group, to understand them,

discuss them and create shared values in the actions of forest sustainability

Skills

People can communicate with others, build and maintain relationships, develop

their own personality as individual and as part of a group and the world. They can

reflect on and show empathy for other’s values, and debate diverging principles.

• Ability to value the perspectives and ideas of the group as well as to debate

divergent principles regarding reforestation problem solving

• Skills in communicating and collaborating with the group of people in-

volved in reforestation

• Capacity on solving reforestation problems through team work

Attitudes

People are aware of their contributions to a group and their potential impact to

their community, they are open for being an active part of a group and take on re-

sponsibilities. They are curious and willed to listen to perspectives and ideas of

others, including those of minorities. They are aware of the concept of sustainable

goals (SDGs) and willing to participate in resolving unsustainable problems like

• Feeling a sense of belonging to the reforestation group by sharing like-

mindedness

• Feeling part of the group you cooperate with by sharing ideas and attitudes

towards sustainable forest development

The second and last competence in the dimension of social values is:

Conscientiousness (Awareness). Its adaptation to recovery of native

forest may lead to a definition as follows:

Conscientiousness (Awareness)

Descriptor

Developing a more sustainable way of living requires awareness of current

changes in the world that call for more sustainability. Understanding the influence

an individual person can have on their community, local politics and direct sur-

roundings can be a key towards implementing sustainable change in one’s own

everyday life and to start learning necessary skills. This includes the ability to un-

derstanding one’s responsibility for own actions and the state of one’s environment

and the ability to act accordingly. These competences also include an openness for

new information and for learning especially about the interconnected systems in

one’s direct surrounding and to keep up with new issues and ideas.

Knowledge

These competences contain knowledge about how people, their behaviours and

their local or global environment are interconnected. They also include an under-

standing of one’s own perception and how this (in-)forms one’s opinion and how to

search for and find information.

• Knowledge of how one's actions impacts the nature, especially forest at lo-

cal and global level

• Knowledge of how the own perception on forest and nature care can influ-

ence the opinion of others

Skills

These competences contain skills concerning self-awareness, self-reflection, and

self-efficacy. This includes the critical reflection of own perceptions and concepts,

the search for and differentiation of trustworthy from unreliable information and the

critical integration of new information into one’s own concepts.

• Skills to mobilize the citizenship in favour of the protection of the local and

global (forest) ecosystem

• Ability to reflect on the reliability of the own perception and opinion on

nature and forest protection and reforestation

Attitudes

Persons are open for taking responsibility for challenging tasks, are willed to face

inconvenient truths and to both learning or teaching new things. The pay attention

to their environment and other people and seek exchange and new information.

• Develop a sense of responsibility for the protection of the planet's ecosys-

tems and a clean environment

• To be aware of the importance of protecting and respecting the existing

vegetation in each place

The first competence in the dimension of self-efficacy is: Empowerment.

Its adaptation to recovering of native forest can be defined as follows:

Empowerment

Descriptor

Empowerment means to encourage people to take charge of their lives and to be

active citizens. With regards to sustainable action this can happen through the inte-

gration of Sustainable Development Goals into the personal social network (at

work, personal networks, local community among others). It is important to show

enthusiasm and commitment to one’s values and by this one can in-spire others to

get engaged for sustainable development as well.

Knowledge

Knowledge about own resources and about how oneself and other people can be

motivated for taking up actions and how to sustain both motivation and action.

Knowledge about Social Development Goals and possibilities of their implementa-

tion into daily live. Knowledge about how knowledge can be shared.

• Knowledge on how to promote social awareness of nature conservation

through the media and/or information campaigns.

• Knowledge of the work of scientific entities and associations related to na-

ture, in order to share data and exchange experiences, strengthening work

and communication networks.

Skills

If someone is an empowering person, they can excite others to engage in a topic,

to change their behaviour, and/or to participate in movements concerning sustain-

able development. It includes reflecting on and increasing self-determination.

• Skills on strategies aiming at changing from “awareness” to “active en-

gagement” that will strengthen the own capacities to participate in caring

the forest.

• Capacity to persuade other persons from the personal environment to par-

ticipate in caring the forests and for nature in general.

• Being able to analyses the situation, to study possible options, to reflect on

one’s own capacity to act in preventing impact on nature: forest locally and

globally.

Attitudes

An empowering person must have self-determination, social interest and willing-

ness for engagement with relevant topics and self-development. This can also in-

clude persuasive skills and empathy.

