Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LESTRA (Transactional investigations of learning in view of sustainability transitions)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-04-01 bis 2024-09-30
Today, severe socio-ecological problems increasingly disturb our customary ways of behaving, challenging us to find new ways of inhabiting the world. Although learning is often seen as essential for transforming our society into a more sustainable direction, empirically grounded insight into connections between, on the one hand, learning processes in contemporary observable practices of change-in-the-making and, on the other hand, the emergence of long-term societal transitions is still scarce.
LESTRA’s overall research question is: ‘How can learning fruitfully contribute to sustainability transitions (ST) and how can this be facilitated?’. The project’s objectives are: (1) to develop a new analytical and conceptual framework for investigating the connections between learning processes, the transformation of habits and customs, and (potential) ST; (2) to identify the key conditions for learning to contribute to ST; and (3) to develop a roadmap for future research in diverse settings and contexts.
Pragmatist theory, in particular John Dewey's transactionalism, provides valuable inspiration to investigate learning that takes shape in response to sustainability problems that are increasingly disturbing our habitual ways of acting. It is used to create a novel analytical and conceptual framework by building on earlier work in environmental and sustainability education research, didactics, and ST studies.
The developed analytical toolbox is applied to empirical data collected in case studies on sustainable food systems, sustainable mobility, and a sustainable way of handling energy. Detailed in situ empirical investigations are conducted to identify key patterns of how learning through engagement with sustainability problems results in the consolidation, enrichment, or (trans)formation of habits and customs and, thus, potential ST in-the-making. Thereby, LESTRA strongly focuses on how learning and change processes are facilitated.
LESTRA’s overall research question is: ‘How can learning fruitfully contribute to sustainability transitions (ST) and how can this be facilitated?’. The project’s objectives are: (1) to develop a new analytical and conceptual framework for investigating the connections between learning processes, the transformation of habits and customs, and (potential) ST; (2) to identify the key conditions for learning to contribute to ST; and (3) to develop a roadmap for future research in diverse settings and contexts.
Pragmatist theory, in particular John Dewey's transactionalism, provides valuable inspiration to investigate learning that takes shape in response to sustainability problems that are increasingly disturbing our habitual ways of acting. It is used to create a novel analytical and conceptual framework by building on earlier work in environmental and sustainability education research, didactics, and ST studies.
The developed analytical toolbox is applied to empirical data collected in case studies on sustainable food systems, sustainable mobility, and a sustainable way of handling energy. Detailed in situ empirical investigations are conducted to identify key patterns of how learning through engagement with sustainability problems results in the consolidation, enrichment, or (trans)formation of habits and customs and, thus, potential ST in-the-making. Thereby, LESTRA strongly focuses on how learning and change processes are facilitated.
LESTRA started with conceptual and methodological work to develop a suitable analytical toolbox (objective 1) for opening-up the black box of how and what people learn while collectively engaging with sustainability problems and how this may result in ST. We developed a transactional learning theory (TLT) which we use in combination with Practical Epistemology Analysis (PEA) to investigate learning as a transformation of habits and customs. Inspired by educational/didactic theory and literature on pragmatist philosophy and sociology, we use this approach to explore how ‘educable moments’ can emerge in ST processes and how these may be seized as unique opportunities to create ‘educative moments’ where novel pathways for a more sustainable future can emerge. Besides revealing WHAT is learned, we also want to gain detailed insight into HOW learning is enabled. To study this, we developed a framework for transactional dramaturgical analysis (DA) of the facilitation of learning. This allows us to understand how organisers’/facilitators’ preparatory work of ‘scripting’ and ‘staging’ a setting in which learning processes take place as well as of their interventions in the ‘performance’ influence the outcomes of learning processes. In order to trace connections between micro-level processes of learning and change to macro-level ST, we developed an analytical approach focused on mechanisms that ST research has found to be drivers of past transitions. From existing literature that reports on empirical ex post analyses of how past ST took place we learn THAT certain mechanisms played a vital role. LESTRA aims to gain insight into HOW these mechanisms take shape in ongoing ST practices and what influences this. Therefore, we developed an approach that combines PEA and DA for empirically investigating ST that are still ‘in the making’. We complemented our analytical toolbox with more specific frameworks that operationalise the abovementioned approaches for investigations of particular aspects of learning and change processes, such as agency of actors involved in STs, the affective dimension of STs, spatial aspects of STs, and power dynamics in STs.
