Nachhaltigkeit und Weiterbildung(-sforschung)

In the face of escalating climate change, persistent global inequalities and the continuing loss of biodiversity, international efforts to achieve greater sustainability have become one of the central tasks for humanity in the 21st century. The links between sustainability and adult and continuing education are correspondingly diverse. However, research at the interfaces of sustainability, education for sustainable development and continuing education/adult education research has so far been little systematized. The article provides an overview of the state and perspectives of the discussion on sustainability in continuing education (research). Based on an analysis of historical references and a definition of sustainability, a heuristic for sustainability-related continuing education research at the level of the individual, interaction, organization and society is developed. At these four levels, central questions are formulated, relevant theories explored, empirical findings presented and research desiderata identified. The aim is to organize the relatively young research field of sustainability in continuing education and to provide a framework for overarching discussions in the thematic issue.