PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Even with growing recognition of the need for sustainability within education, there is a dearth of understanding regarding how PLCs, collaborative groups of educators focused on continuous improvement, can systematically contribute to sustainable education. This study explores PLCs as catalysts for incorporating principles of sustainability into 21st century education. A search of databases including ERIC, Education Source, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar was performed for publications between 2000-2024. Selection criteria focused on studies with an explicit focus on PLCs and sustainability or environmental education, yielding 47 peer-reviewed empirical and theoretical sources. Thematic synthesis involved open, axial and selective coding to identify common themes. Findings suggest that effective PLCs help to build capacity for teaching and learning principles of sustainability, environmental literacy and systems thinking among participants. Sustainability-focused PLCs positively impact student engagement, critical thinking and environmental awareness. Common characteristics of effective PLCs include shared vision, collaborative culture, collective inquiry and continuous improvement cycles. Implementation challenges are identified, as are recommendations including policy creation prioritizing time for PLCs, establishing competency standards, funding for PLC facilitation and conducting longitudinal studies into student sustainability outcomes. This review offers evidence-based recommendations to educational leaders considering collaborative approaches to address global sustainability priorities.