Modeling the relationship between ecological literacy levels and environmental education self-competences of social studies teacher candidates

It is widely acknowledged that environmental education is concerned with fostering a harmonious relationship between humans and the natural world. This is achieved by fostering an understanding of the intrinsic value of nature and the need for individuals to become conscious, responsible and ecologically literate. This approach is essential for the protection of nature and the achievement of a sustainable future. For this reason, it is crucial to provide environmental education to pre-service social studies teachers, as it will enable them to comprehend the significance of nature and the necessity of coexisting in harmony with the environment. The importance of equipping social studies teachers and pre-service teachers with the necessary knowledge, skills and self-confidence to teach environmental concepts effectively is related to the development of ecological literacy and environmental education self-efficacy. Those pre-service social studies teachers who develop both ecological literacy and environmental education self-efficacy will be adequately prepared to incorporate environmental issues into their teaching. Such preparation is of significant importance in terms of developing environmental awareness among their future students and encouraging them to take action. In this regard, students will not only learn about environmental issues, but also feel empowered to take action and contribute to a more sustainable and conscious society. In conclusion, this dual focus on ecological literacy and self-efficacy helps to create a generation of educators who can effectively represent and contribute to a more environmentally conscious society. The concepts and sub-dimensions of environmental education self-efficacy and ecological literacy for pre-service social studies teachers require further investigation and analysis. This should be conducted using structural equation modelling, taking into account changing needs and conditions. The objective of this study is to ascertain the relationship between pre-service social studies teachers' ecological literacy levels in environmental education and their environmental education self-efficacy. This relationship will be revealed in accordance with the views of the aforementioned pre-service teachers. An exploratory sequential design was employed in the mixed approach research. The quantitative phase of the research was conducted using a correlational (correlational screening) design, which is one of the relational research types. The qualitative phase was conducted using a phenomenological design. The sample of the study consisted of 1,121 pre-service social studies teachers, selected by simple random sampling method from 14 universities with social studies teaching undergraduate programmes in Turkey in the 2021-2022 academic year. The universities were selected based on their location within Turkey (NUTS) Level 1. Due to the large sample size, typical case sampling, which is one of the purposeful sampling strategies, was employed to identify the university where the study group would be conducted. The study group consisted of 18 pre-service social studies teachers, selected through stratified purposive sampling and criterion sampling from Fırat University, which was identified through typical case sampling. The researchers employed the 'Ecological Literacy Scale' and 'Environmental Education Self-Efficacy Scale' developed within the scope of this study to collect quantitative data. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with pre-service social studies teachers. The analysis of the data incorporated variables pertaining to the participants' gender, age, grade level, and whether they had taken an environmental education course. The relationships between pre-service social studies teachers' ecological literacy levels and environmental education self-efficacy were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The opinions expressed were analysed using content analysis and descriptive analysis, with the results compared using axial coding. The findings obtained from the analyses conducted using the SPSS, LISREL, AMOS and MAXQDA programs were interpreted in light of the existing literature. The research shows that there is a positive and moderate relationship between the ecological literacy of pre-service social studies teachers and their environmental education self-efficacy. While there was a weak positive relationship between the affective dimension of ecological literacy and environmental education self-efficacy and field education knowledge, there was a moderate positive relationship between the cognitive and action dimensions of ecological literacy and environmental education self-efficacy and field education knowledge. Regardless of course participation, pre-service teachers' ecological literacy is higher in cognitive and affective dimensions than in action dimension. This emphasises the importance of including more action-oriented practices in environmental education programmes. The results showed that pre-service teachers who took the environmental education course had higher environmental education self-efficacy than those who did not take the course, especially in content knowledge and field education knowledge. However, some participants still did not feel ready. However, the study shows that ecological literacy and environmental education courses positively affect environmental education self-efficacy. In conclusion, it can be said that developing ecological literacy levels (especially the actional level) and providing compulsory and applied environmental education courses for the target can significantly increase pre-service teachers' confidence and competence in environmental education. In this way, it can be said that pre-service social studies teachers can support the protection of nature and a sustainable future by transferring environmental concepts to their teaching with confidence and raise environmentally friendly individuals who take responsibility in solving environmental problems.