Research Gaps in Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into Geography Education in Kazakhstan: Adapting the Whole-School Approach and Developing an SDG School Mapping Model

Abstract

           The integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into school education has become a strategic priority within global educational reform. In Kazakhstan, sustainability-related content is present in the geography curriculum, including themes on global challenges, environmental protection, and spatial thinking, as well as GIS and remote sensing components at the Grade 9 level. However, SDG integration remains largely implicit and fragmented, lacking a systematic mechanism aligned with UNESCO’s Whole-School Approach. This study aims to design, pilot, and evaluate a scalable SDG School Mapping Model that connects curriculum content, GIS-based spatial analysis, school operations, governance processes, and competency-based assessment within a unified framework.

            Using a mixed-methods research design, the study combines curriculum content analysis, teacher surveys and interviews, institutional readiness diagnostics, and a quasi-experimental pilot implementation in selected secondary schools. The model integrates SDG curriculum mapping (topic–SDG–indicator–task–assessment), a GIS-based school sustainability dashboard, and a governance monitoring cycle aligned with the “audit–plan–monitor” logic of green school standards.

             Preliminary findings suggest that linking GIS with school-level sustainability indicators enhances students’ spatial thinking and sustainability competencies while strengthening institutional coordination and evidence-based decision-making. The proposed model contributes to implementation research by bridging institutional whole-school standards with the spatial-data methodology of geography. It offers a context-sensitive, scalable framework for embedding SDG integration into Kazakhstan’s secondary education system and supports the transformation of sustainability education from fragmented practice into a measurable and institutionally coordinated system.