We are all interconnected.”
Relationships and hierarchies among preschool teachers’ conceptions of early childhood education for sustainability
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12725211 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anna May L Navarrete (0009-0006-5603-1916, University of Gothenburg, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 294-307 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Early Childhood Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1476-718X • E-ISSN: 1741-2927 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1476718x251325664 |
| OpenAlex | W4408367181 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
As a response to the growing recognition of the importance of ensuring a sustainable future for humanity and the planet, there has been a push by various stakeholders for the integration of sustainability education in the early years. This small-scale, exploratory study uses a phenomenographic research approach to examine a variation of conceptions early childhood educators may adopt when practicing sustainability in their respective settings. Four preschool teachers from the Philippines and three preschool teachers from Sweden participated in this study, taking part in semi-structured interviews to explicate their present understandings and practices related to early childhood education for sustainability. From the responses, four preliminary categories of description were identified— connecting with the self; connecting with humans; connecting with more-than-humans; and interconnections —wherein there is a hierarchy in how these categories are related, beginning with the self and then radiating outwards. Participants do not necessarily practice from only one category, but rather embed the different categories of connections in their practice. This study offers an initial investigation of alternative ways of organizing preschool teachers’ practices in education for sustainability in a logical, hierarchical structure, as well as allowing considerations for ways in which categories could be expanded or made more inclusive through further research
Developmental psychology · Early childhood · Early childhood education · Environmental education · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Preschool education · Sociology · Sustainability · Early Childhood Education and Development · Educational Environments and Student Outcomes · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Psychology · Ecology
Presenting and Evaluating Qualitative Research
On the unit of description in phenomenography
Preschool children’s agency in education for sustainability
Critique of the article, ‘Theoretical foundations of phenomenography
Common misunderstandings of phenomenographic research in higher education
Education for sustainable development in early childhood education
Social class as a challenge in educating for diversity—The case of a Finnish preschool
Doing’ socio-political sustainability in early childhood
Unveiling in-service teachers’ conceptions of ‘environment’ and ‘environmental education’
The impact of professional development on early childhood educators’ confidence, understanding and knowledge of education for sustainability
Learning with vital materialities
Achieving Empathy and Engagement
Classed Beginnings
The Historical Methodological Foundation of Phenomenography
| Highly cited | No |
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