Mapping the Global Ecosystem of Interactive Digital Technologies in Sustainability Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to systematically map the intellectual structure, research evolution, and emerging hotspots of Interactive Digital Technologies (IDTs) in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It specifically addresses the fragmentation and uneven technological integration within this field. Background: As education systems face accelerating digital transformation and urgent sustainability challenges, understanding how digital technologies support ESD has become increasingly important. Although research in this area has grown rapidly, it remains fragmented across technologies, educational levels, and regions. A comprehensive bibliometric synthesis is therefore needed to clarify the field’s development, key contributors, and emerging directions. Methodology: This study used a bibliometric design to analyze 377 journal articles indexed in Scopus and published between 2000 and October 2025. Using standard screening and science-mapping techniques, the study examined publication growth, citation impact, collaboration patterns, keyword networks, and thematic evolution. Contribution: This study provides a novel integrative perspective by reconceptualizing interactive digital technologies as components of digitally enabled sustainability learning ecosystems, moving beyond fragmented and technology-specific approaches, and advancing theory by suggesting an emerging shift from isolated instructional tools toward ecosystem-based sustainability learning. Findings: Results show rapid growth in publications after 2016, peaking in 2024, indicating increasing global attention to this field. Five major themes emerged: AI-enabled learning, green digital curricula, game-based and mobile sustainability learning, institutional digital governance, and interdisciplinary competence development. The findings reveal a transition toward integrated digital sustainability ecosystems, while persistent challenges remain in ethics, equity, and institutional readiness. Recommendations for Practitioners: Educational institutions and policymakers should adopt ethically grounded, inclusive, and system-oriented digital strategies that align technological innovation with sustainability competencies, teacher capacity development, and equitable access frameworks. Recommendation for Researchers: Future studies should integrate multi-database analyses, multilingual sources, and mixed-method approaches to capture contextual diversity and examine the pedagogical effectiveness of IDTs in fostering measurable sustainability competencies. Impact on Society: By mapping the global research landscape, this study informs the development of inclusive and digitally enabled sustainability education systems that support SDG 4 and strengthen long-term societal resilience. Future Research: Future research should employ longitudinal, comparative, and empirical designs to examine how AI-driven, immersive, and governance-oriented digital ecosystems influence learning outcomes, ethical practice, and sustainable behavioral transformation across diverse sociocultural contexts.