Investigation of Postgraduate Theses on Environmental Education in Preschool Field

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the general tendency of postgraduate theses on environmental education published in the field of preschool education in Türkiye in 2022 and 2023. The data in the study were postgraduate theses on environmental education in the field of preschool education published in full text in the Higher Education Council (YÖK) Theses Center database. The data collected using the transcript analysis method was reported using the PRISMA. The sample of the study was 20 graduate theses accessed from the YÖK Thesis Center database according to the convenience sampling method. A thesis review form was used within the scope of the literature to determine the general tendency of the theses. Descriptive content analysis was used to analyze the data. The reliability of the analysis was ensured according to the consensus of the researchers. According to the findings, it was determined that theses on environmental education were produced equally in both 2022 and 2023, and the majority of these theses were master's theses. In the other findings, the most common topic in the theses was environmental education. According to the findings of the research design, qualitative and mixed (qualitative + quantitative) research design was mostly preferred in theses. The findings of the research group consisted mostly of teachers and preschool students. According to the findings of the sample selection method, the purposive sampling method was mostly used, and according to the data collection tool, the scale was mostly used. The findings of the study were discussed in the light of the literature.

Keywords

• Environmental Education
• Content Analysis
• Preschool Education

References

1. Altn, M. (2022). Effect of pre-school teaching student's self-efficency of environmental education and environmental ethics awareness perception on their ecological citizenship levels [Unpublished master's thesis, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University].
2. 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
3. Athman, J., & Monroe, M. (2004). The Effects of Environment-Based Education on Students’ Achievement Motivation. Journal of Interpretation Research. 9. 9-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/109258720400900102
4. Bademci, V. (2019). Validity: What is it? What is it not? the Journal of Research in Education and Society (JRES), 6(2), 373-385. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/904540
5. Barlas, F. T., & Ogelman, H. G. (2023). Investigation of environmental education theses in the field of preschool education between 2005-2020. International Journal of New Trends in Arts, Sports & Science Education (Ijtase), 12(1), 23-37. https://www.ijtase.net/index.php/ijtase/issue/archive
6. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32(7), 513–531. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.32.7.513
7. Buldur, A., & Keskin, M. E. (2022). Content Analysis of studies on environmental education in pre-school education. The Usak University Journal of Educational Research, 8(3), 73-86. https://doi.org/10.29065/usakead.1192268
8. Cengizoğlu, S. (2013). Investigating potential of education for sustainable development program on preschool children's perceptions about human-environment interrelationship. [Master's thesis, METU].

