An Examination of the Relationship between Pre-School Children's and Their Teachers' Attitudes and Awareness towards the Environment

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of awareness and attitudes towards environment of pre-school children's and their teachers' and to examine the relationship between them. This study was based on correlational research model. The study group consisted of 26 pre-school teachers working in kindergartens and primary schools in a province, and 208 children in the 5-6 age groups in which these teachers entered their classes. In this study, "Environmental Awareness and Attitude Scale for Pre-school Children" was used to determine the awareness and attitudes of pre-school children's towards the environment. The "Attitudes towards Environmental Problems Scale" was used to determine the attitudes of pre-school teachers' to the environmental problems and the "Awareness Scale for Environmental Problems" was used to determine teachers' awareness of environmental problems. As a result of the study, it was determined that pre-school children's attitudes towards environmental problems are high but their awareness about environmental problems is moderate. On the other hand, it was determined that pre-school teachers' attitudes towards environmental problems were moderate and their awareness of environmental problems was generally high. Finally, it was determined that a moderately significant relationship was found between pre-school children's and their teachers' attitudes towards environmental problems, while there was a weak relationship between children's and their teachers' awareness of environmental problems.