Conference Agenda
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 19th Aug 2026, 21:30:06 EET
|
Daily Overview |
| Session | ||
30 SES 07 A: Gamifying ESE through Drama and Play
Paper Session | ||
    | ||
30. Environmental and Sustainability Education Research (ESER)
Paper Dramaturgical Investigations of Place-Framing: Towards a Place-informed Social Movement Pedagogy Ghent University, Belgium Presenting Author:In 2024 the European Union launched its “Critical Raw Materials Act” [CRMA] as part of the “Green Deal” to secure access to the critical and strategic minerals necessary for its industry and the transition to renewable energy systems. This energy transition requires a drastic expansion in mining to supply sufficient minerals for industrial needs (International Energy Agency, 2022). Though the CRMA intends to mine 10% of its need in Europe itself by 2030, this still means that the majority of minerals is being mined abroad and predominantly in the Global South (Stacciarini and Gonçalves, 2025), in rural areas where peasant and indigenous peoples live (Owen et al., 2022). These mining explorations often neglect local needs, and exclude the populations from participating in these change processes (Milanez et al., 2021). Consequently, resistance against mining (Conde, 2017) has been on the rise with both social movements and academics calling for a “right to say no” on matters that affect their territories (Marín, 2023; Teixeira, 2024). Of concern, here, is the profound social and environmental impact of extractivism which turns inhabited places into “sacrifice zones” (Canelas and Carvalho, 2023). The violence and pollution that comes with the search for minerals does not only displace people, it also displaces knowledge (Zhou & Brown, 2024). The “coloniality of power” (Arora & Stirling, 2023) that comes with the technologies of extractivism subsumes and replaces local ways of living and knowing, which can culminate in an “epistemicide” (Santos, 2016). Such events devastate a place’s so-called “biocultural memory”, the accumulation of knowledges, linguistics, and genetics that communities and their environments embody through ongoing interactions over generations of time (Toledo and Barrera-Bassols, 2008). In this regard, resistance by place-based social movements is more than a defence of individuals’ rights. These movements struggle for the preservation of a territory, the bioculutral memory that it holds, and the ways of life of those that inhabit it. Furthermore, resistance movements arise as a way for non-governmental actors to become part of, and influence, change processes. This also means that social movements usually don’t start out with pre-determined ends-in-view but define their objectives from within the change processes and adapt them where necessary. I argue that by negotiating tensions between these issues, making choices and adaptations, social movement organising around an issue can be seen as crucial sites of ‘learning by doing’ and ‘doing by learning’ (Van Poeck et al., 2020). This study investigates how learning in social movements can be facilitated. Specifically, I analyse “place-framing” (Martin, 2003) in social movements’ activities. Place-framing is a concept from human geography which denotes how place-based social movements construct a so-called “place-frame”, a vision of what a place is or ought to be, around which collective action to address certain issue such as mining can be organised. Consequently, the use of certain place-frames or their renegotiation in place-framing actions are approaches as an outcome and part of learning processes, called ‘Place-Frame Learning’ (Deveux, 2024). I use a “Dramaturgical Analysis” of the facilitation of learning processes (Van Poeck & Östman, 2022) to study the settings which social movements organise for their activities, in conjunction with a “Transactional Place-Framing Analysis” [TPFA] (Deveux et al., 2026), which disentangles how certain place elements (e.g. important landmarks, practices or knowledges in a place) are foregrounded in the place-framing, to address the following research questions: “How does the setting of a social movement activity influence the place-framing and, hence, the place-frame learning”?; “How can place-frame learning in social movements, i.e. the use and negotiation of a joint place-frame, be facilitated?” Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used For this study, participatory observations and interviews were recorded over 2 years with several place-based organisations in Belgium, Portugal, Colombia and Brazil, including: 1. a transnational anti-mining movement based in Belgium with a focus in Latin America; 2. a village association in Portugal that resists a mining exploration in their territories; 3. a regional activist group resisting the renewal of mining in Belgium; 4. an indigenous community group recounting the history of rare earth element mining in a city in Minas Gerais, Brasil; 5. two community movements that resist the expansion of a mining project in Minas Gerais, Brasil; 6. an afro-descendent community, a quilombo, at the Brasilian coast demanding compensation for the pollution of their water supply after the Mariana dam disaster; 7. an agroecological school resisting a mining exploration in their territory in Colombia. This data is used for a cross-case study of the dramaturgy of place-frame learning that occurs during the activities by these organisations. The dramaturgy of an activity refers to how social movement actors, like theatre directors, set-up a purposeful setting in which they want to interact with a public or their own members (Van Poeck & Östman, 2022). This setting is created through its scripting, i.e. expectations of behaviour and outcomes for participants, its staging, i.e. the choice of what tools and artefacts are present during an activity and how they should be used, and the performance, i.e. what people actually do, by the facilitators during the activity. This last one is important, because the facilitation of the learning is in control of the social movement and allows them to steer the meaning-making towards their desired outcomes. In this study, I’m interested in how place-frame learning can be facilitated, i.e. how can place-frames emerge, be negotiated and shaped to fruitfully organise collective action around an issue such as mining. To this end, I use a TPFA to disentangle what elements of place are considered important in the place-framing, and understand which of these elements become contested or shared in collective place-frames. Using the concept of ‘privileging’ from socio-cultural learning theory (Wertsch, 1993), I investigate this dynamic process of inclusion and exclusion of place elements in the meaning-making process by participants in the activity. Finally, by looking for patterns between the dramaturgy of the setting and the actual place-framing I address my research questions and gain insights into how place-frame learning can be fruitfully facilitated. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings The results from this study follow from three subanalyses. First, the analysis of the place-framing [TPFA] in combination with privileging analysis, allows for the identification of multiple types of place-frames that arise in the meaning-making. For example, place-frames revolving around a certain materiality, e.g. a river, and others centring around a certain history of a place. Secondly, the dramaturgical analysis and outcomes of the previous analysis allows me to answer the 1st question on how the setting influences the place-frame learning. For instance, the use of certain artefacts such as maps or agricultural produces help individuals see the connections between their personal lives and the issue of mining in their place, whereas other setting lead to conflict between participants. Finally, by combining both analyses we can focus on the “performance”-aspect of the dramaturgy, to investigate how the facilitators steered the place-framing in line or diverging from the scripting they had in mind. As such the 2nd question on how place-frame learning can be facilitated, can be partly answered by creating a typology of “place-framing moves” that are encountered in the recordings. For example, a facilitator intervening in a conflict between participant and putting focus on the elements of place that may align their viewpoints such as care for the beauty of nature. The expected outcomes can be summarised as follows: - Identify typologies of place-frames - Investigate how the setting influences the place-frame learning - Identify “place-framing moves” I argue that these outcomes can form an interesting contribution to this conference’s focus on “knowing and acting”, as they will create insights into how social movements can fruitfully facilitate place-frame learning by being attentive to the dramaturgy of their activities. Future research could use the constructed typologies in combination with insights from educational literature to strive towards a place-informed social movement pedagogy. References Arora, S., Stirling, A., 2023. Colonial modernity and sustainability transitions: A conceptualisation in six dimensions. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 48, 100733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2023.100733 Canelas, J., Carvalho, A., 2023. The dark side of the energy transition: Extractivist violence, energy (in)justice and lithium mining in Portugal. Energy Research & Social Science 100, 103096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103096 Conde, M., 2017. Resistance to Mining. A Review. Ecological Economics 132, 80–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.08.025 Deveux, A. (2024). Place-frame learning in sustainability transitions. ECER 2024, Abstracts. Presented at the ECER2024 : Education in an age of uncertainty : memory and hope for the future, Nicosia, Cyprus. Deveux, A., Devos, T., Van Poeck, K., 2026. A transactional approach to place-framing in sustainability transitions. [Manuscript submitted for publication]. International Energy Agency (IEA), 2022. The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions – Analysis (World Energy Outlook Special Report). Paris. Martin, D.G., 2003. “Place-Framing” as Place-Making: Constituting a Neighborhood for Organizing and Activism. