Systematic Review of Factors Limiting the Integration of SDG 15 into the Primary School Curriculum

The integration of SDG 15 in the curriculum of primary schools is limited by some structural obstacles that have not yet been discussed thoroughly in the recent academic literature on the topic. This systematic review will discuss the structural barriers impeding its implementation from the educational perspective around the world, considering all these barriers as an interconnected system of constraints. This systematic review employs the PRISMA methodology and uses a systematic search of academic literature in the relevant specialized databases for the period from 2022 to 2026. In this way, the inclusion criterion was relevance to the topics of interest. As a result, it has become clear that there are three interdependent structural barriers limiting the implementation of SDG 15 at the global level concerning the curricular and pedagogical dimensions: the lack of teachers' preparation needed for the implementation of pedagogical techniques for the achievement of the SDGs; the lack of awareness of educational establishments about the sustainability-related regulatory frameworks; and the presence of the cognitive digital divide as the barrier to traditional pedagogical practices. Differently from the other research related to these barriers, this one considers all of them as the part of the system where integrated curricular solutions are needed.