• Determination to be informed, to broaden and to deepen their knowledge

and skills on caring nature/forest locally and globally.

The last competence in the dimension of self-efficacy is: Perseverance.

Its adaptation to recovering of native forest conduce to define as follows:

Perseverance

Descriptor

Perseverance can be understood as an important element of self-management. It is

a competence to motivate oneself to continue with one’s activities and to take over

responsibility for the actions undertaken by oneself and from others.

Knowledge

Understanding on psychological barriers of perseverance and how to address

them.

• Knowledge of methods to overcome mental barriers and achieve objec-

tives related to caring forest.

• Knowledge on how to develop concentration, motivation, and effort to

achieve your short and long term goals.

Skills

Patience and endurance. Leadership. Competence of being active and holding on

in doing one’s own things. Taking over responsibility. Carry others along and

working together over a long time.

• Ability to deal with ethical-environmental dilemmas and to reason and jus-

tify possible solutions for caring the forests.

• Ability to promote the integration and participation of persons from the

personal environment in caring the forests locally and globally.

Attitudes

People are not only used to take strong efforts to reach their goals, but they also

continue their efforts after having failed. They are strongly convinced that patience

and endurance are important to reach their goals and that they will be successful.

• Persevere to achieve one’s own objectives, despite the obstacles, difficul-

ties, failures and frustrations you encounter along the way.

• Don't give up on what you want just because it is difficult, complex or will

take time to achieve it.

Based on the definition of the competences to be acquired by the end of

the course, the type of the course is selected: online learning blended

learning or face-to-face learning. For this course, face-to-face learning

seems to be the best option.

Also the learning approach should be defined as e.g. social learning

model, problem based learning, challenge based learning etc.

The course can include several types of activities as

• Carrying out, developing and disseminating citizen science ac-

tivities cataloguing trees and other fauna and monitoring and

study of forest populations, behaviour and functioning of forest

ecosystems.

• Study of plant communities and the phenomenon of ecological

succession - Reforestation and promotion of floral and faunal di-

versity in the local environment.

• Reforestation and promotion of floral and faunal diversity in the

local environment.

• Promoting reforestation of forests to reduce the destruction of the

ozone layer and the greenhouse effect.

• Conservation of forest masses to promote soil fertilisation and

prevent soil erosion.

• Promotion, dissemination and enhancement of knowledge of the

natural environment, promoting social awareness of nature con-

servation through the media and/or information campaigns.

• Promoting environmental awareness and the cleaning of forest

ecosystems from human impact.

• Recovering the ties that bind us to ecosystems through the study

and valuation of forests as an educational tool.

Examples of Workshops

On the next pages we present three examples of workshops that can be

carried out:

The first one is about planting in winter and maintenance from spring to

autumn, with the objective to introduce to the plantation method Laby-

rinth, a reforestation technique of planifolian forests, based on the spe-

cific case of the phenomenon of ecological succession from barren fields

to riparian forests in the coastal plains. This technique has a higher suc-

cess rate than open-country plantations in restoring these degraded for-

est communities with saving in environmental and economic cost.

PLANTATION AND MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP

Seasons: Planting in winter / Maintenance from spring to autumn

Activity

Description

Target

duration

Objective

Maze aperture

(September to

January)

Manual pruning of

walkways and bram-

ble hedges

3 hours

Initiation to the Plantation

method Labyrinth, a refor-

estation technique of planifo-

lian forests, based on the

specific case of the phenom-

enon of ecological succes-

sion from barren fields to ri-

parian forests in the coastal

plains. This technique has a

higher success rate than

open-country plantations in

restoring these degraded

forest communities with sav-

ing in environmental and

economic cost.

The second is an environmental education workshop focused on forest.

Its objective is to introduce acorn sowing; the plantation method Laby-

rinth, recovery of forest at gradient river slopes, forest management and

fire prevention, and at least to the post-fire forest management.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION SESSION AGENDA

TITLE OF DE

SESSION

OBJECTIVES AND VALUES TO BE DISCLOSED

The sowing of

acorns

Analysis of Iberian quercetum, natural and historical heritage.

Study of the phenomenon of ecological succession of the sec-

ondary shrubby machia (e.g., a Mediterranean machia such as

Querceto-lentiscetum) to mature forests (corkades, oaks,

beans..)

Study of the role of wildlife in the dispersion and storage of

Quercus acorns

Mother tree selection techniques, belligerent harvesting and

direct sowing to secondary machia.

