About the Further Development of a Metatheoretical Analysis Grid for the Field of Education and (Non-)Sustainability

In light of the current polycrisis and the perceived lack of theoretical development in education for sustainable development (ESD), this article considers how ESD can enhance its theoretical understanding. Against the backdrop of debates in the philosophy of science and long-standing concerns about limited progress in educational paradigms, this study aims to further develop a metatheoretical analysis grid for ESD (MAG-ESD). Methodologically, the study is theoretical and philosophical, situated in the ‘space of reasons’. It makes the case for the necessity of a metatheory, clarifies core concepts, and systematically builds on and expands the existing MAG-ESD framework. The grid distinguishes between four fundamental questions and incorporates additional dimensions of scientific systematicity to differentiate scientific knowledge from everyday knowledge. To illustrate its analytical potential, the MAG-ESD grid is applied to a case study examining a theoretical contribution to ESD. This example demonstrates how an analytical examination of the selected article using MAG-ESD can reveal weaknesses in its argumentation. While it does not replace existing approaches, the article concludes that MAG-ESD offers an additional meta-theoretical instrument with which to organise discourse, foster critical reflection, and stimulate more coherent and cumulative theory development within ESD.