The aim of the research is to examine the environmental awareness and attitudes towards the environment of 5–6-year-old children attending nature-centred private kindergartens and public kindergartens. The study group of the descriptive research that used a screening model consists of 48 children from nature-centred Private Maki Kindergartens and 48 children from public kindergartens in the province of Balikesir in the 2020–2021 academic year. A Personal Information Form and Environmental Awareness and Attitude Scale for Preschool Children, developed by Soydan and Samur (International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education, 7(1), 78–97, 2017) for 60–72 months old children, were used in the study. The scale consists of two sub-dimensions as Attitude Towards Environment (15 items) and Environmental Awareness (11 Items) and 26 pictures. The Cronbach α coefficients of the Environmental Awareness (.74) and Attitude (.78) Scale for Preschool Children and the overall scale (.82) were calculated. The data were collected by the researcher through one-on-one meetings with each child. The mean, mode, median, skewness and kurtosis values of the variables in the study were calculated. To determine whether the environmental awareness and environmental attitudes of the study group differ according to the school they attend, independent samples t-test was conducted. According to the results of the research, a significant difference was found in environmental attitudes and environmental awareness of children in nature-centred kindergartens compared to children in public kindergartens. Children attending public schools are less exposed to the environment. Preparing the Pre-School Education Program in an environment-friendly manner to increase the environmental awareness of children attending public schools will be effective in terms of making a difference in their attitudes towards the environment.

Anthropogenic climate change and the necessary transformation of society to mitigate its consequences constitutes an unprecedented educational challenge. Responding to the climate emergency and to society’s awakening climate activism generates a complex situation for school leadership in particular. Here, we report findings from our research with climate activist students and teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. We argue that school leadership plays a crucial role in enabling student and teacher agency and the development of effective Climate Change Education in schools. We utilise assemblage thinking, situating this within the new materialisms, to conceptualise schools and their leadership as dynamic assemblages, and we discuss teacher and student experiences as actors across such assemblages. We conclude that deterritorialisation and decoding of educational institutions and their leadership practices can promote and enable education to become a driver of the cultural transformation of society that the climate emergency mandates.

With water shortage and increasing demand for water, education may have an important role in promoting the sustainable management of water resources. Educational curricula are the key resources used by teachers for studentsʼ teaching and training purposes. This study assessed water culture and water education-related criteria and standards in programmes and school curricula for Primary, Middle and upper Secondary school education in Morocco. It also investigated teachers for suggestions and views regarding methods for water-related topics and concepts implementation. The main tools used consisted of a content analysis grid for programmes and educational guidelines. A questionnaire and interviews were administered to 95 teachers of different subject areas, belonging to the three investigated school levels. Findings showed that the occurrence of water education criteria and standards is weak in school curricula of the investigated school levels. They were explicitly or implicitly addressed depending on the subject areas. The main topics consisted of water cycle definition, water as a vital source, water pollution sources, water economy interest. However, no reference has been made to water law, its accessibility, aesthetics and water-related professions.

Today’s youth will inherit the brunt of climate change. Science literacy plays a critical role in raising future adults who commit to climate change mitigation by reducing daily household energy use. The objective of this study was to examine the mediating role of climate change knowledge efficacy on the positive influence of science literacy on engagement in energy conservation at home among Filipino adolescents. Data from the Program for International Student Assessment 2018 which included 7233 15-year-old high school students from 187 schools across 17 regions in the Philippines was used to address the study’s objective. Results showed that climate change knowledge efficacy fully mediated the positive association between science literacy and household energy conservation among Filipino adolescents. The study discussed the importance of emphasizing environmentalism in science education, parenting, and community programs as a viable and long-term climate change mitigation response.

The school strikes for climate action that began with Greta Thunberg in 2018 and spread worldwide in 2019, left many young people to ponder ‘what is the point of education if we have no future?’ In this investigation of a student-centred project on sustainability conducted with Year 4 students in Brisbane, the point of education was framed by Biesta’s three domains of purpose; Qualification, Socialisation and Subjectification. Sustainability education requires attention to each domain, that is, increasing children’s knowledge of sustainability (Qualification), facilitating their critical awareness of social practices related to sustainability (Socialisation), and expanding their capacity to act in response to the challenges of living sustainably (Subjectification). The project was designed using an action research model where children co-created the topic (reducing plastic usage) and then decided on how it would be investigated and reported. Interviews during and after the project, and episodes recorded in a research journal revealed changes in each of the three domains, with changes in the Subjectification domain being the focus of this study. The overall positive and multifaceted learning outcomes that occurred highlight what is possible when addressing issues of sustainability and the point of education in ways that matter to children.

The assessment of environmental identity (EID) in terms of connectedness to nature, eco-friendly behaviour (EFB) and closeness to nature variables is the central focus of this study. The elaborated conceptual model recommends that closeness to nature, connectedness to nature and EFBs related to education, economy and recycling are potential predictors of EID. The sample consists of 518 college students studying in different teacher education programmes. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the constructive validity of the scales for each of the measurement models. The theoretical path analysis model was created by considering existing literature. In the present study, the EFBs of the participants had a significant and moderate effect on their EID. Findings confirmed that environmental education behaviours and recycling behaviours had a positive and low effect on EFBs. The results showed that connectedness to nature and closeness to nature had a positive and medium effect on EFB. Promotion of EID sense in pre-service teachers will increase their students’ EID. Finally, advanced degree curricula in environmental protection and nature can be designed and implemented based on target group information.

The paper explores the transformation of environmental activist John Sinclair, OA, from a conservative member of the Country Party, through a position of cautious conservationism, to preeminence as a leading environmentalist with some very significant achievements. This paper aims to show some correlations between his work and ideas and major strands of environmental education research. His allegiance to K’gari (Fraser Island) and the way in which he was able to learn from the traditional custodians, the Butchulla people, and other leading environmentalists is described in this paper through his own memoir writing and the viewpoints of informants interviewed by the author. John Sinclair’s profound connection with K’gari, how it was formed and sustained, and its historical and environmental consequences make a remarkable story of a modern citizen turned activist. The development of John Sinclair’s ideas and practice show interesting parallels with the development of both environmental activism and environmental education in Australia. The story has importance in a range of areas connected with environmental stewardship and environmental education.

Problem solving, and specifically the goal of developing problem-solving competences, is a significant dimension of environmental education. Moreover, human senses and electronic sensors have been recognized as important tools in authentic problem-based learning. The purpose of this paper is to present a model to support teachers in creating didactic activities that use human senses and electronic sensors as epistemic mediators in participatory environmental education problem-based learning. The EcoSolvingS model is based on a set theoretical and practical perspectives, and on a cross analysis of a selection of environmental education problem-solving case studies. In a first part, this paper presents the dimensions of the theoretical foundations of the EcoSolvingS model. Subsequently, the results of the cross analysis of the environmental education problem-solving case studies are presented and related to the components of the EcoSolvingS model. Finally, the model is described, and its utility and future developments are discussed.