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 93, 730–750. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8306.9303011 Milanez, F., Pimentel, S.K., Melo, A., Gamella, K.A., Munduruku, A.K., Vaz, A., Ferreira, J., 2021. The right to say no: extractivisms and territorial struggles. Ambient. soc. 24, e0159. https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4422asoc20210159vu2021l5nr Owen, J.R., Kemp, D., Lechner, A.M., Harris, J., Zhang, R., Lèbre, É., 2022. Energy transition minerals and their intersection with land-connected peoples. Nat Sustain 6, 203–211. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00994-6 Santos, B. S. (2016). Epistemologies of the South: Justice against epistemicide. Routledge. Stacciarini, J.H.S., Gonçalves, R.J. a. F., 2025. Energy Transition And Mining In The Global South. Mercator (Fortaleza) 24, e24009. https://doi.org/10.4215/rm2025.e24009 Teixeira, B.M., 2024. Room to Grow and the Right to Say No: Theorizing the Liberatory Power of Peace in the Global South. Geopolitics 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2023.2286287 Toledo, V. M., & Barrera-Bassols, N. (2008). La memoria biocultural: La importancia ecológica de las sabidurías tradicionales. Barcelona: Icaria Editorial Van Poeck, K., Östman, L.(2022). The Dramaturgy of Facilitating Learning Processes: A Transactional Theory and Analytical Approach. In: Garrison, J., Östman, L., Öhman, J. (Eds.) Deweyan Transactionalism in Education. Beyond Self-action and Inter-action. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 123-136. Van Poeck, K., Östman, L., Block, T. 2020. Opening up the Black Box of Learning-by-Doing in Sustainability Transitions. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 34, 298–310. Wertsch, J. V. (1993). Voices of the Mind: A Sociocultural approach to mediated action. Harvard University Press Zhou, R., & Brown, D. (2024). Epistemic justice and critical minerals–Towards a planetary just transition. The Extractive Industries and Society, 18, 101463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2024.101463 30. Environmental and Sustainability Education Research (ESER)
Paper The Use of Drama Methods for Learning Sustainability Issues in Science – a Review Study of Aesthetic Learning in Science Education 1: University of Oslo, Norway; 2: Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway Presenting Author:The aim of this paper is to illuminate how drama and science involvements can be used connected to sustainable development issues. Drama activities may explore affective dimensions and opportunities for practicing action and agency concerning sustainability, as well as simulating scientific processes central for understanding sustainability issues. Empirical research articles concerning drama, science and sustainability issues are reviewed and create the basis of this paper. This is part of a larger review study of aesthetic learning processes in science education. There has been an increased awareness of the important role that aesthetic learning processes plays in science education. In general, the Norwegian curricula (Ministry of Education and Research, 2017) emphasize that aesthetic learning processes must be an integrated part of students’ learning. Austring & Sørensen (2006) understands aesthetic learning as a process were students transform their impressions and understanding of the world into aesthetic expressions, which are sensory-based and include visual, auditory, and bodily expressions. Aesthetic learning processes can also be seen as expression forms, working methods, and tools from practical and aesthetic subjects applied in teaching other subjects (By et al., 2020). Examples include using art forms as singing, music, drawing, painting, crafting, dramatization, dance, cooking, and poetry. This paper will give an overview of the research articles involving drama methods and sustainability issues, and analyses of the aesthetic learning processes involved. We base our analyses on Lindström’s framework (2012) of aesthetic learning in arts, that has two dimensions; one representing the goal (directed and focused or explorative and open-ended) and the other the means (medium-specific or medium neutral). Combining these dimensions Lindström arrives at a framework of aesthetic learning about, learning in, learning with and learning through the arts. Further, we