Deeper Understanding of Sustainability: Ecological Self as Core Competence of Social Work Students in Fieldwork Teaching

The ecological self is a core competence in social work education. This study aims to deepen the understanding of sustainability for social work students through rural fieldwork in China. Based on home visits with grassland families in Inner Mongolia, the research employed immersive engagement with nature and communities to foster ecological humility and responsibility among social work students. Findings show that students developed a multidimensional view of sustainability, integrating health practices shaped by the environment, women’s roles in maintaining family’ ecological resilience, and kinship metaphors derived from human–animal relations. The study concludes that the ecological self enables a deeper, relational interpretation of sustainability, moving beyond technocratic approaches toward embodied, context-sensitive, and intergenerationally conscious practice. It underscores the need to embed ecological consciousness in social work fieldwork training to strengthen both professional identity and transformative engagement with sustainable development.