Examination of social study teacher's cognitive structure on "Zero waste" with the word association test

Nature, which contains the vital needs of life, is ordered and balanced within itself. Reasons such as the development of technology and industry have led to an increase in population and the use of fossil fuels, upsetting the balance of nature. It is necessary to take some precautions to make sure that the world, which is a large ecosystem of which humans are a part, suffers less damage from this degradation. Zero waste and recycling are part of the fight against waste. Zero waste is a set of goals that includes reducing the amount of waste at the point of use and then recycling the waste through a collection system. The aim of the Zero Waste Project is to reduce the amount of waste that is carried into the environment using recycling methods. Recycling, the reuse of waste materials such as plastic, glass and paper, which take many years to disappear into the natural environment, provides savings to reduce waste and provide resources in production. Waste management systems are very important in ensuring savings in individual attitudes and behaviors. Otherwise, the environmental problems experienced by this generation, and noticed by the last, will reach proportions that will threaten the lives of the next generation. Or in other words, it should be known that the environment and the minimum level of problems caused by it shape the future. Looking at environmental problems from this perspective, it is striking that the solution is totalitarian and multi-faceted. The solution is economic, social, political and educational dimensions. The solution should therefore be based on a holistic approach. It should not be forgotten that the fundamentals of this holistic approach will be formed by the behavior of individuals. Because the change in understanding that should occur in the individual and the subsequent change in consciousness, attitude and behavior is the spark that activates this holistic approach. The need to create this awareness in people at the very beginning of their lives makes the role and importance of teachers in the formation of a sustainable understanding of recycling and the correct understanding and awareness of students, who will be the adults of the future, even more prominent. Therefore, the right to the environment, which is also a constitutional right, like all constitutional rights, has an obligation. It is the goal of the teachers to give this task to the individuals and to guide their personalities to realize this task. At this point, teachers need to guide their students. Therefore, the teacher's role in raising environmental awareness in education is very important. Therefore, the extent to which teacher candidates studying in the social studies department learn about old and new information about zero waste and how they construct this information, as well as their level of competence in guiding students in terms of whether they have misconceptions or not, is a measure of their level of qualification. From this point of view, the aim of this study was to measure how teacher candidates in the social studies teaching department position the concepts related to zero waste in their minds by using a word association test to determine their misconceptions. The study, which was conducted using the survey model, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was carried out on 185 teacher candidates who are studying in the social studies teaching department, which is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades of Balikesir University Necatibey Faculty of Education.