9. Chawla, L. (2002). “Insight, creativity and thoughts on the environment”: Integrating children and youth into human settlement development. Environment and Urbanization, 14(2), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/095624780201400202
10. Chawla, L. (2020). Childhood nature connection and constructive hope: A review of research on connecting with nature and coping with environmental loss. People and Nature, 2(3), 619-642. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10128
11. Clark, A. (2010). Transforming children's spaces: Children's and adults' participation in designing learning environments. Routledge. ISBN 0-203-85758-5.
12. Çakır, B., & Kanak, M. (2023). Providing environmental literacy skills to preschool children: An experimental study. Journal of Milli Egitim, 52(1), 851-874. https://doi.org/10.37669/milliegitim.1282579
13. Çalık, M., & Sözbilir, M. (2014). Parameters of content analysis. Journal of Education and Science, 39(174), 33-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.15390/EB.2014.3412
14. Çifçi, M., & Ersoy, M. (2019). Trends of research in the field of preschool education: A content analysis. Cumhuriyet International Journal of Education, 8(3), 862-886. http://cije.cumhuriyet.edu.tr/tr/download/article-file/813463
15. Davis, J. M. (2009). Revealing the research ‘hole’of early childhood education for sustainability: A preliminary survey of the literature. Environmental Education Research, 15(2), 227–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620802710607
16. Demir, E., & Yalçın, H. (2014). Environmental education in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Scientific Reviews 2, 7-18. https://derleme.gen.tr/index.php/derleme/article/view/239/236
17. Demirci, G. E. (2023). Exploring parental environmentally significant behaviors performed individually and with children. [Master's thesis, METU].
18. Erol, A., & Ogelman, H. G. (2021). Investigation of the effect of environmental education program with family involvement based on project approach on 5-6-year-old children’s attitudes towards the environment. Journal of Milli Egitim, 50(232), 133-160. https://doi.org/10.37669/milliegitim.737551
19. Erten, S. (2004). What is environmental education and environmental awareness? How should environmental education be? Journal of Environment and Human, 65(66), 83-94.
20. Erten, S. (2005). Investigation of preservice preschool teachers’ behaviors related to environmental awareness. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 28(28), 91-100. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/hunefd/issue/7808/102424
21. Gülay Ogelman, H., & Güngör, H. (2015). Investigating the studies on environmental education ın preschool period in Turkey: Investigating the Articles and dissertations between 2000-2014. Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 12(32), 180-194. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/mkusbed/issue/19578/208931
22. Gülay, H., & Ekici, G. (2010). The analysis of the ministry of national education pre-school education programme in the sense of environmental education. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 7(1), 74-84. https://hdl.handle.net/11499/41750
23. Hadela, J., & Anđić, D. (2021). Necessary competences of early childhood educators for implementing education for sustainable development: A review of the research literature. Proceedings EDULEARN21 Conference, https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2021.2107
24. Harwood, D., & Collier, D. (2017). Images of play experiences through a child’s lens: An exploration of play and digital media with young children. International Journal of Early Childhood, 49(2), 229–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-017-0181-9
25. İkiz, Ş. (2022). Evaluation of preschool teachers' and prospective teachers' views on place-based education approach (Çanakkale Province Case) [Unpublished master's thesis, Marmara University].
26. Kahyaoğlu, M. (2016). A study on environmental education research in Turkey: A content analysis study. Marmara Geographical Review, (34), 50-60. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/marucog/issue/24661/260862
27. Karahan Aydın, B. (2019). Perceptions of pre-school teachers on sustainable environmental education [Master's thesis, Kocaeli University].
28. Karakoyun, N., & Uzun, N. (2022). Analysis of postgraduate theses on environmental education published between 2011-2022. Ihlara Journal of Educational Research, (1), 51–65. https://dx.doi.org/10.47479/ihead.1111586
29. Kildan, O., & Pektaş, M. (2009). Preschool teachers’ views regarding the teaching of the subjects related to science and nature during early childhood. Ahi Evran University Journal of Education Faculty, 10(1), 113-127. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/kefad/issue/59520/855974
30. Köseoğlu, P., & Erten, S. (2022). How environmental education must be according to the Paris Agreement? The Buca Faculty of Education Journal, (54), 1528-1544. https://doi.org/10.53444/deubefd.1207951
31. Lawrence, D., Coe, M., Walker, W., Verchot, L., & Vandecar, K. (2022). The unseen effects of deforestation: Biophysical effects on climate. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 5, 49. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.756115
32. Masalimova, A. R., Krokhina, J. A., Sokolova, N. L., Melnik, M. V., Kutepova, O. S., & Duran, M. (2023). Trends in environmental education: A systematic review. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 19(2), em2228. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12952
33. Metin, T. (2023). The investigation of the effect of Eco-Schools program on responsible behavior, environmental awareness and basic skill levels of preschool students [Master's thesis, Afyon Kocatepe University].
34. Miles, M. B. ve Huberman, A. M. (2021). Qualitative data analysis. (4. Baskı). In S. Akbaba Altun ve A. Ersoy (Trans. Ed.). Ankara: Pagem Akademi.
35. Naeem, S. (2002). Ecosystem consequences of biodiversity loss: The evolution of a paradigm. Ecology, 83(6), 1537-1552. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[1537:ECOBLT]2.0.CO;2
36. Özer, M. (2023). The analysis of the applications that aim to develop ecological literacy skills in pre-school education: A case study [Doctoral dissertation, Anadolu University].
37. Özgül, T. (2022). Representations of environmental literacy: A content analysis of picture storybooks for 48–72-month-old children [Master’s thesis, Middle East Technical University].
38. Özkan, B. (2017). Investigating views of preschool teachers about environmental education. Academic Sight International Refereed Online Journal, 1(62), 80-87. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/abuhsbd/issue/32976/366574
39. Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E. McDonald, S., McGuinness, L., A., Stewart, L., A., Thomas, J., Tricco, A. C., Wlech, V., Whiting, P., & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. The BMJ, 372:n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
40. Rickinson, M., Dillon, J., Teamey, K., Morris, M., Choi, M. Y., Sanders, D., & Benefield, P. (2004). A review of research on outdoor learning. National Foundation for Educational Research & King’s College London
41. Rosa, C. D., Profice, C. C., & Collado, S. (2018). Nature experiences and adults’ self-reported pro-environmental behaviors: The role of connectedness to nature and childhood nature experiences. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 365712. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01055
42. Sarı, Ş. N. (2011). The content analysis og graduate theses written between 2000 and 2010 in the field of chemistry education [Master’s thesis, Gazi University].
43. Sarıbıyık, S. K. (2022). Investigation of the effects of pre-school environmental education on student behaviors [Master thesis, Kastamonu University].
44. Schleicher, K. (1995). Trends and current state of environmental education in Germany. In W. Bos & R. Lerman (Eds.), Reflections on educational achievement (pp. 230–255). Waxman.
45. Taşkın, Ö., & Şahin, B. (2008). The Term “Environment” and six years old kindergarten children. Pamukkale University Journal of Education (PUJE), 1(1), 1-12. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/pauefd/issue/11142/133290
46. Tian, Y., Jin, Y., Zhao, Y., Du, Y., Shen, S., & An, J. (2024). Analysis of Knowledge Graph: Hotspots and Future Trends in Environmental Education Research. Sustainability, 16(6), 2378. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062378
47. Tilbury, D. (1995). Environmental education for sustainability: Defining the new focus of environmental education in the 1990s. Environmental Education Research, 1(2), 195–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462950010206
48. Türkoğlu, B. (2019). Opinions of pre-school teachers and pre-service teachers on values education in the pre-school period: The case of Konya province. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 9(2), 381-412. http://dx.doi.org/10.14527/pegegog.2019.012
49. Uğur, G. (2023). A research on the pre-school teachers' environmental education competencies [Master’s thesis, Siirt University].
50. UNESCO. (1977). Tbilisi Declaration: Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000032763?posInSet=3&queryId=30a3b3907746-4c54-8b52-d10446db5feb
51. UNESCO. (1977). The Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000032763
52. UNESCO. (2017). Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning objectives. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247444
53. United Nations. (1972). United Nations Conference on the Human Environment: Stockholm Conference 1972. https://www.un.org/en/conferences/environment/stockholm1972
54. United Nations. (1972). United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, 5–16 June 1972, Stockholm. https://www.un.org/en/conferences/environment/stockholm1972
55. Uslucan, S. (2016). The effects of the environmental education program on pre-school children's (60-7 mounth) environmental attitudes (Sample for Çanakkale) [Master’s thesis, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University].
56. Ültay, E., Akyurt, H., & Ültay, N. (2021). Descriptive content analysis in social sciences. Journal of Social Sciences, (10), 188-201. https://doi.org/10.21733/ibad.871703