Multiple case study for environmental sustainability practices of pre-school teachers with a different attitude towards to the environment

The aim is this study is to explore the environmental sustainability activities and application processes of pre-school teachers who show high echocentric, anthropocentric and antipathic attitudes towards the environment. This study explores the way that teacher applied environmental practices of environmental sustainability activities in classroom practices and how these practices differed related to the teachers' attitudes towards environmental sustainability. The study conducted as a qualitative case study. Participants were selected by purposeful sampling method. In line with the purposeful sampling, three teachers working in eco schools in Çukurova district of Adana province and having the highest score for the related factor from the Ecocentric, Anthropocentric and Antipathic Attitude Scale for the Environment which is adapted into Turkish by Erten (2007) were selected. The data was collected through observation, interview and documentation. Observations carried out to reveal the environmental sustainability status of teachers who show high echocentric, anthropocentric and antipathic attitudes towards the environment are supported with documents. Interviews were also held with school administrators and children in the classroom. Also, the documentation data were obtained from teachers' implementation outputs, children's portfolios, classroom materials, teachers' monthly plans, daily education flow documents, instructions used at school, documents prepared for the school period, and application boards within the scope of eco-school. The data were systematically coded with the content analysis method. Then, the categories and themes were reached from the obtained codes. As a result of data analysis, the present study revealed that the teacher with a high echocentric attitude showed the democratic approach in class environmental sustainability activities, adopting empathy approach with the environment, played a role as a producer in projects and carried out activities that improve environmental awareness. The teacher who has a high anthropocentric attitude adopted the role of wise /leader, became a role model for children, played a role as a practitioner in projects, and placed its activities for the use of the environment at the center of its practices. The teacher who had a high anthropocentric attitude adopted the wise/leader role in environmental sustainability practices, became a role model for children, played a role as a practitioner in projects, and placed activities for the use of the environment at the center of her practices. When the teacher with high antipathetic attitude were examined, it was revealed that the teacher displayed a distant stance while applying environmental sustainability activities, the activities were teacher-centered, the activities were task-oriented in the projects, and the environmental sustainability activities she applied were limited. To sum up, the environmental sustainability activities applied by preschool teachers in the classroom differ in terms of attitudes and actions of the teachers. Moreover, teachers' attitutes are found to be consistent with their actions in the classrooms. Keywords: Sustainable development, education for sustainable development, early childhood education, environmental education, environmental attitudes