Purpose This paper aims to provide qualitative description and analysis from the scientific accompaniment of a whole institution approach (WIA) sustainability process at a higher education institution of teacher education in Germany, to inform the further development of this process and WIA sustainability processes in teacher education institutions elsewhere. Design/methodology/approach The WIA was designed as a social learning process. It was accompanied by a scientific monitoring, with focus groups for all departments of the institution as the main research method. Data were analysed thematically, and findings were integrated into the WIA process. Findings This study demonstrates the value of engaging staff across a teacher education institution in a WIA sustainability process and some of the challenges involved. Specifically, it shows that diverse understandings of sustainability and education for sustainable development (ESD) exist between staff, that these are not fixed, and there are tensions between them; that discussion leads to increasingly complex understandings of ESD and the identification of locally relevant measures; and that WIA processes are challenging for those involved, and require considerable time and support. Originality/value This study adds empirical detail to a small but growing literature around implementing WIA processes in teacher education institutions. The added value of this approach lies in the integration of the scientific monitoring into the institutional sustainability process.
Bowden et al. (Fri,) studied this question.