ABSTRACT
The presented doctoral study is assigned to the research field of education for sustainable development (ESD). ESD is understood as a politically motivated programme, which has been supported and promoted by numerous international political conventions and agreements, such as the Halifax Declaration in 1991,Agenda 21 as a result of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), led by UNESCO. ESD aims to promote learning which develops skills such as ‘Gestaltungskompetenz’ (de Haan 2008, 2006; Barth et al. 2007), ‘Values, Knowing, Skills, Understanding’ (Parkin et al. 2004), and ‘Heads, Hands, and Heart’ (Sipos et al. 2008). The ultimate objective is to help learners develop competences and skills that are conducive to social transformation processes (in terms of sustainable development) (e.g. Barth and Michelsen 2013; Wals 2010). The focus of this chapter is to present the research process of understanding biographical
learning processes of sustainability entrepreneurs (SE). SEs are understood as innovators for societal transformation, in this case within the private sector. Their work has a multiplying effect as they spread innovation through their actions (Rogers 2003). I refer to biographical learning as the life experiences that are these kinds of experiences that connect awareness of the world with self-awareness and evolve when dealing with the world (Schulze 1997). Biographical learning processes are crucial for the development of an individual biography (Schulze 2009, 2006, 2005; Ecarius 2006). The research question of the study has been: ‘What kinds of biographical learning processes
have SEs undergone?’. Thus, my object of research is biographical learning processes and my subjects of research are sustainability entrepreneurs. I have aimed at finding out more about the process of self-awareness of the biographical subject, the individual SE, and I am doing this by means of researching their individual life narratives.