analyse the studies according to the aesthetic processes the students go through, based on Ross’s (1978) work on creative processes in arts education, involving impulses from arts as an impression, the students’ expressions as they explore, and students’ imprints as reflective products of art. Science education, closely tied to scientific research, plays a central role in sustainability education. It shows how humans as biological beings are interwoven with all other life through ecosystems and evolution, and provides knowledge about the tolerance limits of the life‑supporting cycles we depend on and the risks of exceeding them. Science and technology not only explain natural phenomena but also offer practical solutions that can steer individuals and societies toward sustainability. At the same time, science advances (for instance regarding pesticides and oil extraction) have enabled environmental destruction, resource overuse, and waste that threaten our life‑support systems. Recognizing science as both a cause of and a resource for solving environmental problems has led science education to incorporate ethical and societal dimensions, making it relevant across subjects and central to interdisciplinary sustainability didactics (Knain & Ødegaard, 2017). Scientific literacy refers to the knowledge, skills and dispositions that enable individuals to understand scientific concepts, evaluate evidence, and participate in decisions that involve science. Scientific literacy is often framed through three complementary visions (Roberts, 2013; Sjöström, 2025). Together, the three visions suggest a broad curriculum: mastery of foundational concepts (Vision I), capability to use science in context, for instance in socio-scientific issues (Vision II), and readiness to engage as informed, ethical citizens in science‑related public issues (Vision III). Drama activities involving science and sustainability can engage in different aspects of scientific literacy, different degrees of exploration and different levels of sustainability (personal, societal, symbolic/epic) (Ødegaard 2003; 2023). Our research question is: How are aesthetic learning processes involving drama in science, applied to enhance students’ learning experiences of sustainability? Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used Methods In this systematic review we are following the framework suggested by Gough et al. (2017). Considerable time and effort were invested to planning and developing a detailed search strategy, as recommended by Brunton et al. (2017, p. 104). We started by developing criteria for including studies. The search was restricted to peer reviewed academic journal articles written in English that were published between 2000 and 2024. The following query was used on the fields title and abstract to find appropriate articles: “aesthetic*” AND “(science OR chemistry OR biology OR physics OR geology OR STEM OR STEAM)” AND “(educat* OR classroom* OR school* OR pedagog* OR teach* OR learn*)”. The searches were conducted in the ERIC database accessed via EBSCOhost. The search resulted in 804 articles. The further selection of articles was conducted by reading abstracts and, if necessary, full texts with respect to the following inclusion criteria: a) studies based on empirical data from primary school or secondary school, b) studies related to aesthetic learning processes, c) studies within science topics. Additionally, we included some studies focusing on undergraduate education, as well as studies that implicitly address aesthetic learning processes without explicitly mentioning 'aesthetic*' in the abstract and title. Applying these criteria led to a final pool of 390 articles. . Of these articles, 80 included drama activities, which constitutes the largest group of aesthetic activities referred to. The drama articles were analysed deductively with respect to scientific topic, activities of the aesthetic learning processes and learning outcomes. 34 of the drama articles concerned sustainability issues in some way, and these are the focus of this paper. Further, the articles were analysed inductively according to the educational focus of the articles. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings Conclusions The analyses showed that the included studies encompassed a wide range of sustainability and scientific themes such as ecology, evolution, climate change, air and water pollution and biodiversity. The drama methods included simulating scientific phenomena and processes (vision I), as well as more interdisciplinary approaches such as dramatizing socio-scientific issues (Vision II & III). Furthermore, the aesthetic learning processes were principally, according to Lindström (2012), learning with art (drama), and the students’ aesthetic learning processes were mainly characterised by aesthetic impression and sometimes exploring aesthetic expressions (Ross, 1978), but most of the articles concerned the students’ scientific conceptual learning outcome as well as motivation and engagement. Studies that explored the potential of drama as an aesthetic learning process in depth were rare, but will be discussed. References References Austring, B. D. & Sørensen, M. (2006). Æstetik og læring. Grundbog om æstetiske læreprocesser. Hans Reitzels Forlag. Brunton, G., Stansfield, C., Caird, J., & Thomas, J. (2017). Finding relevant studies. In D. Gough, S. Oliver, & J. Thomas (Eds.), An introduction to systematic review (pp. 93–122). London, UK: SAGE publication Ltd. By, I.