Education for Sustainability in Curriculum-Based Activities: A Study on the Attitudes and Activity Plans of In-Service and Preservice Teachers towards Environmental Sustainability Education

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the attitudes of teachers and pre-service teachers towards sustainable environmental education, as well as the activity plans they design in alignment with these attitudes. The findings reveal that although participants generally demonstrate positive attitudes towards sustainable environmental education, these attitudes are not consistently reflected in the content and structure of their activity plans. Moreover, female participants and those who actively follow environmental news exhibited significantly higher attitude scores. The lack of dedicated coursework on sustainable environmental education within teacher training programs in Turkey highlights a gap in educators' content knowledge and pedagogical preparedness in this area. In light of these findings, it is recommended to increase the presence of sustainability-oriented educational activities in schools and to provide teachers with targeted in-service training opportunities. Additionally, expanding the availability of sustainability-focused courses within teacher education faculties and fostering partnerships between non-governmental organizations and universities for organizing awareness-raising initiatives are considered essential. These actions are expected to play a critical role in cultivating environmentally responsible future generations.