ERIC Number: EJ1107636
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1691-4147
EISSN: N/A
Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood Education in Finland
Reunamo, Jyrki; Suomela, Liisa
Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, v15 n2 p91-102 2013
In the Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) curriculum, there is no specific content for education for sustainable development (ESD). Thus, it is not possible to get direct guidelines on how to conduct ESD in ECEC from the curriculum. We seek to look at the preferences of Finnish early childhood educators through the model of extended environmental education. Behind this model is Palmer's tree model and an emphasis on empirical, social and ethical components of ECEC. The research method employed a survey. Altogether 924 teams in Southern Finland evaluated their learning environments. By using a factor and reliability analysis, we extracted three factors relevant to the extended Palmer's model. The teachers primarily emphasised the understanding (learning) aspects of ECEC. The second most important aspect comprised the social aspects of education. The third most important aspect included the ethical and participant aspects of ECEC. Potential implications and indications to the practice of ESD are discussed.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Early Childhood Education, Sustainable Development, Preschool Teachers, Environmental Education, Models, Factor Analysis, Ethics, Social Influences, Knowledge Level, Surveys, Likert Scales, Statistical Analysis, Educational Environment, Interpersonal Relationship, Student Participation, Skill Development
UNESCO Chair on Interplay of Tradition and Innovation in ESD. Parades 1-220, Daugavpils University, Daugavplis LV-5401, Latvia. Tel: 371-6542-5452; Fax: 371-6542-2890; e-mail: unescochair@du.lv; Web site: http://www.du.lv
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: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A