Research Methodologies in Education for Sustainability: Meta-analysis of the PhDs carried out in Portugal since the UNESCO Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

Promoting Quality Education is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals present in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To achieve this goal, research in education plays a crucial role. It is essential to understand how research in education has been conducted, in particular research in Education for Sustainability (EfS). Looking at the research on EfS carried out in Portugal implies knowing the research methodologies privileged in the conducted studies. They support the paths taken by researchers and allow the quality of the results achieved to be validated.
The purpose of the research project presented is to map the evolution of knowledge about EfS research methodologies in Portugal since the implementation of the UNESCO Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2004-2015) until the present moment. The aim is, therefore, to answer the research question “How did research methodologies in Education for Sustainability evolve in Portugal in the period 2005-2023?”. The project's main objectives are: i) To survey and systematize EfS research carried out in Portugal in the period 2005-2025 and; ii) Identify, analyze and characterize the EfS research methodologies proposed in studies carried out during the considered period.
To answer the guiding research question and achieve the defined objectives, a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and interpretative study is proposed. The study will be carried out through a qualitative meta-analysis, anchored in document analysis and content analysis procedures.
For the organization of the study, two essential phases will be considered: Phase 1: Identification and systematization of the Portuguese PhD studies on EfS carried out since 2005. Phase 2: Identification, analysis and characterization of the research methodologies present in documents of the corpus.
As a result, we expect to establish the current framework for EfS research, identifying emerging perspectives, trends and lines of research in national studies.