Co-creation of Educational Escape Rooms on Paludiculture and Peatlands within a Framework of Transformative Education

Abstract This study examines the co-creation of the Educational Escape Room (EER) Escape-mooR as a pedagogical approach to Transformative Education (TE) in formal schooling. While prior research on EERs has primarily focused on gameplay, little is known about the co-creation of EERs as a process for engaging learners in socio-ecological transformations. Drawing on a qualitative case study combining focus group interviews and process reconstruction, the study develops and applies an analytical framework of five TE dimensions adapted to school contexts. The findings contribute to TE research in four ways. First, they show that the TE dimensions operate in functionally differentiated ways and that the co-creation of EERs is particularly well-suited to enabling affective access to socio-ecological transformation processes. Second, the case shows that institutional structures do not necessarily constitute a barrier to participation; rather, what matters is that students perceive opportunities to shape the process and to be recognized as legitimate contributors within structured learning environments. Third, the findings indicate that co-created EERs can extend beyond the classroom, functioning as accessible entry points for wider societal dialogue on socio-ecological transformation processes. Fourth, the study highlights the structural contingency of such approaches, showing that co-creative TE formats are resource-intensive and depend on specific institutional and material conditions.