How ESD-Relevant Is Teacher Training? An Empirical In-Depth Analysis of In-Service Teacher Training Courses in Germany

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is widely regarded as a key task for schools, yet its implementation depends strongly on teachers’ opportunities to develop ESD-related professional expertise. This study examines how ESD is represented in state-accredited in-service teacher training (TT) in Germany, focusing on the degree of ESD relevance and selected characteristics of ESD-related TTs, including duration, school-type specificity, participation numbers, and cancellation. The analysis is based on 1186 ESD-related TT course descriptions from six German federal states, collected for the school year 2022/23 and the first half of 2023/24. TTs were coded using a qualitative content analysis approach and categorized into three degrees of ESD relevance: less ESD-relevant, ESD-relevant, and highly ESD-relevant. Results show that most TTs were classified as ESD-relevant or highly ESD-relevant (n = 828/n = 1186). ESD relevance was not significantly associated with participant numbers, but highly ESD-relevant TTs showed higher cancellation rates than ESD-relevant TTs. Course duration was not significantly related to cancellation. Within school-type-specific offers, ESD relevance differed significantly by school type. The findings highlight the need to consider ESD-related TT offers from a differentiated perspective and to complement the present document-based analyses with additional data to better capture contextual needs and conditions.