This paper presents a literature review that highlights educational perspectives on social justice, equity and children and young peoples’ agency when schools address health, wellbeing and sustainability challenges. The study furthermore explores the approaches and contributions of interventions addressing these challenges. As pointed out in UNs Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 and the UNESCO 2021 policy paper Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education, the crises following the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing global environmental and climate change has deepened the global learning crisis. The pandemic has highlighted our close links with nature and increased a long-standing concern for the physical, mental and emotional well-being of children and young people. The pandemic has also highlighted the interconnectedness of health and wellbeing challenges and broader sustainability challenges related to the degradation of nature, and environmental and/or climate change (Franzolin et al. 2022; Malqvist and Powell 2022). Research on global challenges in education’s response to the pandemic underline the critical role of education to strengthen children and young peoples’ agency, as well as the need for equitable education (Darlington et al. 2022, Hill et al. 2020). Due to the resurgence of interest in young peoples’ agency in research within the related areas of health, wellbeing and sustainability education, it has become clear that agency is understood and conceptualized in many different ways, from what we have power to do, to experiences of reflecting and deciding (Gallay, Pykett and Flanagan 2021; Lorimer, Knight and Shoveller 2022).

Global environmental changes in conjunction with substantial social justice issues related to health and wellbeing are impacting us all, raising significant concerns related to how education can address these sustainability challenges. Although they are impacting us all, we are not all of us “in this together”, as some are more afflicted by health, wellbeing and sustainability issues because of race, ethnicity, gender, economy and geographic locality (Andreotti et al. 2018). Current research findings indicate that Nordic countries typically relate to educational ideas such as democracy, and critical citizenship (Carlsson 2023), whereas other countries, such as Japan, might have more natural science or health science grounded understandings of how to address these challenges (Dean and Elliot 2022). In low and middle-income countries in regions such as Central/South America and Southern Africa, social justice issues have had a broader societal resonance conceptualized in debates about health, wellbeing and climate challenges (Lotz-Sisitka 2009; Torres and Faucher 2022). Perspectives on inequalities and social justice issues related to health, wellbeing and sustainability challenges are understood in different ways in different cultural contexts, which underlines the relevance of education research exploring and recognizing many forms of social and cultural diversity (Carlsson and Torres 2022; Dean and Elliot 2022).

Broad explorations of educational perspectives on social justice and equity in relation to how health, wellbeing and sustainability challenges are addressed in education, and the approaches and contributions of interventions addressing these challenges has been relatively absent, especially ones that takes into account the agency of children and young people. The literature review study is guided by the following research question: Which educational perspectives (on social justice, equity and young peoples’ agency), approaches and contributions of educational interventions in schools, or in collaboration with schools, addressing health, wellbeing and sustainability challenges can be identified in literature? The key findings from the analysis of the included journal articles in the study will be presented at the conference. Below I report on the methodology and primary findings from the search and selection processes in the literature review, and highlight a few selected interim findings on educational perspectives identified in the studies.

A systematic literature search of research journal articles was conducted in the PsycInfo and ERIC databases resultating in 2423 citations. These where imported to Covidence systematic review system, where a screening and selection process took place in two steps: first of title and abstract, where after the selected citations of full texts where screened and the final selection of journal articles where included in the depth analysis. Search terms included: (Health* OR Wellbeing*) AND (Children* OR "young people*" OR youth*) AND School AND Education AND ("social justice*" OR Equity) AND sustainability. The selected texts where read in full and appraised for quality using an adaptation of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for systematic reviews. Details where extracted for the analytic matrix guided by the PRISMA 2020 statement (Page et al. 2021) which prepared the articles for critique and interpretation (including but not limited to descriptions of research aim, questions, design (methods and theories) and key findings). A table was used to collate the findings, which provided an informed basis for critical analysis and enabled presentation of results relevant to the research question. Inclusion criteria: Journal articles published in English between January 2013 and December 2022, peer reviewed, target population aged 7–15 (primary school, middle and lower secondary school). They should explore educational perspectives (aims, values and ideals related to social justice, equity, and agency), approaches (directives, strategies, methodologies) and contributions (outcomes and impact) of educational interventions (i.e. designed for delivery through teaching-learning processes and pedagogical practices by educators). Exclusion criteria: Studies focusing on exploring determinants of health, wellbeing and sustainability challenges and the extent of problems and issues (rather than educational interventions addressing these). Studies primarily focusing on effects or outcome of interventions (omitting educational perspectives and approaches). Study selection: Academic databases identified 2423 records using the search string made of all combined search terms. After the removal of duplicates 1917 records where available for screening of title and abstract in Covidence. Following the exclusion of records based on titles and abstracts, 52 articles were sought for retrieval, and assessed for eligibility. Additional 12 papers were identified by a search in reference lists, of which 8 were retrieved. A total of 60 articles were thoroughly assessed. After excluding articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria described above 40 articles were eventually included for the coding and analysis processes.

Health and wellbeing challenges were in focus in the studies selected for coding and analysis. The thematic focus in these studies showed a great variety of themes and topics, including, but not limited to, physical activity, food, sexuality, gender equality, oral health, special needs, disability and HIV/AIDS education, violence/abuse, substance use, pregnancy prevention, COVID-19. Educational perspectives underlined aims and values of founded in empowerment, hereunder understanding the practices and effects of power and inequality and empowering students to transform social conditions. This included perspectives emphasizing social justice and equity dimensions arguing for pedagogies addressing redistribution (of educational goods), representation (participation) and recognition (of identity), and studies highlighting social and cultural diversity as a value in and a precondition for classroom wellbeing. Studies addressing the interconnectedness of health and wellbeing challenges and challenges related to the degradation of nature, and environmental and/or climate change included: Educational perspectives on equity and power stressing aims uncovering the multiple representations of reality constituted in language and discourse and providing counter narratives to deficit-based discourses on youth empowerment. Capability perspectives going beyond the notion of subjective and economic wellbeing, emphasizing that education should provide freedom of making choices in life caring for both people and nature. Nature-based perspectives strengthening health-equity through cultivating appreciation of the natural world and an understanding of human-nature interdependence. As pointed out in previous research exploring transformative expectations in sustainability education (Carlsson 2021), perspectives highlighting transformative forms of agency where more in focus in studies in settings where schools where collaborating with local communities than in formal education settings in schools. Whole school approaches aiming at creating opportunities for cooperative learning and engagement in addressing environmental challenges affecting health provided one example of this.

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