The analysis of the applications that aim to develop ecological literacy skills in pre-school education: A case study

The present study was conducted to investigate the ecological literacy skills of 56-74 months old children attending a pre-school education institution that adopted an ecological education approach in Eskişehir, Turkey with a nested single case design. The kindergarten administrator, preschool teachers, parents and children participated in the study. The study data were collected with a semi-structured interview conducted with the kindergarten administrator and focus group interviews with preschool teachers and parents, and with several children products. Also, a researcher's diary was kept during the study, the activities in the educational environment were observed, and the activity plans were analyzed. The study data were analyzed with content and descriptive analysis techniques. As a result of this study, the school administrator stated that he supported children's ecological literacy by leading various environmental/nature-themed projects and by creating various learning areas such as animal feeding, plant growing, rainwater storage in the open area. Preschool teachers, on the other hand, stated that they improved the ecological literacy of children by implementing various environmental/nature-themed education programs such as Minik TEMA and Eco School. Parents provided various experiences such as hiking, game play, and camping in the nature. However, it was observed that the knowledge and awareness of the teachers and parents on ecological literacy were not at satisfactory level, and various factors such as the consumption culture and living apart from nature negatively affected these skills. On the other hand, it was determined that the proximity of the children to nature supported ecological literacy. The kindergartens with green areas and gardens improved ecological literacy, but it should be noted that children need to spend more time in green areas and play independent games.