Early Childhood Teacher Education and Education for Sustainability

Davis, Julie M.; Davis, Juliet

doi:10.4324/9780429446764-9

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Despite the possibilities offered by ESD as part of interdisciplinary and integrated content, a search by keywords (sustainability, sustainable) did not find content that would indicate the use of sustainable development in the initial education of ECE teachers. Davis and Davis ( 2020 ) came to similar results in a global context. It is possible that the contents are still implemented although they are not clearly highlighted.…”

Section: Education For Sustainable Development In Bosnia and Herzegov...mentioning

confidence: 57%

Unmasking Sustainability in Early Childhood Education: Teachers' Voices from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia

Jevtić

Vodopivec

Beleslin

et al. 2022

IJEC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Education for sustainable development is one of the key components of the 2030 Agenda. Previous research emphasizes the importance of access to education as early as possible in accordance with the goals and contents of sustainable development. It is assumed that educational policies have incorporated education for sustainable development (ESD) into key documents regulating the early childhood education (ECE), although the existence of legislation is not a guarantee that the practice follows the educational policy. Preschool teachers are key persons who can integrate content that promotes and encourages acceptance of the concept of sustainability into the ECE setting. In order to determine ECE teachers’ understanding of the concept of sustainability and contents that promote a sustainable lifestyle, an empirical study with a qualitative approach was conducted, where 91 ECE teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia participated. The participants presented their views on the socio-cultural, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability, as well as gave many practical examples that, in their view, promote a sustainable lifestyle. They evaluated the efficacy of the researched segments of sustainability as well. Deductive content analysis was used for the analysis of the ECE teachers’ answers. In order to get a real image of sustainability in ECE practices, responses were coded using the SOLO Taxonomy and the OMEP ESD Rating Scale. The empirical study showed that ECE teachers often understand sustainability differently from that described in educational policy documents but also pointed to creative approaches to implementation.

show abstract

Section: Education For Sustainable Development In Bosnia and Herzegov...mentioning

confidence: 57%

Unmasking Sustainability in Early Childhood Education: Teachers' Voices from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia

Jevtić

Vodopivec

Beleslin

et al. 2022

IJEC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In a critical analysis of the concept of involvement, Kjørholt and Winger (2013) asked the question of how strong a focus on an individual child’s right should be at the expense of cohabitation and other cultural values. They placed emphasis on a holistic and relational perspective, in which the right to care and protection is included (Kjørholt and Winger, 2013) and similar points are foregrounded by Davis (2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Still, there may be limitations in just using the UNCRC as a basis when working with ESD in the early years. As noted by Davis (2014), the right-based values go beyond individual rights and urge for a reconceptualization of these matters. That entails going beyond UNCEC’s foundational rights: to embrace the right to become an active participant, to have collective and intergenerational rights as well as embrace bio-ecocentric rights (Davis, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective Resources as a Precursor for Educating Children Toward a Sustainable Global World

Larsson

Samuelsson

2019

ECNU Review of Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: Preserving and caring for nature in a sustainable way has long been part of Swedish preschool practice. However, recently has it been explicitly referenced in the Swedish preschool curriculum with the goal of incorporating sustainability holistically and coherently in all areas of children’s daily preschool experiences through play, care, and education. Research has revealed a potential roadblock to achieving this goal; the difficulty connecting the three inextricably linked dimensions of sustainability: ecological, social–cultural, and economic. The purpose is to generate knowledge about preschool teachers’ professional understanding of education for sustainable development (ESD) in early childhood education (ECE) by implementing and enhancing the operationalization of such work in four Swedish preschools. Design/Approach/Methods: The design of the study rests on the involvement of teachers in work where they created sustainability activities supported by the Environmental Rating Scale for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC). The data consist of teachers’ narratives and interviews, and a qualitative content analysis is used from which a number of themes emerged. Findings: The initial interviews foregrounded three themes: the value of collective resources, the wonders of nature, and a global world. At the end of the project, the teachers’ expressions of their practice revealed three qualitatively transformed themes: broadened awareness of sustainability, ecology embracing culture, and expanded perspectives, as factors of ESD. Originality/Value: Teachers did increase their awareness of working with children and expressed a strength in using each other as collective resources. By that, their professional understandings of ESD in preschool developed.

show abstract

“…More recently, remarkable initiatives have included the UN's DESD (UNESCO, 2005), the SDGs (UNESCO, 2017a), the green campus project (Davis & Ferreira, 2017), and various research projects (Ferreira et al, 2014). While EfS research and facilities have improved, these attempts have largely failed to enhance HE's primary role to enlighten students and transform them into active, sustainability-minded citizens with a more sustainable lifestyle (Davis & Davis, 2020). When international early childhood pre-service teacher education (ECPTE) is generally compared to the teacher education field, ECPTE falls behind the field in terms of the number of publications and best pedagogies, approaches, and content for next steps (Davis, 2015;Davis & Davis, 2020;Ferreira et al, 2009).…”

Section: Education For Sustainability In Early Childhood Pre-service ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of Education for Sustainability in Turkish Pre-Service Teachers’ Practicum

Alıcı

ALAN

2022

Brock Education Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, we explored early childhood education pre-service teachers’ (ECEPTs’) understanding and pedagogical application of education for sustainability (EfS) by critically analyzing EfS implementation during ECEPTs’ practicum. The study examined the challenges and critical aspects of EfS practices in the practicum, and the relationships among mentor teachers, academic mentors, and ECEPTs. A multiple case study methodology was employed involving two purposefully distinct universities with 14 participant students across the two university case study sites. Initially, 22 practicum activity plans for each ECEPT were examined via content analysis; then, the students were individually interviewed about the plans and their implications. Subsequent analysis indicated negligible differences between the two universities’ student activity plans regarding quality (aspects of EfS) and quantity (frequency of EfS activities). The students self-reflected about their EfS understandings and implementation. Additionally, they remarked that academic mentors’ and mentor teachers’ stances influenced them either positively or negatively during their workplace-based learning. They also pointed to the absence of a whole-institution approach, not only at the practicum school but also at the university level.

show abstract

Early Childhood Teacher Education and Education for Sustainability

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

Unmasking Sustainability in Early Childhood Education: Teachers' Voices from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia

Unmasking Sustainability in Early Childhood Education: Teachers' Voices from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia

Collective Resources as a Precursor for Educating Children Toward a Sustainable Global World

Implementation of Education for Sustainability in Turkish Pre-Service Teachers’ Practicum

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About