Investigation of education for sustainability practices in a nature-based preschool

The aim of this study is to investigate the educational components for sustainable development within the framework of the 8R themes (reduce, reuse, reconnect with nature, respect, reflect, rethink, recycle, redistribute) in a preschool with nature-based education practices in Turkey. The study was conducted through a case study method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, in a preschool in Bursa that has nature-based education practices. The data of the research were collected through the school observation form for sustainability, semi-structured interviews conducted with teachers, and natural observations carried out by the researcher. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The findings were examined under the 8R themes (reduce, reuse, reconnecting with nature, recycle, redistribute, rethink, reflect, and respect). As a result of the research, it can be said that a nature-based preschool encompasses a significant portion of the educational components for sustainable development within the framework of the 8R themes. Particularly, the data obtained in the environmental and economic pillars indicate that the school has an educational approach towards sustainable development, while it is considered that more components related to cultural diversity and gender equality need to be included in the socio-cultural pillars.