Project MYTHSE Identifying, Understanding, and Challenging Myths in and about Sustainability Education

Educational myths (e.g., learning styles, cone of learning) often appear in the form of phrases and platitudes. Although many of these questionable beliefs about educational phenomena lack empirical evidence, they are sometimes widespread, persist, and have somehow managed to become everyday knowledge (e.g., De Bruyckere et al., 2020). Although these myths sometimes blossom from a seed of a fact, they can be problematic, especially when policymakers, educators, or researchers unconsciously act on them, or even spread them. This could, for instance, result in educators acting based on questionable or even false assumptions and hinder them from reflecting on their teaching as well as students’ learning using scientific evidence (Thomm et al., 2021). Therefore, a growing number of scientific publications in educational psychology aim at identifying, examining, and debunking widely held educational myths (e.g., Christodoulou, 2014; De Bruyckere et al., 2015; 2020). Facing today’s grand challenges, i.e., the global complex and wicked problem of social, economic, and primarily ecological nature, (higher) education institutions and their staff have a crucial role in contributing to a more sustainable world (UNESCO, 2018; Wals, 2022; WEF, 2022). Accordingly, sustainability (education) is gaining relevance in (higher) education which is indicated among other things by the rapidly growing body of publications, journals, and initiatives (e.g., Brundiers et al., 2021; Corcoran et al., 2017; Miranda Azeiteiro & Davim, 2021). Sustainability education’s purpose is to foster integrative thinking and responsible action in students for the benefit of our planet, our society, and the economy (Wals, 2022). In this field of education ideas and assumptions exist that sound plausible at a first glance (e.g., the higher educated people are, the more they think and act sustainably; the 21st-century skills are the answer to the grand challenges), which, however, turn out to be at least questionable at a closer look. The overall aim of the postdoctoral project is therefore to empirically explore myths in and about sustainability education and their role in the professionalisation of university instructors. Through several studies, knowledge about the characteristics, prevalence and formation, consequences and reception of these myths will be generated and made accessible for the description, explanation and optimisation of individual professionalisation and professional educational action. In addition, possible educational needs are to be identified and theoretical and practical educational implications derived.