Examining the Preschool Teachers’ Opinions and Practices About Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the opinions and practices of preschool teachers regarding environmental sustainability. In the present study, the phenomenological pattern among the qualitative research methods was used and the sampling process was carried out using the snowball sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. The study group consists of 20 preschool teachers working in Borçka and Hopa districts of Artvin province. In this study, the interview method was used as the main data collection tool. The semi-structured interview questions were prepared by researchers and modified in accordance with the expert opinions. The analysis of qualitative data obtained during the interviews was performed using the descriptive analysis method. As a result of the data analysis, it was determined that teachers were aware of the environmental problems and they emphasized water pollution, waste pollution, recycling, plastics, air pollution, and consumption habits. It was found that teachers were not familiar with the concept of “environmental sustainability” and they could discuss the concept of sustainability by detailing with water, waste, energy management, and biodiversity. It was observed that teachers unintentionally took “sustainable” steps.. © 2023, T.C. Milli Egitim Bakanligi. All rights reserved.