Complex, Controversial, Emotional: A Simulation Approach to Sustainability Education

Entwicklungsprozess und theoretische Fundierung des Planspiels Unk City

Abstract

In the research project “Teaching Sustainability: Complex, Controversial and Emotional” (Unkke), we investigate how the criteria of a “good and effective” Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) can be implemented in practice. This article explores how these theoretically grounded criteria can be realized within the simulation game Unk City. Particular attention is given to students’ emotional responses, which have received little consideration in the field of ESD so far. Within the research project, the simulation game serves as an intervention for further analyses of the interrelations between teaching quality, teachers’ professional competence, students’ learning outcomes, and their emotional engagement.