Examining the consumption awareness levels of prospective teachers related to environmental responsibility

The aim of this study is to examine the consumption awareness levels of pre service teachers in relation to environmental responsibility. The survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was employed in the study. The sample of the research consisted of 951 students who volunteered to participate, selected through a simple random sampling method from a population of 2,839 students studying at the Faculty of Education at İnönü University during the 2024–2025 academic year. The "Consumption Awareness Scale Based on Environmental Responsibility for Pre-Service Teachers" was used as the data collection tool. Appropriate statistical analysis software was employed in the analysis of the research data, and the significance level was set at p < .05. Since the data showed a normal distribution, parametric tests, namely the independent samples t-test and ANOVA, were used for the analyses. According to the undergraduate teaching programs in which the pre-service teachers were enrolled, it was observed that students in the English Language Teaching program had higher levels of consumption awareness related to environmental responsibility compared to those in other teaching programs. Regarding parental education levels, it was determined that the mother's education level had a statistically more significant impact than the father's education level on students' environmental responsibility–based consumption awareness levels. The results also revealed that pre service teachers who had taken an environmental course during their university education had higher levels of consumption awareness related to environmental responsibility compared to those who had not taken such a course.