The MYTHSE Navigator An Evidence-informed Infrastructure for Dealing with Myths in and about Sustainability Education
Type
conference poster
Date Issued
2026-04
Author(s)
Abstract
Pervasive myths about sustainability education (SE) — from reductive equations of SE with environmental education to unwarranted assumptions about the linear relationship between educational exposure and behavioral change — impede both the conceptual development and practical implementation of the field and phenomenon. Yet no structured, field-specific infrastructure for identifying and systematically refuting such myths has existed to date. The MYTHSE Navigator addresses this gap as an open, wiki-based refutation toolkit developed at the University of St. Gallen using a design-based research (DBR) approach. Drawing on literature review, analytic autoethnography, and problem-centered expert interviews, the Navigator currently comprises 18 interconnected myth refutations organized according to the evidence-based "fact–myth–fallacy–fact" structure (Lewandowsky et al., 2020). Complementary tools — including myth identification heuristics, a decision tree, and the Educational Myths Refutation Canvas — support educators in critically examining and countering misinformation in SE contexts. The project aims to strengthen transformative learning, critical thinking, and mental immunity against misinformation across higher education and beyond. Future development will include AI-assisted myth detection, categorization via didactic alignment models, and multilingual expansion.
Language
English (United States)
Keywords
sustainability education
educational myths
navigator
prebunking
debunking
critical thinking
esd
education
psychology
argumentation
toolbox
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Event Title
Academic Poster Session 2026
Event Location
University of St.Gallen (HSG)
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
stefan.siegel@unisg.ch
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
2026-04 MYTHSE Navigator Poster.pdf
Size
507.79 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
53092f1cb3d3ada3ca5ff1265888e16f