Research Article

Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans

Volume: 12 Number: 2 August 28, 2026
TR EN

Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans

Abstract

Children are one of vulnerable at-risk group affected by climate change. Supporting climate change in early childhood education has become important in recent curriculum updates. The aim of this study is to examine the levels of knowledge, behaviour, beliefs, attitudes and awareness regarding climate change of preschool teachers and preservice preschool teachers; and to investigate how they integrate climate change into their lesson plans. In this study, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. Quantitative data were collected from 67 preschool teachers and 94 preservice preschool teachers using the Climate Change Awareness Scale developed by Hiğde (2014). In the qualitative phase, participants were asked to prepare a climate change lesson plan. 8 preservice preschool teachers and 14 preschool teachers agreed to prepare a lesson plan. Document analysis was conducted on the plans submitted by the 22 participants. The findings indicate that teachers scored significantly higher than preservice teachers in terms of uncertainty beliefs, epistemic beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. Preservice teachers scored higher only in the knowledge dimension, and the mean lesson plan scores were also higher. The findings suggest that the knowledge dimension may be a determining factor for preparing lesson plans.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Ethical permission for this study was obtained from the Social Sciences and Humanities Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee at Uşak University (Decision No. 2025-211, dated June 17, 2025). All preschool teachers and preservice teachers participating in the quantitative and qualitative phases were fully informed about the study, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

References

  1. Akbulut, M. (2019). Global climate change as a disaster and examination of primary school teachers’ awareness of climate change: The case of Gümüşhane. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Gümüşhane University.
  2. Ar, G. A., & Delen, İ. (2023). Examination of early childhood teachers’ creative thinking tendencies and critical thinking in design based activities. Uşak University Journal of Social Sciences, 16(1), 84-102.
  3. Ardoin, N. M., & Bowers, A. W. (2020). Early childhood environmental education: A systematic review of the research literature. Educational Research Review, 31, 100353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100353
  4. Arokanto, C. (2020). Climate education in early childhood. (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Helsinki.
  5. Avcı, A. (2021). Investigation of preschool teacher candidates’ teaching practices in terms of their lesson plans, pedagogical beliefs, and pedagogical content knowledge. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Istanbul Aydın University.
  6. Beaver, B. C., & Borgerding, L. A. (2023). Climate change education in early childhood classrooms: A nature-based approach. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 11(1), 3–19.
  7. Carr, V., Ernst, J. A., & Ridge, S. W. (2025). Connection, curiosity, and care: An ESTEM approach to climate change education in early childhood. YC Young Children, 80(4), 18–28.
  8. Chen, Y. C., Benus, M. J., & Hernandez, J. (2019). Managing uncertainty in scientific argumentation. Science Education, 103(5), 1235-1276.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators, Early Childhood Education, Development of Environmental Education and Programs, Child Development Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

August 28, 2026

Submission Date

January 31, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 29, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 12 Number: 2

APA
Zurba, D. K., & Delen, İ. (2026). Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans. Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 12(2), 140-152. https://doi.org/10.29065/usakead.1878790
AMA
1.Zurba DK, Delen İ. Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans. Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2026;12(2):140-152. doi:10.29065/usakead.1878790
Chicago
Zurba, Döndü Kübra, and İbrahim Delen. 2026. “Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans”. Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi 12 (2): 140-52. https://doi.org/10.29065/usakead.1878790.
EndNote
Zurba DK, Delen İ (August 1, 2026) Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans. Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi 12 2 140–152.
IEEE
[1]D. K. Zurba and İ. Delen, “Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans”, Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 140–152, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.29065/usakead.1878790.
ISNAD
Zurba, Döndü Kübra - Delen, İbrahim. “Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans”. Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi 12/2 (August 1, 2026): 140-152. https://doi.org/10.29065/usakead.1878790.
JAMA
1.Zurba DK, Delen İ. Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans. Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2026;12:140–152.
MLA
Zurba, Döndü Kübra, and İbrahim Delen. “Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans”. Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 2, Aug. 2026, pp. 140-52, doi:10.29065/usakead.1878790.
Vancouver
1.Döndü Kübra Zurba, İbrahim Delen. Comparing Preschool and Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Climate Change Awareness and Level of Climate Change Integration into Lesson Plans. Uşak Üniversitesi Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2026 Aug. 1;12(2):140-52. doi:10.29065/usakead.1878790

open-access-logo-png-transparent.png   by.png    wilson-1024x270.png

Articles published in the Usak University Journal of Educational Research are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).