Environmental pre-school education: Methodological positions of pre-service pre-school teachers

Environmental education is a fundamental factor, enabling people to recognize nature and the environment. The preparation of pre-service pre-school teachers in the field of environmental education is an important area. However, quite often pre-service pre-school teachers are not sufficiently prepared in the field of environmental education, and especially how to integrate environmental education into the curriculum and everyday practice. From this point of view, it is rational to highlight their methodological position: how environmental literacy is understood, what topics are considered priority, what challenges and solutions are associated with the practice of environmental education. A complex qualitative and quantitative study was conducted, and the results of qualitative content analysis were obtained, quantifying category frequencies. The study was conducted in January-March 2025. Students from two Lithuanian universities participated in the survey (Vilnius, N = 45; Klaipeda, N = 19). Data were collected anonymously, using four open-ended questions, and the verbal data obtained were coded into semantic units, subcategories, and categories. The quantitative and qualitative parts of the research were analyzed and presented separately, ensuring methodological coherence and allowing for a more comprehensive interpretation of the findings. The results showed that the concept of environmental literacy is dominated by cognitive/value education, followed by environmental behaviors, environmental thinking development, and emotional-social interaction. The most relevant issues were considered to be environmental problems, especially climate change, pollution, consumption, and ecosystem degradation. Meanwhile, the integration of environmental education was considered as necessary, emphasizing practical and experiential activities. There remains a need to consistently strengthen the content of studies, systematically integrate education for sustainable development, and increase the share of practice and community cooperation, so that preschool institutions purposefully educate responsible, conscious, and sustainable children.