Topic and Problem: The imperative to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into teacher training is universally acknowledged. However, a significant and often overlooked paradox exists: while effectively raising awareness of global socio-ecological crises, this education can inadvertently cultivate "eco-anxiety" – a state of overwhelming concern coupled with a perceived lack of personal efficacy (Pihkala, 2022). For pre-service teachers (PSTs), this anxiety presents a critical professional barrier. If future educators feel disempowered by the scale of the challenges they must teach about, their capacity to act as authentic agents of change—their "sustainability agency"—is fundamentally compromised (Bianchi et al., 2022). This study directly confronted this pressing issue, moving beyond mere diagnosis to design, implement, and rigorously evaluate a pedagogical intervention aimed at converting the emotional energy of anxiety into the empowered competence of agency.

Research Question: The central inquiry guiding our work was: How did a structured pedagogical experience combining Place-Based Education and Participatory Action Research (PB-PAR) influence the development of sustainability agency and the modulation of eco-anxiety among pre-service biology teachers? We sought to understand not just if change occurred, but how the processes of local inquiry and collaborative action facilitated a shift in professional identity and self-efficacy.

Objective: Our primary objective was to empirically test and refine a transformative learning model for ESD in teacher education. We aimed to shift PSTs from a state of passive knowledge acquisition about sustainability to one of active, reflective, and community-engaged practice. Ultimately, we intended to foster a cohort of beginning teachers who identify not merely as transmitters of ecological facts, but as "teacher-researchers" equipped to co-create contextually relevant ESD with their future students and school communities.

Theoretical Basis: The intervention was conceptually anchored in a robust, tripartite theoretical framework:

1. Competence-Based ESD and the GreenComp Framework: We operationalized the European Union's GreenComp framework (Bianchi et al., 2022) as our target outcome specification. Its competence areas, particularly "Embracing complexity in sustainability" and "Acting for sustainability," provided a clear, contemporary benchmark for defining and measuring "sustainability agency."
2. Place-Based Education (PBE): Drawing on the work of Sobel (2004) and Gruenewald (2003), we employed PBE as our core pedagogical philosophy. This theory asserts that meaningful learning and ecological identity are forged through direct engagement with local places. We applied PBE strategically to counteract the abstraction that fuels eco-anxiety, grounding learning in the tangible, knowable, and actionable reality of the local environment.
3. Eco-Anxiety and Ecological Agency: Informed by emerging scholarship in eco-psychology (Pihkala, 2022) and socio-cultural theories of agency (Priestley et al., 2015), we framed eco-anxiety not as a clinical condition, but as a legitimate affective response to be pedagogically engaged and redirected. Concurrently, we viewed agency as a dynamic capacity cultivated through meaningful participation.

Research Methodology: To capture the complexity of this pedagogical transformation, we employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design deeply embedded within a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach. This methodology was essential, as PAR aligns with the very ethos of the intervention—positioning the PSTs as active co-researchers. As the instructor-researcher, I facilitated a full, semester-long PAR cycle with one cohort (N=24), guiding them through investigating a local socio-ecological issue, engaging with community stakeholders, and developing an educational action. To strengthen causal inference, a parallel cohort (N=22) in a standard ESD course served as a comparison group for pre/post surveys measuring agency (adapted SAS) and anxiety (HEAS-13).

This practice-based study addresses the gap between sustainability knowledge and action. It offers a tested Place-Based Action Research model that equips educators and students with the emotional resilience and practical competence to become agents of change within their local contexts.

Methodology or Methods/ Research Instruments or Sources Used. Design and Participants: This study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design embedded within a Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework. The intervention group (IG) consisted of 24 third-year pre-service biology teachers acting as co-researchers in a semester-long PB-PAR project. A comparison group (CG, n=22) from a parallel cohort following a standard lecture-based ESD course was established for quasi-experimental comparison of quantitative outcomes. Intervention and Procedure: The IG conducted a full 12-week PAR cycle. Small groups selected a local socio-ecological issue (e.g., urban biodiversity loss). The structured process included: 1) collaborative problem definition and ethical planning; 2) multi-method data collection (ecological monitoring, stakeholder interviews); 3) collaborative analysis; and 4) co-creation of an educational product for a community audience (e.g., a citizen science guide). Data Collection (Triangulation): All participants provided informed consent. Data was triangulated via: • Quantitative Pre/Post-Tests (IG & CG): Validated scales: the Sustainability Agency Scale (SAS) and the *Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13)*. • Qualitative Data (IG only): a) Four structured reflective journals; b) Semi-structured focus group interviews (mid- and post-project); c) Artefact analysis of final projects using rubrics for systems thinking and civic intent; d) Researcher field notes. Data Analysis: Quantitative data were analyzed using ANCOVA, controlling for pre-test scores. Qualitative data underwent reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019). To ensure analytic rigour, codes and themes were reviewed in peer debriefing sessions. Findings from both strands were integrated to develop a comprehensive explanatory narrative of the intervention's impact.

Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings. Our integrated analysis provides robust evidence for the efficacy of the Place-Based Action Research (PB-PAR) model in fostering a transition "from anxiety to action" among pre-service teachers. The data confirms that this pedagogy fundamentally alters both competencies and professional identity. Quantitative Findings: Compared to the control group, the intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant and large increase in Sustainability Agency scores (η² = .28, p < .001). Concurrently, they showed a significant decrease in debilitating eco-anxiety (p < .01) and a significant increase in constructive anxiety—concern that motivates action. The control group showed no significant changes. Qualitative Findings (The Triangulated Narrative): Thematic analysis revealed a clear three-phase transformative journey explaining these shifts: 1. Overwhelm & Abstraction: Initial reflections expressed "global scale," "futility," and "disconnection." 2. Localization & Empowerment: Engagement with local sites shifted narratives to "concrete place," "community needs," and "actionable leverage points," providing a manageable scope for agency. 3. Identity & Action: Final reflections demonstrated a reconfigured identity as "bridge-builders" and "local change agents." Projects became pragmatic, actionable proposals, demonstrating operationalized agency. Conclusion and Implications: This study demonstrates that eco-anxiety can be a starting point for transformative Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The PB-PAR model offers a proven pathway for cultivating resilient, agentic practitioners. For practice, it validates a shift from teaching about sustainability to facilitating experiences where teachers practice it through local research and engagement. The outcome is educators empowered as reflexive researchers and key agents of the socio-ecological transition within their communities.

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