Education is an essential tool to prepare students to address the sustainability issues that impact them now and in the future. Education for Sustainability (EfS) has been introduced in some primary and secondary curriculums, but EfS has not been well integrated into early childhood education (ECE) (below 8 years of age). Research shows a lack of sustainability knowledge and confidence among educators to incorporate sustainability into ECE curriculum. This research investigated how a professional development (PD) course focused on Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS) impacted educator 1) knowledge and understanding of sustainability education, and 2) confidence to include sustainability into ECE curriculum.
Research indicates that early childhood is an important time for forming pro-environmental attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors. ECEfS acknowledges that children can be agents for sustainable change now and in the future. PD workshops are designed to prompt interaction, reflection, and communities where professionals can hone best practices. The PD workshops used in this research were informed by past research on typical errors of top-down, one-time workshops, and the need for network building and a communal language in ECEfS.
The PD workshops in this study took place in Tasmania, Australia, in three separate locations. The workshops were titled, “Living and learning about sustainability in the Early Years,” and were advertised with flyers and promotional materials. A total of 99 ECE professionals attended the events, with a mix of roles and experience. One of the workshops was 5 hours, and the other two were 2 hours. All PD sessions included a lecture and group discussion, while the 5-hour session included additional small-group workshops. All PD attendees completed a questionnaire that included questions about their knowledge and understanding of ECEfS and confidence in incorporating EfS into curriculum. The attendees were also asked to list 5 words that they thought of in the context of sustainability before and after the PD workshop. Data analysis was conducted on the questionnaires to illuminate patterns. A Wordle (a graphic representation of the frequency of words used) was created to illustrate changes in the sustainability-related word choices before and after the PD event.
The study found that after the workshop, participants indicated significant increases across all 3 self-reported scores in sustainability knowledge, understanding, and confidence, with the greatest increase sustainability understanding. Data from the questionnaires showed that ECE practitioners typically had mid-range scores for sustainability knowledge, understanding, and confidence before the PD workshop (around a 3 on a scale 1-6). Professionals with longer experience (6-10 and 10+ years of experience) reported higher levels of understanding and confidence before the PD compared to professionals with less than 6 years of experience. However, there was no significant difference in how much knowledge, understanding, and confidence increased after the PD depending on the length of professional experience.
The self-reported increases in knowledge and understanding were supported by the data from the responses where participants listed 5 words related to sustainability before and after the PD event. Words related to “natural” were the most common before and after the PD event, but they decreased in frequency in the responses after the workshop due to an expansion of other concepts. The study found an increase in concepts related to social participation, systems thinking, and critical thinking and reflection. The Wordle constructed from responses after the PD displayed a broader range of words, and a more holistic understanding of sustainability. In the first Wordle, the largest words were “recycle” and “environment” but in the second, the biggest words also included “community,” “children,” “social” and “responsibility.”
Analysis of open-ended questionnaire responses found that many professionals gained new knowledge from the workshop, while others had existing knowledge that was reaffirmed and further defined. For example, many practitioners said that the workshop provided language to speak about ECEfS, but they had already implemented many of the practices without knowing it. Results showed that when the PD workshop made connections made between ECEfS and existing ECE teaching theories and practices, attendees were excited and felt as though it would be easy to add sustainability into their curriculum. This finding aligns with previous research that suggest ECE is well positioned to incorporate sustainability education. No differential impacts were found between the 2 hour and 5 hours sessions.
This study has several limitations. The PD sessions in this research were led by the authors of this paper, which may have caused some bias in the findings. This study did not investigate whether the effects of the workshop were lasting. In addition, this study was relatively small and recruited participants from registrants in the ECEfS workshops. This may have resulted in a more motivated or involved group of Tasmanian ECE educators participating in this study and findings may be skewed.
The authors recommend more widely training educators to incorporate ECEfS. In ECEfS workshops, the researchers recommend making connections to teaching theories and practices with which attendees are already familiar. This helps to emphasize that ECE is well positioned to integrate sustainability education and to encourage adoption. These theories and practices include participation, critical thinking, partnerships, and envisioning a better future. The authors also underlined that PD workshops are one option in a larger system of addressing sustainability within ECE. Additional tools should include community building, connections between EE educators and ECE professionals, system-wide pre-service teacher education, and other new resources for ECEfS.
The Bottom Line
This research demonstrated that professional development (PD) workshops in Tasmania, Australia, focused on incorporating sustainability into Early Childhood Education (ECE) increased practitioner knowledge, understanding, and confidence. Data from questionnaires demonstrated that ECE professionals adopted a more holistic understanding of sustainability after the PD workshop. ECE is well positioned to address sustainability because it is an important time to develop pro-environmental values and behaviors in children, but there are limited resources for Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS) professionals. This research found that PD workshops can be valuable tools for empowering early childhood educators to add sustainability into their curriculum, but the authors also recommend that PD events should be one tool in a larger system to integrate sustainability into ECE.