-Å., Holthe, A., Lie, C., Sandven, J., Vestad, I. L. & Birkeland, I. M. (2020). Estetiske læringsprosesser i grunnskolelærerutdanningene. Helhetlig, integrert og forskningsbasert? Rapport til Kunnskapsdepartementet, 24. juni 2020. Kunnskapsdepartementet. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/ea18f23415a14c8faaf7bc869022afc2/estetiske-laringsprosesser-i-grunnskolelarerutdanningene.pdf Gough, D., Thomas, J., & Oliver, S. (2017). An introduction to systematic review (pp. 93–122). London, UK: SAGE publication Ltd. Knain, E., & Ødegaard, M. (2019). Naturfagets rolle i bærekraftdidaktikk. I OA Kvamme & E. Sæther (Red.), Bærekraftdidaktikk (1. utg., s. 135–150). Fagbokforlaget. Lindström, L. (2012). Aesthetic learning about, in, with and through the arts: A curriculum study. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 31(2), 166-179. Ministry of Education and Research. (2017). Core curriculum - Values and principles for primary and secondary education. https://www.udir.no/lk20/overordnet-del/?lang=eng Roberts, D. A. (2013). Scientific literacy/science literacy. In Handbook of research on science education (pp. 729-780). Routledge. Ross, M. (1978). The creative arts. London: Heinemann Educational Books. Sjöström, J. (2025). Vision III of scientific literacy and science education: an alternative vision for science education emphasising the ethico-socio-political and relational-existential. Studies in Science Education, 61(2), 239-274. Ødegaard, M. (2003). Dramatic science. A critical review of drama in science education. Studies in Science Education, 39, 75–102. Ødegaard, M. (2023). Using drama in science education and for sustainability issues. In Learning science through drama: Exploring international perspectives (pp. 69-86). Cham: Springer International Publishing. 30. Environmental and Sustainability Education Research (ESER)
Paper Gamification and Play-Based Learning in Pre-School Teachers' Sustainability Education Frederick University, Cyprus Presenting Author:As a pivotal point for raising awareness and developing foundational competences, pre-school education is increasingly recognized as a critical entry-point for Education for Sustainability (EfS) (Ohlsson, Borg and Gericke, 2024). Early years play a formative role in shaping children’s values, attitudes, and behaviors, and constitute the appropriate moment for introducing EfS (Siraj-Blatchford, Smith and Pramling-Samuelsson, 2010). When learning experiences are developmentally appropriate, experiential, and participatory, young children can engage meaningfully with sustainability concepts and take an active role in their learning. Gamification and game-based learning motivate engagement and learning through interactive multisensory environments. As an educational approach emerging from sociocultural learning theories’ principles, Game-Based Learning uses structured learning experiences and play, as an active, informal and collaborative way of learning (Soriano-Sánchez, Quijano López and Rodríguez 2026). Gamification, uses elements from games, such as points, badges, symbols, scenarios, and visual feedback, to enhance learning and turn an educational setting into a more game-like environment. It is highly effective in the early years, especially in terms of children’s autonomy, cooperation, and persistence (Sumartiningsih, 2025˙ Lorenzo-Lledó et al., 2023). Aligned with the theory of purposefully framed play, gamification can function as an intentionally designed game-like pedagogical structure, where educators guide learning through questions, reflection, and concept construction (Edwards and Cutter-Mackenzie, 2013) and can constitute effective teaching tools for the introduction of EfS in pre-school education (Guerrero Puerta, 2024). Within this framing, games and game-based activities become pedagogical tools that support the intellectual and emotional engagement and growth of the learners, for sustainability. Given the central role of teachers in designing and mediating such experiences, it is particularly important for pre-school teachers, to be confident and competent to integrate gamification and game-based learning in their practice. Early exposure to the principles and processes of gamification and game-based learning, during teacher education, can encourage teachers to