Welcome to the Evidence Hub – the central repository of SEEd’s research, evaluations and sectoral insights. For over 17 years, we have been at the forefront of Sustainability and Environmental Education and Transformative Learning. This hub brings together our rigorous data and on-the-ground findings to help the SEEd team alongside educators and policymakers to understand what truly drives systemic change in learning.
How We Embed Our Research
From Insight to Action
Our research isn’t destined for a dusty shelf, never to be seen again. It is the DNA, the backbone, of our work and methods:
- Listen: Through projects like the Youth Listening Reports, we identify the real-world attitudes and needs of the next generation.
- Apply: These insights directly shape the structure and content of our Young Changemakers (YCM), Educator Changemakers CPD and Changemakers (CM) programmes.
- Evaluate: We rigorously measure the outcomes of our work, feeding those lessons learned back into the growing evidence-base for global transformative learning.
Why Research Is Vital
Evidence-Led and Impact-Driven
We believe that passion for the planet must be matched by a deep understanding of educational psychology and systems thinking. We don’t guess; we listen. Research is our compass, ensuring our programmes are effective, our claims are credible and our advocacy is rooted in the lived experience of young people and educators.
Beyond our own programmes, this evidence base allows us to influence the wider educational landscape. By documenting what works in transformative learning, we can provide the rigorous data needed to move sustainability from the margins of the curriculum to the heart of the system. Our research isn’t just about measuring where we are, but is about showing where we can go, giving policymakers and funders the confidence to invest in long-term, systemic change.
At SEEd, we bridge the gap between research and practice to deliver a measurable sustainability education impact in the UK. Our commitment to evidence-based environmental education ensures that our programmes provide effective transformative learning for youth; we move beyond simple facts to empower real-world action and agency. By analysing years of data from our Youth Attitudes to Sustainability Survey, we understand exactly what young people need to feel hopeful and capable in a changing world. This evidence supports our mission to embed a whole school approach to sustainability, ensuring that learning for the future is at the heart of every educational institution, community and curriculum.
The SEEd Evidence Hub
Use the headings below to explore our evidence for change and learn how transformative learning impacts sustainability education.
SEEd Youth Listening Project Report 2023-25
- The Big Idea: A unique survey capturing the views and feelings of nearly 1,000 young people and 150 adults to provide a comprehensive intergenerational perspective on sustainability.
- Key Finding: While young people are familiar with broad environmental terms, many lack a deep understanding of systemic concepts like “net zero carbon” or the “circular economy”.
- Impact: The findings provide actionable learning points for SEEd and other practitioners to address the emotional weight carried by youth and the need for practical “how-to” skills.
SEEd Youth Listening Project Report 2018-29
- The Big Idea: The inaugural report of the long-term Youth Listening Project, designed “for young people, by young people” to test whether educator assumptions matched student realities around sustainability issues and education.
- Key Finding: The survey revealed a significant “mismatch” between what education professionals assumed young people needed and what students actually wanted.
- Impact: This research served as the catalyst for SEEd’s commitment to ongoing youth listening as a core strategic pillar for all future programming.
SEEd Youth Listening Project Report 2021-23
- The Big Idea: This second round of the Listening Project tracked youth attitudes toward sustainability during a period of massive social upheaval, including the global COVID-19 pandemic.
- Key Finding: Young people expressed significant emotional distress regarding the future, often viewing current generation’s efforts as “failures” to take meaningful action.
- Impact: The research underscored the urgency of shifting education from mere “awareness” to providing the tools young people need for meaningful sustainability actions.
SEEd Young Changemakers Report 2024-25
- The Big Idea: An evaluation of the second year of SEEd’s YCM programme, assessing student agency and the programme’s growth into international locations like Nepal.
- Key Finding: The programme successfully prioritizes students’ understanding of their own learning process and agency over traditional metrics like carbon reduction.
