Middle school students' perceptions toward the concept of sustainability

The aim of this study is to conduct a survey on the knowledge of middle school 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students about the concept of "sustainable city". In the study, a descriptive survey model was used to concretize how the selected topic shapes the concepts and relationships between concepts in students' minds. This study was conducted within the scope of Science course in a secondary school in Kastamonu province in the 2022-2023 academic year. In this school within the scope of the study, nine sections were determined, including three sections at the fifth grade level, two sections at the sixth grade level, two sections at the seventh grade level, and two sections at the eighth grade level. The study was conducted with 85 students from the fifth grade, 61 students from the sixth grade, 56 students from the seventh grade and 42 students from the eighth grade, totaling 244 students. In all selected classes, both the researcher and the teacher of the course were present in the classroom environment during the study. However, a meeting was held with the teachers before the study to ensure that they did not intervene in the process. During the study, students were only given time to think about the questions posed by the researcher within the framework of certain questions directed by the researcher. During the application, students were asked to draw what they visualized in their minds within the scope of the concept of "Sustainable City". In this process, the researcher asked questions to the students so that they could focus on and imagine the concept of "Sustainable City". Within the framework of these questions, they were asked to draw everything they thought and came to mind using the paper and crayons given to them. At the end of the one-hour period allotted for drawing activities, the researcher individually dealt with each student and asked him/her what he/she wanted to express in each drawing he/she drew on the drawing paper. An excel spreadsheet was created based on the students' expressions and information about the students' drawings was noted in this spreadsheet. At the end of the application, the pictures drawn by the students were evaluated within the scope of this study. The pictures were evaluated using descriptive analysis method. Each picture was evaluated separately. The concepts in the drawings were classified according to the content reflecting sustainability and divided into the following categories: Environment, Detailed Drawing of a House, Technological Tool, Creative Idea, Transportation, Drawing of a Single Material. Based on the pictures, separate criteria were determined and the pictures were coded. As a result of these codings, frequencies were indicated according to the frequency of use of the concepts by students at each grade level. Based on these frequencies, students' perceptions of the concept of sustainable city were determined.