The presentation outlines an international comparative study on sustainability education (ESD) and global education (GE) in teacher training across the Visegrad countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia). It addresses the main professional dilemmas encountered during the research design and summarises the research concept and the methodological experiences. Previous research highlighted the need for detailed studies on how ESD and GE are integrated into teacher training institutions, identifying organisational drivers and barriers. Using in-depth interviews we examined current strategies, practices, and personal and organisational motivations related to ESD and GE in teacher training. Semi-structured interviews (N=46) were conducted at six Hungarian institutions and two institutions in each of the other Visegrad countries, with each institution including two senior management staff members and two senior lecturers. Anchor questions ensured the comparability across institutions, focusing on five key areas: 1) respondents' professional involvement and motivations including his/her understanding of ESD and GE, 2) the university context, university strategies and sustainability efforts in which teacher education operates, 3) the inclusion of ESD and GE in teacher education programs and requirements, 4) good practices in, and 5) proposals for improving ESD and GE. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis (Schreier, 2014) combining theory-driven and data-driven approaches. A structured categorisation system was developed based on concepts, analytical theories, and research questions, with subcategories defined inductively (Sántha, 2020, Brooks et al. 2015). Beyond interview analyses (Roulston 2014), we performed document analysis (Rubin & Babbie 2000) to examine the regulatory environment and institutionalisation of ESD and GE in the investigated countries (this included national strategy documents for teacher education, sustainability strategies, research and training programmes, and relevant content from the institutional websites of the studied institutions). Using the method of participatory system mapping (Barbook & Penn 2021) we explored the current concept of the given group on the different factors shaping ESD and GE in teacher training and their relationship within an international small group of stakeholders. The primary professional challenge was ensuring comparability across countries, given the varying regulatory environments and terminology. Findings from the research will provide insights into effective practices and policy and will be discussed in subsequent symposium papers.

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