- Impact: Recommendations from this report highlight the need for local YCM coordinators to sustain the transition from theoretical learning to active community engagement.
SEEd Changemakers Evaluation Report 2021
- The Big Idea: A retrospective impact report on 12 years of the “Facilitating Learning for Sustainability” (SEEd Changemakers) course, which, as of 2021, directly empowered over 100 leaders.
- Key Finding: Participants described the course as “transformative,” leading to fundamental changes in their thinking, facilitation skills and workplace practices.
- Impact: The report validates the course’s efficacy in creating systemic changemakers and supports the continued use of Action Learning Sets for professional development.
SEEd Young Changemakers Report 2023-24
- The Big Idea: A baseline evaluation of the first year of the Young Changemakers programme, investigating its practical validity as a “proof of concept” for student-led action.
- Key Finding: Students identified “systems and the nature of change” as a critical learning outcome, helping them bridge the gap between their values and their ability to act.
- Impact: This research influenced a strategic shift toward allowing an earlier move to action in the programme design.
SEEd Changemakers Action Learning Review 2021
- The Big Idea: A focused review of the specific Action Learning projects conducted by participants during the 2020-21 course cycle, including adaptations for COVID-19.
- Key Finding: By embedding mentoring and action learning sets, participants successfully moved from being “unclear” about their goals to designing high-impact projects.
- Impact: This review highlighted the value of digital mentoring, which SEEd has since integrated to increase support for participants between training sessions.
Our Shared World Transformative Learning Report 2026
- The Big Idea: A comprehensive review by the Our Shared World coalition to advocate for systemic, “third-order” learning in the English education system, featuring case studies from SEEd’s programmes.
- Key Finding: While current DfE guidance focuses on curriculum “tweaks,” true transformation requires a radical overhaul of assessment and teacher training.
- Impact: This paper serves as a major advocacy tool, using case studies to demonstrate how individual initiatives can create a “groundswell” for wholescale systemic change.
Our Shared World Learning Lunch with SEEd: Evidence is Crucial
Ann Finlayson, SEEd CEO, explores the importance of evidence in building a stronger education system, looking back through 17 years of experience with research and evidence at SEEd.
Blogs & Think Pieces
Securing a Sustainable Future Through the Cloud Institute and SEEd’s New Partnership
A look at the attitudes of young people towards sustainability over 8 years of listening, through the lens of a young person themselves.
Impact in Action on SEEd’s Young Changemakers Programme
A look at the attitudes of young people towards sustainability over 8 years of listening, through the lens of a young person themselves.
A Youth Perspective on Changing Youth Perspectives
A look at the attitudes of young people towards sustainability over 8 years of listening, through the lens of a young person themselves.
Empowering the Next Generation of Sustainability Leaders
by George Edwards, SEEd Programmes and Communications Officer At [...]
What Young People Are Really Saying About Sustainability and the Future
by Dr Katy Wheeler, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in [...]
Youth Listening Survey shows young people want to learn how they can make a difference
By Dr Katy Wheeler, University of Essex [...]
Videos
SEEd Young Changemakers: Stories From Schools, 2026
SEEd Young Changemakers: The Youth Perspective
Education for Environmental Sustainability: Policies and Approaches in European Union Member States – Final Report
A 2021 report from the European Commission, co-authored by SEEd CEO Ann Finlayson among others, mapping the national and international practices, tools and strategies in Education for Environmental Sustainability (EES) across EU Member States. The study and report has informed the actions of the Commission related to EES and the implementation of the European Education Area.
Get Involved/Contact Us
Partner with our Research Team
Are you a research institution interested in collaborating on the future of sustainability education? Or a funder looking to back evidence-based interventions? We are always looking to build new partnerships to create a stronger evidence base.
Have Your Voice Heard
Are you a school, teacher or student wanting to have your voice heard in research that is truly embedded into the system? We have many ways for you to get involved in our research and evaluation. Find out more by contacting the team!
