Mapping Ecological Civilization Education from a Geographical Education Perspective: Knowledge Structure, Thematic Evolution, and Pedagogical Implications

Abstract

Ecological civilization education (ECE) has expanded rapidly as an educational response to intertwined ecological, social, and developmental challenges, yet its conceptual boundaries and implementation pathways remain fragmented. This review combines a light bibliometric evidence synthesis with a thematic review of educational theory and practice. Four published quantitative mapping studies covering ECE, education for sustainable development, environmental education, and the broader ecological civilization literature were compared to identify growth patterns, dominant themes, and persistent blind spots. The synthesis shows a field moving from policy- and awareness-oriented discussion toward curriculum integration, experiential learning, school–community collaboration, sustainability competencies, digital augmentation, and outcome assessment. However, higher education and top-down policy discourse remain disproportionately visible, while longitudinal learning outcomes, teacher capacity, spatial accessibility, educational equity, and community-level implementation are underdeveloped. To organize future work, this review proposes the PLACE framework: Place-based experience, Learning integration, Action competence, Collaborative governance, and Evaluation, equity, and enabling technology. The framework positions ECE as a context-sensitive form of transformative sustainability education that links ecological knowledge with lived experience, collective action, and measurable learning.