Educación de calidad para la sostenibilidad: una revisión sistemática de iniciativas en educación primaria alineadas con el ODS 4

David Pérez-Jorge; María Carmen Martínez-Murciano

doi:10.7179/PSRI_2026.48.11

Authors

David Pérez-Jorge Universidad de La Laguna https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4691-3449
María Carmen Martínez-Murciano University of Distance Education https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2551-8418

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7179/PSRI_2026.48.11

Keywords:

Quality Education, primary education, sustainability, environment, sustainable development goals

Abstract

Concern for sustainability demands the promotion of behaviours and strategies that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. This study analysed experiences in primary education aimed at ensuring Quality education, through a systematic review of articles in English and Spanish following the PRISMA declaration, using the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases. Of the 61 articles identified, 13 were selected and published between 2017 and 2024, mainly in African countries, Asia, and Europe. Quantitative methodology predominated, with interviews as the main data collection instrument.

The results show progress towards equity and gender equality within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. However, challenges remain, such as increasing early childhood enrolment and raising family awareness of the importance of early education. The findings highlight the need to strengthen school leadership, governmental support for vulnerable groups, continuous teacher training, and understanding schools as ecological systems. It is also recommended that textbooks be reviewed to ensure their alignment with sustainable development (SD) principles.

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Author Biographies

David Pérez-Jorge, Universidad de La Laguna

He holds a PhD in Education and Psychology and leads the Diversity, Health, and Education (DISAE) research group. He previously worked as a primary and secondary school teacher. He is currently a Full Professor at the University of La Laguna. In Q1 and Q2, he served as editor and reviewer for international JCR-indexed journals, including Scientific Reports, Frontiers in Education, Frontiers in Psychology, and Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. His primary research focuses on teacher training, educational response to special educational needs, and health education. He is the author of 83 scientific articles and 14 books. He has been a researcher on three European research projects and has participated in several competitive national projects. He has researched and taught stays in Krakow, Crete, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

María Carmen Martínez-Murciano, University of Distance Education

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Pedagogy, a Master’s degree in Communication and Online Education, and a Master’s in Teacher Training for Compulsory Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, Vocational Training and Language Teaching, specialising in Vocational Training and Career Guidance (FOL). She is in her third year of the PhD programme in Education and her second year of the PhD in Arts and Humanities. She is a tutor-professor at the National Distance Education University (UNED). In continuing education, she had seven years of experience as a training technician in an integrated services company from 2009 to 2016. Since March 2023, she has been an active member of the Diversity, Health and Education (DISAE) research group, which was awarded the “Prize for Research Groups Belonging to University Institutes that Promote Knowledge Transfer to Businesses and Other Social Institutions” by the Social Council of the University of La Laguna in 2023. She is also a member of the Teaching Innovation Team for the project titled Learning Situations in a Virtual Environment: Design, Implementation and Evaluation of their Impact on an Early Childhood Education Degree Course at UNED, which runs from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. In addition, she has been participating in the Teaching Innovation Project Gamification in UNED Tutorials since 2025.

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