employ such approaches in their teaching (Opris, Bálint-Svella, Zsoldos-Marchiş, 2021). The article explores the ideas and practices of pre-service pre-school (PSPS) teachers regarding the application of game-based learning (via the use of game-based activities) and gamification, in pre-school EfS. It offers insight into how participation in authentic, game-based EfS learning, shapes PSPS teachers’ pedagogical thinking and professional identity. By analysing their self-reported experiences, the study builds an understanding of how gamification and game-based activities can strengthen readiness and confidence, to teach EfS in pre-school. Specifically, the research questions addressed are: - How do PSPS teachers perceive the use of gamification and play-based learning as a tool for promoting sustainability learning in preschool? - How does the process of designing and implementing gamification and game-based learning through sustainability-themed game-based activities influence PSPS teachers’ confidence, teaching skills, and perceived professional readiness to teach about sustainability? The study was conducted within an EfS course, engaging 12 PSPS teachers in their third or fourth year of studies. Participants were invited to carefully study information about Monachus monachus, an endangered seal species, a small population of which lives in the local coasts, and then through gamification and the creation of game-based activities to teach pre-school children about them. Within their teaching, they were asked to promote sustainability competences using the European GreenComp framework, such as promoting nature, valuing sustainability, critical and systems thinking and individual initiative. In order to develop the activities, PSPS teachers formed groups of two or three. They received scientific support and guidance on Monachus monachus from the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, and pedagogical guidance from their course instructor and a pre-school teacher. A total of 5 board games and related activities were developed and were pilot-tested with pre-school children (with the permission of the school principal and teachers). Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used Data were collected within an interpretivist research design, drawing from two complementary sources: (a) a semi-structured group interview and (b) a structured reflection sheet. Students were clearly informed of the purpose of the study, and their participation was voluntary. Overall, the research design aimed to explore PSPS teachers’ perceptions of gamification and play-based learning for sustainability, as well as their perceived professional learning and self-efficacy developed through an authentic project-based learning context. The semi-structured group interview was conducted immediately following the pilot implementation to capture participants’ emotions, experience, reflections, and pedagogical reasoning while their engagement with authentic professional praxis in pre-school was still fresh. The interview focused on their perceptions of game-based learning, their experiences during implementation, their reflections on children’s behavior and learning, and how these were connected to the game they delivered. The 50-minute interview was audio recorded and transcribed verbatim in Greek. After the interview, each student completed a structured reflective report, giving a critical account of their experience throughout the design and implementation of their group’s game. The questions sought to capture their perspective on what children learned, how they reacted to the game, and the game’s emotional and cognitive impact on children. Information on how the experience influenced PSPS teachers’ professional skills, confidence, and readiness to deliver sustainability issues in the pre-school was also collected. Finally, the reflection sheet invited participants to discuss their ideas about the educational value of games and game-based activities in pre-school in general, and specifically for EfS. The reflection sheet was submitted digitally and provided introspective, emotionally rich insights into the PSPS teachers’ perceptions and professional growth. For both data sets, we conducted a thematic analysis supported by NVivo (version 14). A Matrix Coding Query was used to explore intentional links between pedagogical actions and perceived outcomes, particularly how gamification and game-based activities intersect with sustainability-related learning. In parallel, we ran a cluster analysis using Pearson correlation to identify broader conceptual relationships between sustainability, professional growth, and pedagogical adaptability. Together, these approaches allowed us to capture both detailed coding relationships and higher-level conceptual patterns, as these were derived by reflexive thematic analysis. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings Pre-service pre-school teachers consistently associated gamification and game-based learning with core early-years learning processes. Both were perceived as generating meaningful cognitive and affective outcomes by actively engaging children, sustaining attention, and fostering collaboration, discussion, and reflection. Participants emphasized that children experienced the intervention as play. Game-based learning activities also provided an experiential bridge between abstract environmental issues and children’s lived understanding, supporting affective engagement and developmentally appropriate opportunities for critical thinking and simulated decision-making. In PSPS teachers’ accounts, sustainability awareness was linked to pedagogical decisions and perceived learning outcomes. It informed how participants justified their pedagogical choices and how they interpreted children’s cognitive and affective responses, particularly in relation to the environmental framing of the activities. Cluster analysis reinforced this picture by showing close associations between sustainability-related codes, pedagogical codes (e.g., flexibility, instructional challenges, play-based potential), and outcome-oriented codes (e.g., cognitive skills and emotional engagement). The analysis suggests that professional growth and sustainability-related knowledge development are experienced as interconnected processes. The close clustering of adaptability with learning and game-design reflection reinforces the idea that engaging in reflective pedagogical design supports the development of flexible and responsive teaching practices. Designing sustainability-themed games appears to support directly PSPS teachers’ perceived professional readiness to teach sustainability. Collaboration was strongly connected with professional growth, indicating that group work was important for developing confidence and professional identity. Instructional challenges and the perceived effectiveness of the game-based intervention, were strongly correlated with adaptation and learning, indicating that implementation difficulties and the assessment of the effectiveness of the intervention, prompted reflection and iterative adjustments. The value of sustainability education was identified in several educational dimensions. Cluster analysis groups the experiential value of sustainability with the development of sustainability competences and teaching skills, suggesting that professional readiness was constructed as an interconnected process of pedagogical and value-based empowerment. References - Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? Qualitative research in psychology, 18(3), 328-352. - Edwards S. and Cutter-Mackenzie, A. (2013) Pedagogical Play Types: What Do They Suggest for Learning About Sustainability in Early Childhood Education? IJEC (2013) 45:327–346 DOI 10.1007/s13158-013-0082-5. - Guerrero Puerta, L. (2024). Exploring if Gamification Experiences Make an Impact on Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Future Gamification Use: A Case Report. Societies 14, 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14010011 - Lorenzo-Lledó A., Pérez Vázquez E., Cabrera E.A., Lledó G.L. (2023) Application of gamification in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education: thematic analysis. Retos, 50, 858-875. Federación Española de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educación Física (FEADEF) ISSN: Edición impresa: 1579-1726. Edición Web: 1988-2041 (https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/retos/index) - Ohlsson A., Borg F. and Gericke N., (2024) Education for sustainability in preschool: Swedish preschool teachers’ perspectives, Cogent Education, 11:1,2353477, DOI: 10.1080/2331186X.2024.2353477 - Opris E., Bálint-Svella E., Zsoldos-Marchiş I., (2021). Prospective pre-school and primary school teachers’ knowledge and opinion about gamification. Article in Acta Didactica Napocensia · DOI: 10.24193/adn.14.1.8 - Siraj-Blatchford, Smith and Pramling-Samuelsson, 2010. Education for Sustainable Development in the Early Years. WORLD ORGANIZATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. https://omepworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Education_for_Sustainabl_Early_Years.pdf - Soriano-Sánchez J.G., Quijano López R., and Rodríguez D.A. (2026). The Impact of Game-Based Learning on Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Academic Achievement in the Natural Sciences: A Meta-Analysis. Educational Sciences. 16(1), 122. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010122 - Sumartiningsih, Indah (2025). Gamification in Early Childhood Education: Improving Students' Learning Motivation through Game-Based Learning Strategies. Journal of Education Technology and Innovation. Vol 8 No 1 .2024 pp 50-64 P - ISSN 2621-2137 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31537/jeti.v8i1.2333. | ||