Empowering Learners for a Regenerative Future: The Role of Systems Thinking and Agency in Transformative Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Achieving a regenerative future demands a profound re-evaluation of education to address the socio-ecological intricacies of the 21st century. This research examined the function of transformational education for sustainable development (ESD) in fostering systems thinking competencies and agentic capacities essential for sustainability transitions. Utilising insights from sustainability science, the study frames education not solely as a means of knowledge dissemination but as an active process that cultivates critical thought, ethical reasoning, and action-oriented perspectives. Systems thinking is recognised as an essential skill that allows learners to comprehend nonlinear interactions, emergent behaviours, and feedback loops within interconnected human-environment systems. Agency enables individuals and groups to manage uncertainty, contest prevailing paradigms, supports their capacity to respond to uncertainty, challenge dominant assumptions, and participate in transformative change of behaviours at many levels. This study adopted a triangulated qualitative design within a constructivist–interpretivist framework, integrating reflective practitioner inquiry, design-based research, and conceptual model building. Data were collected through purposive semi-structured interviews with trainees, instructors, administrators, and policymakers from the Bugisu and Bukedi Zonal Presidential Skilling Hubs in Uganda, complemented by document review of policy, training, and institutional records. Data were analysed thematically to explore how transformative education promotes systems thinking and learner agency, and to identify institutional and cultural barriers to implementation. The findings indicate that transformative education can serve as a catalyst for systemic change by strengthening learners’ capacity to interpret complexity, act with purpose, and contribute to regenerative futures. The study highlights the importance of participatory, reflective, and context-responsive pedagogies, and proposes a conceptual framework for integrating systems thinking and agency into formal and informal learning settings. These insights have implications for curriculum reform towards competent base education for policy aimed at advancing sustainability, resilience, and social justice.