Inclusion of Preschool Children in Sustainability Research: A Systematic Review (2020–2025)

Abstract

This study aims to conduct a descriptive content analysis of sustainability research published in Türkiye between 2020 and 2025, specifically focusing on the inclusion of preschool children as active subjects. Following a systematic search protocol, predetermined keywords were used to scan Dergipark, the National Thesis Center, Google Scholar, and TR Dizin databases. A total of 27 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The data were categorized and examined in terms of subject focus, year of publication, research design, and sample characteristics. The findings indicate that most studies focused on sustainable environmental education and were predominantly designed using quantitative, intervention-based approaches. The highest number of publications was recorded in 2025. Examination of sample characteristics revealed that most studies were conducted with typically developing children aged 60–72 months, while no sample involving children with special needs was identified. This result suggests that the inclusivity dimension of sustainability research remains limited. Future research should prioritize inclusive designs that incorporate children with diverse developmental needs and position preschool children as active subjects (agents) who directly participate in the process, rather than mere recipients of sustainability instruction.

Keywords

• Sustainability
• Sustainable development
• Preschool education
• Early childhood
• Systematic search.

Sürdürülebilirlik Araştırmalarında Okul Öncesi Dönem Çocuklarının Kapsanması: 2020–2025 Dönemi Sistematik Tarama

Öz

Bu çalışma, 2020-2025 yılları arasında Türkiye'de yürütülen sürdürülebilirlik araştırmalarının, okul öncesi dönem çocuklarını sürece dahil etme durumlarını belirlemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilen bir betimsel içerik analizi çalışmasıdır. Belirlenen anahtar kelimeler kullanılarak Dergipark, Ulusal Tez Merkezi, Google Akademik ve TR Dizin veri tabanlarında sistematik bir tarama yapılmıştır. Dahil edilme kriterlerini karşılayan toplam 27 çalışma analize dahil edilmiştir. Veriler; konu odağı, yayın yılı, araştırma deseni ve örneklem özellikleri açısından kategorize edilerek incelenmiştir. Bulgular, çalışmaların çoğunluğunun sürdürülebilir çevre eğitimine odaklandığını ve ağırlıklı olarak nicel, müdahale temelli yaklaşımlarla tasarlandığını göstermektedir. En yüksek yayın sayısına 2025 yılında ulaşılmıştır. Örneklem özellikleri incelendiğinde, çalışmaların çoğunun 60-72 aylık normal gelişim gösteren çocuklarla yürütüldüğü, özel gereksinimli çocukları kapsayan herhangi bir örnekleme rastlanmadığı saptanmıştır. Bu sonuç, sürdürülebilirlik araştırmalarının kapsayıcılık boyutunun sınırlı kaldığını göstermektedir. Gelecekteki araştırmaların, farklı gelişimsel gereksinimlere sahip çocukları kapsayan tasarımlara öncelik vermesi ve okul öncesi çocuklarını sürdürülebilirlik süreçlerinde sadece eğitilen bir kitle olarak değil, sürece doğrudan katılan aktif özneler olarak konumlandırması önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sürdürülebilirlik
• Sürdürülebilir kalkınma
• Okul öncesi eğitim
• Erken çocukluk dönemi
• Sistematik araştırma.

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