Eco-certified Preschools and Children's Learning for Sustainability: Researching Holistic Outcomes of Preschool Education for Sustainability (HOPES)

External project members

Professor Niklas Gericke, Karlstad University.

About the project

Sustainability is included as an important perspective in the Swedish preschool curriculum. To support the implementation of sustainability in preschools, the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) and Håll Sverige Rent have each established an eco-certification system. Eco-certification provides preschools with explicit support for their sustainability activities and teaching. The research project, therefore, examined how eco-certified and non-eco-certified preschools in Sweden address sustainability issues. The study included interviews with 403 five-year-old children, and two questionnaire surveys involving 585 preschool teachers and 47 principals from 50 preschools. Participants were from 25 eco-certified and 25 non-eco-certified preschools in 25 different municipalities. In addition, 16 interviews with preschool teachers were conducted at eight preschools in each group, and observations of teaching were carried out at two preschools - one eco-certified and one non-eco-certified.

The results show that children can already describe complex sustainability issues at preschool age. Many children related the economic dimension of sustainability to their own needs, while at the same time expressing empathy and solidarity through a willingness to help those who are vulnerable. Their understanding was shaped through the interaction between their own experiences, the media, and conversations with adults.
Preschool teachers’ teaching focused primarily on environmental issues such as waste sorting, cultivation, and recycling. Social aspects were addressed to some extent, while economic issues were rarely mentioned and integrated. Comparisons between eco-certified and non-eco-certified preschools did not reveal significant differences in the content of teaching, but some differences were identified in quality and structure. In eco-certified preschools, more pluralistic and planned teaching strategies emerged, along with a stronger emphasis on children’s experiences and active participation. Principals in eco-certified preschools also integrated sustainability issues throughout the entire organization.

The societal benefits of the research are substantial. The study shows what works well and what needs improvement in preschools’ education for sustainability, and how eco-certification can better support them. Among other things, a need was identified to further develop preschool teachers’ teaching competence and to create more forums for children’s active participation in sustainability work. The study shows that children have both the ability and the interest to reflect on global future issues, but their actual influence in preschool is often limited, which risks reducing their engagement with sustainability issues.

Project objective

The aims were to explore sustainability consciousness among children, to identify preschool teachers’ pedagogical practices in education for sustainability, and to investigate the relations between these pedagogical practices, eco-certification and children’s sustainability consciousness