Advancing sustainability through teacher educators

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) plays a vital role in addressing global challenges. This paper adapts Vukelić’s Teacher Action Competence in ESD model to teacher educators, focusing on key dimensions: transdisciplinary thinking and leadership in institutional transformation, value ESD, ascription of responsibility, self-efficacy, and intention to implement ESD. It emphasizes self-efficacy as a key factor in translating sustainability competencies into instructional practice. By modelling action competence, teacher educators influence teachers’ engagement with sustainability and instructional practice. Implications for higher education institutions and theory are discussed.