The plantation in

Labyrinth

Analysis of the conservation status of Iberian riparian forests.

Study of the phenomenon of ecological occurrence of second-

ary barges (Rubus) case in mature riparian deciduous forests.

Plantation technique in Labyrinth.

Restoration of

gradient river

slopes

Analysis of the conservation status of Iberian riparian forests

Description of the riparian forest quality index

Comparative study between natural, semi-natural and artificial

riverbanks

Method of restoring riparian vegetation to prevent flood dam-

age or erosion of fertile soil.

Forest manage-

ment and fire pre-

vention

Analysis of the impact of commercial forest management on the

environment in the short and long term

Developing sustainable forestry management methods based

on the study of ecological success and the conservation of bio-

diversity.

Post-fire forest

management

Impact analysis of post-fire actions

Development of sustainable methodology for restoring natural

habitats after a fire

The third example is not a fictive one, it’s an online course which already

takes part in Germany, and which is part of the “global field – 2000m2”

project. It’s about soil and the storage of carbon and to learn about the

interrelationship between climate, soil, agriculture and diversity. Think-

ing of the other examples above, this one can be further developed in

the direction of forest/reforestation and analysing forest soil.

A journey into the soil of the global field

online workshop

Activity

Description

Target

duration

Objective

Input

Information about

soil and CO2 and

the interrelation-

ships.

1 hour

Learn about soil CO2 stor-

age and carbon: the sub-

stance, what makes it up,

where does it come from,

where does it go and what it

has to do with the soil.

Learn about the interrela-

tionships between climate,

soil, agriculture and diver-

sity.

Practical experi-

ence – analyz-

ing soil

Digging in humus

(you have to bring a

soil sample, from

the garden, the park

e. g.) and learn how

to analyze the soil.

1 hour

Link to workshop (in German):

https://www.2000m2.eu/de/klima-boden-seminar/

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Educators’ Competence Frameworks in Education for Sustainable Development

Chapter

Full-text available

Feb 2022

Educators play an important role in the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). However, they need to be qualified to work with the concept of ESD, acquiring specific competences to deal with sustainable development issues and to align their pedagogical practice with ESD. This chapter describes different frameworks and models for ESD competences, putting them in relation to each other and discussing them critically. It also situates the RSP framework in the wider context, and clarifies the demands made of ESD educators and the competences they need to develop. Heuristic analysis is undertaken to ensure more systematic investigation of the different ESD competence frameworks, on the basis of two descriptors: (1) target group and how specifically a target group is defined and (2) the relation between content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Further research is needed, in particular with regard to the theoretical foundations and the operationalization of the competence frameworks.

Critical case-studies of non-formal and community learning for sustainable development

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Full-text available

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Kompetenzkonzepte in den Sozialwissenschaften und im erziehungswissenschaftlichen Diskurs

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Der Begriff der Kompetenz ist seit vielen Jahren ein Modebegriff der Sozial- und Erziehungswissenschaften, er ist in vielfältiger unterschiedlicher Weise genutzt und immer wieder neu gefasst worden. Der vorliegende Aufsatz versucht, die sozialwissenschaftlichen Wurzeln des Kompetenzbegriffs und den darauf aufbauenden Diskurs in der Erziehungswissenschaft nachzuzeichnen. Damit wird der Kontext skizziert, in dem die aktuelle empirische Forschung zur Modellierung und Messung von Kompetenzen angesiedelt ist. Die Bedeutung des Kompetenzbegriffs in sprachwissenschaftlichen sowie sozialisationstheoretischen Zusammenhängen muss hierbei ebenso berücksichtigt werden wie funktional-pragmatische Kompetenzkonzepte in der Psychologie. Schließlich ist der Kompetenzbegriff in den Erziehungswissenschaften zentral zur Beschreibung der Ziele von schulischer und beruflicher Bildung. Die Komplexität des Kompetenzbegriffs stellt die empirische Forschung vor hohe Herausforderungen. Interessierende Kompetenzkonstrukte müssen präzisiert werden und in angemessene Messmodelle und -instrumente umgesetzt werden. Eine angemessene Modellierung von Kompetenzen kann sowohl Auswertungsroutinen für Messverfahren bereitstellen als auch die Zusammenhänge zwischen individuellen Fähigkeiten und Fertigkeiten und erfolgreichem Handeln in spezifischen Kontexten beschreiben.

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