New TESTEd Research Article Published

New Research Article Published: “Teaching for Tomorrow – A Qualitative Exploration of ESD in Initial Teacher Education Across Five European Universities”

The TESTEd consortium is delighted to announce the publication of a new peer-reviewed research article in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (IJSHE). The article is titled ‘Teaching for Tomorrow: A Qualitative Exploration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Initial Teacher Education Across Five European Universities”.

Written by Briony Supple, Nico Lorenzutti, Kim McCullough (University College Cork, Ireland) and Rosa María Coronel Ortiz (University of Seville, Spain), it presents an explorative qualitative study examining the current integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into Initial Teacher Education (ITE) at universities in Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

Drawing on policy analysis and interviews with teacher educators based at universities, the research highlights both systemic barriers and emerging opportunities for embedding sustainability in teacher education. The findings reveal that the implementation of ESD in teacher education across Europe remains fragmented and is often optional.

However, the study also identifies promising examples of innovation, ranging from curriculum mapping with the sustainable development goals to challenge-based learning approaches and real-world pedagogies.

Importantly, the article connects these insights to our broader mission of the TESTEd syllabus. The proposed framework aims to harmonise ESD competences and support teacher educators across Europe in preparing future teachers for sustainability-focused, transformative learning.

The Paper is online here.

The TESTEd project consortium contributed to various stages of the research process, including study design, participant recruitment and editorial support during the final submission phase.