Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ECF4CLIM (A EUROPEAN COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK FOR A LOW CARBON ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH EDUCATION)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-04-01 bis 2024-09-30
Sustainability transformations need citizens with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable effective individual action, as well as societal institutions that empower and encourage citizens and organisations to act in favour of sustainability. The acquisition of the necessary competences requires transdisciplinarity, that is, collaboration across disciplinary boundaries and between the different “social worlds” – in brief, science, policy, and society. Such competence-building can only succeed if citizens are enrolled in processes of continuous learning, dialogue, and empowerment. ECF4CLIM supports this work by co-designing and testing a European Competence Framework for climate change and sustainable development, which is transdisciplinary and will enable and empower the citizens to act towards the necessary transition towards sustainability.
ECF4CLIM mobilises a multidisciplinary group of academics and engages students, teachers, parents, and the wider educational community in fostering transformational change towards sustainable development in the spirit of ‘citizen science’. To do so, the project pursues four broad lines of activity: Identifying challenges and opportunities in sustainability and climate competences through a process of co-design of the ECF; Testing the ECF at selected demonstration sites; Engaging the broader educational community in evaluating the ECF; and Empowering the broader educational community to trigger and sustain transformational change
ECF4CLIM mobilises a multidisciplinary group of academics and engages students, teachers, parents, and the wider educational community in fostering transformational change towards sustainable development in the spirit of ‘citizen science’. To do so, the project pursues four broad lines of activity: Identifying challenges and opportunities in sustainability and climate competences through a process of co-design of the ECF; Testing the ECF at selected demonstration sites; Engaging the broader educational community in evaluating the ECF; and Empowering the broader educational community to trigger and sustain transformational change
Working hand-in hand with 13 schools in and universities in 4 EU countries ECF4CLIM has carried out:
- Co-designing our initial European Competence Framework (ECF)
For the initial ECF we drew upon a broad international crowdsourcing and an analysis of relevant scientific literature, other ECFs, policy frameworks, and national curricula. Our initial ECF is a living document, a roadmap designed to provide actionable knowledge and understanding on how to translate the normative and conceptual ideas into everyday practices of strengthening sustainability competences at schools and universities. The initial ECF went through a review by selected experts to confirm that our work was on the right track.
- Establishing the baseline of competences and environmental performance at our demonstration sites (DS)
Employing a wide range of quantitative and qualitative methods (environmental KPIs, questionnaires, interviews, documentary analysis, and reconvened focus groups), the project established the initial state of play at schools and universities (our DSs) in terms of the individual and collective competences and environmental performance.
- The novel hybrid participatory approach: the SCTs and SCCs
ECF4clim employed a novel bottom-up, reflective, and deliberative approach to experiential learning, solidly rooted in the principles of participatory action research and those of the STAVE tool (https://pachelbel.eu(öffnet in neuem Fenster)). At each DS, we set up a Sustainability Competence Team (SCT) (for students, teachers and staff, separately) and a Sustainability Competence Committee (SCC) (including also the wider educational community). SCTs and SCCs meet up to six times each through the project. More than 1,000 representatives from our educational communities are actively reflecting upon the current state of sustainability competences, co-designing interventions to improve them, and evaluating the outcomes of the learning experience.
- Initial identification of interventions that foster the acquisition of competences
Drawing on the empirical evidence from the baseline assessment and the SCT/SCC 1 and 2, each demonstration site designed a tailor-made initial set of interventions to foster sustainability competences and climate action. The co-designed interventions include behavioural (e.g. changing habits, routines, social norms, organisational structures, etc.) and structural (e.g. small-scale retrofitting solutions, green spaces, green procurement procedures) measures. Out of 159, 73 interventions were selected for implementation.
- Implementation of practical, replicable and context-adapted interventions
Several monitoring mechanisms are in place to support the participatory implementation of our interventions: intervention templates (the research team, in close collaboration with the DSs, collects information on the interventions); monthly reporting; and SCT/SCC sessions 3 & 4 (to promote reflection on the interventions at each DS and gather initial evidence on the impact of the interventions on sustainability competences).
- Evaluation of the ability of the interventions to strengthen sustainability competences and environmental performance
The theory-based stakeholder evaluation will guide our evaluation approach by exploring the relationships between expected and observed relationships between policy interventions and competences.
Finally, to strengthen environmental awareness and foster engagement amongst citizens and the educational community, ECF4CLIM has developed and tested a digital platform. The tools will be updated and improved throughout the project.
- Co-designing our initial European Competence Framework (ECF)
For the initial ECF we drew upon a broad international crowdsourcing and an analysis of relevant scientific literature, other ECFs, policy frameworks, and national curricula. Our initial ECF is a living document, a roadmap designed to provide actionable knowledge and understanding on how to translate the normative and conceptual ideas into everyday practices of strengthening sustainability competences at schools and universities. The initial ECF went through a review by selected experts to confirm that our work was on the right track.
- Establishing the baseline of competences and environmental performance at our demonstration sites (DS)
Employing a wide range of quantitative and qualitative methods (environmental KPIs, questionnaires, interviews, documentary analysis, and reconvened focus groups), the project established the initial state of play at schools and universities (our DSs) in terms of the individual and collective competences and environmental performance.
