ERIC Number: EJ1469102
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
EISSN: EISSN-1469-5871
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Seeding Sustainable Futures: Enhancing Children's Knowledge of Content and Skills through Early STEM Education
Tugba Abanoz1,2; Defne Yabas3
Environmental Education Research, v31 n5 p981-1000 2025
Young learners have an innate scientific curiosity and capacity for discovery that can be effectively nurtured through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education that closely aligns with children's everyday experiences. Early childhood educators recognize the critical role of STEM education in cultivating adaptive and transformative skills essential for the twenty first century. This study investigated the effect of a STEM program on increasing children's awareness of sustainability issues. Using pre- and post-interviews, the purpose of the study was to examine the change in children's understanding of the content and skills associated with waste, reduce, reuse, and recycle concepts within the Zero Waste Hierarchy. The results showed a notable improvement in children's understanding of recycling. However, there was a gap in children's understanding of the concepts of 'reduce' and 'reuse'. The research highlighted the importance of integrating sustainability education into STEM programs to improve the understanding of content and skills related to sustainability to contribute to building a sustainable future.
Descriptors: Young Children, STEM Education, Program Effectiveness, Sustainability, Knowledge Level, Conservation (Environment), Recycling, Ecology, Foreign Countries, Preschool Education
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey (Istanbul)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Faculty of Educational Sciences, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey; 2School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; 3School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey