Real Experience in Fostering Education for Sustainable Development Engagement

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to equip learners with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes needed to address interconnected environmental, social, and economic challenges. This case study examines how students experienced and interpreted a short-term, place-based ESD program implemented within a specific coastal community context. The program involved 274 Grade 11 students who participated in a three-day experiential program including mangrove planting, beach cleanups, community engagement, collaborative group work, and structured reflection. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining reflective journals, modified focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and systematic observations. Qualitative thematic analysis explored students’ reflections across the three dimensions of sustainability, supported by descriptive quantitative data on engagement and collaboration. The findings show that students demonstrated increased contextual awareness of environmental protection, social responsibility, and sustainable livelihoods during the intervention. Engagement was strongest in social and environmental dimensions, particularly through hands-on activities and interaction with local communities. Although economic sustainability appeared less frequently, it became meaningful when grounded in real socio-economic contexts. Structured group reflection was central in helping students interpret shared experiences and develop emerging critical thinking and collaborative reasoning. The findings do not indicate sustained behavioral change or long-term commitment, but rather document students’ engagement and reasoning within the duration of the program. By applying experiential and social learning perspectives, this study contributes a contextualized example of how short-term, place-based experiential learning can support early-stage sustainability understanding. While not generalizable, the case offers transferable design insights for locally grounded ESD practice.