- The novel hybrid participatory approach: the SCTs and SCCs
ECF4clim employed a novel bottom-up, reflective, and deliberative approach to experiential learning, solidly rooted in the principles of participatory action research and those of the STAVE tool (https://pachelbel.eu(öffnet in neuem Fenster)). At each DS, we set up a Sustainability Competence Team (SCT) (for students, teachers and staff, separately) and a Sustainability Competence Committee (SCC) (including also the wider educational community). SCTs and SCCs meet up to six times each through the project. More than 1,000 representatives from our educational communities are actively reflecting upon the current state of sustainability competences, co-designing interventions to improve them, and evaluating the outcomes of the learning experience.
- Initial identification of interventions that foster the acquisition of competences
Drawing on the empirical evidence from the baseline assessment and the SCT/SCC 1 and 2, each demonstration site designed a tailor-made initial set of interventions to foster sustainability competences and climate action. The co-designed interventions include behavioural (e.g. changing habits, routines, social norms, organisational structures, etc.) and structural (e.g. small-scale retrofitting solutions, green spaces, green procurement procedures) measures. Out of 159, 73 interventions were selected for implementation.
- Implementation of practical, replicable and context-adapted interventions
Several monitoring mechanisms are in place to support the participatory implementation of our interventions: intervention templates (the research team, in close collaboration with the DSs, collects information on the interventions); monthly reporting; and SCT/SCC sessions 3 & 4 (to promote reflection on the interventions at each DS and gather initial evidence on the impact of the interventions on sustainability competences).
- Evaluation of the ability of the interventions to strengthen sustainability competences and environmental performance
The theory-based stakeholder evaluation will guide our evaluation approach by exploring the relationships between expected and observed relationships between policy interventions and competences.
Finally, to strengthen environmental awareness and foster engagement amongst citizens and the educational community, ECF4CLIM has developed and tested a digital platform. The tools will be updated and improved throughout the project.
Progress beyond the state of the art
‐ Comprehensive ECF4CLIM roadmap with guidance and tools to map and foster the enablers of and overcome the barriers to sustainability in various educational contexts
‐ Catalogue of practical, replicable and context-adapted interventions for the promotion of sustainability competences in the educational community
‐ Novel, validated, and replicable hybrid participatory approach to monitor the acquisition of sustainability competences in different socioeconomic and environmental contexts in Europe
‐ Innovative organisational models (SCTs and SCCs) to foster sustainability and engage with a wide range of local actors
‐ Fostering the creation of a transdisciplinary international network of schools, local authorities, and education and sustainability experts collaborating towards a more sustainable Europe.
New products and services: The ECF4CLIM digital platform
Expected results
-ECF tested and validated at 13 demonstration sites in 4 countries
-Hybrid participatory and deliberative approach to the co-design, co-implementation and co-evaluation of interventions to enhance sustainability competences
-Full or partial integration of the ECF into the educational programmes and curricula
-Educational tools and materials
-Consolidation of Sustainability Competence Teams and Sustainability Competence Committees
-A digital platform with crowdsourcing, IoT, and calculation tools
Potential impacts
Our ECF has the ambition to serve as a reference tool for the Member States, the public and private sectors, stakeholders, and NGOs. We have produced a practical roadmap that operationalises the ECF elaborated by the JRC (GreenComp) and mobilises the educational community in several EU countries to promote the adoption of the ECF, thereby enhancing its legitimacy and building broad societal support.
Our hybrid participatory methodology fosters engagement, sense of ownership, relevance, sensitivity to context, and critical reflection on the links between attitudes, knowledge, action, and impacts relating to sustainable development and climate action.
We also contribute to intergenerational and transdisciplinary dialogues on climate action, environmental protection and behavioural change for sustainable development.
‐ Comprehensive ECF4CLIM roadmap with guidance and tools to map and foster the enablers of and overcome the barriers to sustainability in various educational contexts
‐ Catalogue of practical, replicable and context-adapted interventions for the promotion of sustainability competences in the educational community
‐ Novel, validated, and replicable hybrid participatory approach to monitor the acquisition of sustainability competences in different socioeconomic and environmental contexts in Europe
‐ Innovative organisational models (SCTs and SCCs) to foster sustainability and engage with a wide range of local actors
‐ Fostering the creation of a transdisciplinary international network of schools, local authorities, and education and sustainability experts collaborating towards a more sustainable Europe.
New products and services: The ECF4CLIM digital platform
Expected results
-ECF tested and validated at 13 demonstration sites in 4 countries
-Hybrid participatory and deliberative approach to the co-design, co-implementation and co-evaluation of interventions to enhance sustainability competences
-Full or partial integration of the ECF into the educational programmes and curricula
-Educational tools and materials
-Consolidation of Sustainability Competence Teams and Sustainability Competence Committees
-A digital platform with crowdsourcing, IoT, and calculation tools
Potential impacts
Our ECF has the ambition to serve as a reference tool for the Member States, the public and private sectors, stakeholders, and NGOs. We have produced a practical roadmap that operationalises the ECF elaborated by the JRC (GreenComp) and mobilises the educational community in several EU countries to promote the adoption of the ECF, thereby enhancing its legitimacy and building broad societal support.
Our hybrid participatory methodology fosters engagement, sense of ownership, relevance, sensitivity to context, and critical reflection on the links between attitudes, knowledge, action, and impacts relating to sustainable development and climate action.
We also contribute to intergenerational and transdisciplinary dialogues on climate action, environmental protection and behavioural change for sustainable development.