Modern societies are characterized by a steady invention of time-saving techniques and practices that have been associated with growing feelings of time scarcity (Rosa, 2005) and detrimental environmental impacts (for instance through online shopping, travelling by plane instead of train, etc.) as potential causes. Research on these so-called time-rebound effects (see e.g. Binswanger & Binswanger, 2000) raises the question whether a more careful use of time, or “time wealth”, could potentially lead to less energy-intensive and therefore more sustainable lifestyles - and thus might even contribute to increase people’s well-being (Adam, 2006; Reisch, 2001).

In our educational perspective, we are empirically researching how a time competence curriculum might be included in regular school curricula with a special focus on Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) contributing to sustainable consumption. The concept of ‘time shaping competence’ which we developed based on previous research on time competence (Frank et al., 2020) describes the ability as well as willingness of individuals to shape their time in a way that takes both their own as well as the needs of other people, today and in the future, into account.

Even though ESE has been established more or less in most European educational contexts (Jucker & Mathar, 2015) and is widely considered a “crucial enabler” for achieving the SDGs (UNESCO, 2020), it has also been criticized for having a too narrow focus on cognitive learning (Fischer & Barth, 2014). Others have pointed out a tendency to contributing to maintaining an (unsustainable) status quo instead of seeking approaches facilitating a transformation of societies towards genuine sustainability (Huckle & Wals, 2015). In response, it has been suggested that ESE should place a stronger focus on developing learners’ abilities to reflect on those inner processes which are at the root of every-day actions and behaviours (Wamsler, 2020) – not only but in particular those causing individuals to carry out those actions contributing to unsustainable behaviour.

These considerations form the basis of our research focusing on how to design and promote a learning intervention fostering time competence among secondary students. Our approach is heavily influenced by Manfred Max-Neef’s work on needs and satisfiers as key elements of human development (Max-Neef, 1992). According to Max-Neef, human beings are carrying out most actions in order to satisfy their needs, with satisfiers ranging from fulfilling actual needs up to so called “destructors” rather causing harm instead of satisfying needs. Correspondingly, our approach rests on the assumption that awareness of one’s needs informing individual time use may potentially increase individual time well-being, overall satisfaction with how one is spending one’s time and thus potentially change people’s behaviour towards (more) sustainable consumption patterns.

Our research is guided by the following research questions:

• RQ1 How is time currently addressed in (German) curricula and textbooks?
• RQ2 How can time competence in the context of sustainable consumption be conceptualized?
• RQ3 How can time competence in the context of ESE be promoted?

To address RQ1 we conducted a curriculum review; the results of which are supporting our initial hypothesis that time competence as an element contributing to sustainable behaviour is not yet included in German curricula (Grauer et al., submitted). To address RQ2 we reviewed existing concepts of time competence, identified specific challenges with regard to time and sustainable consumption, and mapped these onto a framework of competence that is comprised of relevant dimensions in the ESE competence literature (Frank et al., 2020). This resulted in an approach to time shaping competence consisting of three interlinked abilities regarding individual time use, which our teaching and learning approach should seek to foster: Awareness, ability and willingness. To address RQ3 we reviewed pedagogical literature on methods and teaching and learning activities that are conducive to the development of the types of learning dimensions we wanted to nurture. We then developed a time competence curriculum, which we implemented in school year 2019/20 in partnership with three secondary schools. Drawing on our past research (Frank & Fischer, 2018) our intervention is designed according to self-inquiry based learning (Frank & Stanszus, 2019) aiming at igniting students’ abilities to reflect on their own needs and related individual use of time. We implemented our course for a duration of 25 hours per semester with two groups per school with students aged between 15 to 21 years. We were teaching the course in a team of one female one male researcher-as-teacher and our curriculum contains a variety of exercises aiming at enhancing students’ abilities of introspection and self-observation including meditation, easy physical exercises and self-observation over longer periods of time. Our research is rooted in an interpretative paradigm, focusing on reconstructing the subjective experiences of young people with regard to individual time use and resulting consumptive actions. It also aims at critically reflecting on the social structures regarding time and education in which our intervention is taking place. We implemented our study guided by design-based research (DBR) methodology (DBRC, 2003) which allows to effectively bridge the chasm between research and practice in formal education (Anderson & Shattuck, 2012). DBR consists of continuous cycles of designing, enacting, analyzing, and redesigning pedagogical interventions that are situated in real educational contexts which we deemed well-suited in order to test, adapt and evaluate our time competence curriculum parallel to its implementation.

Time is running out, at least this is what current protest movements such as Fridays for Future or Extinction Rebellion are painfully reminding ourselves of. Time is running out because our modern lifestyle is not sustainable. Therefore, based on our conceptual approach, we argue in favour adding a time competence dimension, into ESE and education overall. Our approach differs from other ESE approaches focusing on promoting sustainable (consumptive) behaviour in that it does not consider inducing a change in behaviour (i.e. consumption) as its primary goal. Instead, it promotes enabling students to shape their individual time in a way that they experience a rather high degree of needs satisfaction as a prerequisite for achieving a change of behaviour. We argue that by fostering an awareness for one’s inner needs individuals can be enabled to seek alternative ways for satisfying their needs, particularly ones which do not or only little interfere with those needs of other people (of present and future generations). Once German schools were closed in March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our second cycle of school-based research aimed at evaluating our adapted curriculum, was interrupted and eventually ended without allowing us to complete a full evaluation. Yet, the data gathered until then still provide evidence on students learning progress with regard to time competence. Our insights into one possible approach towards teaching time competence within an ESE context may therefore provide valuable starting points for further research into including time competence into ESE and education, as well as inspire practical education approaches aiming at fostering learners’ ability to reflect on and consciously shape their time.

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