In order to identify key conditions for learning to contribute to STs (objective 2) we conduct empirical case studies on learning and the making of change in the agri-food, mobility, and energy system. We collect data through documents, audio/video-recorded and transcribed observations, interviews, and focus groups. The analysis of the data with the help of the abovementioned analytical toolbox is focused on the emergence and facilitation of educable and educative moments (see above), on how transition mechanisms (see above) such as reframing problems and projecting new futures take shape in practices, on action-oriented inquiry, creative transformation of habits and customs, the role of place-framing in enabling or hindering STs, agency expressions, the role of affect (e.g. desire, sacrifice) in learning and change processes, etc.
LESTRA aims to open up new horizons for research on learning in ST. Gaining complete insight in vital conditions for learning to promote ST is impossible within a 5 year’s project. Therefore, we also develop a roadmap for future research (objective 3). Our analyses do not only yield new knowledge and insights but also raise new research questions and reveal areas that require further exploration. We develop an agenda for future research and new project proposals for follow-up research.
Besides communicating the results of the LESTRA project through scientific channels, we also organise workshops with organisers and facilitators of investigated initiatives. We share and discuss preliminary findings and co-create tools for preparing and facilitating adequate learning processes in their activities.
In order to identify key conditions for learning to contribute to STs (objective 2) we conduct empirical case studies on learning and the making of change in the agri-food, mobility, and energy system. We collect data through documents, audio/video-recorded and transcribed observations, interviews, and focus groups. The analysis of the data with the help of the abovementioned analytical toolbox is focused on the emergence and facilitation of educable and educative moments (see above), on how transition mechanisms (see above) such as reframing problems and projecting new futures take shape in practices, on action-oriented inquiry, creative transformation of habits and customs, the role of place-framing in enabling or hindering STs, agency expressions, the role of affect (e.g. desire, sacrifice) in learning and change processes, etc.
LESTRA aims to open up new horizons for research on learning in ST. Gaining complete insight in vital conditions for learning to promote ST is impossible within a 5 year’s project. Therefore, we also develop a roadmap for future research (objective 3). Our analyses do not only yield new knowledge and insights but also raise new research questions and reveal areas that require further exploration. We develop an agenda for future research and new project proposals for follow-up research.
Besides communicating the results of the LESTRA project through scientific channels, we also organise workshops with organisers and facilitators of investigated initiatives. We share and discuss preliminary findings and co-create tools for preparing and facilitating adequate learning processes in their activities.
LESTRA aims to deliver groundbreaking results related to all 3 project objectives. For objective 1 (developing a novel analytical and conceptual framework), the high-risk/high-gain dimension is related to a major methodological challenge for research on ST that are still ‘in the making’: How to connect observations in on-going practices of learning and change at the micro-level to the potential emergence of profound macro-societal transitions? The developed analytical toolbox is designed to enable this. We continue to validate and further finetune the analytical and conceptual framework through its application in our ongoing case studies. For objective 2 (identifying key conditions for learning to contribute to ST), LESTRA addresses a lack of empirically grounded, reliable knowledge about how learning can contribute to ST. The case studies identify impactful interventions and provide guidance for improving learning processes in the context of ST. For objective 3 (opening-up new horizons for research on learning in ST), we develop an agenda for future research and widely disseminate the developed conceptual and analytical toolbox so that it can inspire future research of not only the LESTRA team but also other research groups.