Preschool children’s perceptions on human–environment relationship: follow-up research

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the current study, we focus on how the early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) program develops the perceptions of preschool children about the human–environment relationship. The sample of the study consisted of preschoolers aged 60–66 months in Ankara, Turkey. The data were collected through the drawings of children on the topic of ‘human–environment’ and interviews on drawings obtained before and after the program. The findings revealed that children perceive their environment as a peaceful and gentle place. Furthermore, children conceptualized the environment through unusual and fantastic elements and they described the environment through secondary sources. There was a shift in descriptions in the post- and follow-up drawings including proposing recycling as a way of reconstructing the human–environment relationship, with making connections between global issues. In parallel to post findings, follow-up drawings gained after 10-month of the implementation highlights children’s own solutions for a sustainable future.