Characteristics of Sustainable Kindergarten as Places Of Education for Sustainable Development of Kindergarten and Preschool Age Children

The aim of this preliminary study was to design a measuring instrument on the characteristics of sustainable kindergarten. The term sustainable kindergarten understands and by analogy the concept of sustainable development,... [ view full abstract ]

The aim of this preliminary study was to design a measuring instrument on the characteristics of sustainable kindergarten. The term sustainable kindergarten understands and by analogy the concept of sustainable development, dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social, economic) that are through the practice of kindergarten teachers and children in the institutions of kindergarten and pre-school education realised. In this paper, we deal with the characteristics of the three dimensions of sustainability that make sustainable kindergartens. The purpose of this study is measuring instrument or questionnaire designed, and as a basis is relevant literature used, which is based on education for sustainable development and the concept of sustainable development. Through a questionnaire, we conducted preliminary research on a sample of teachers of kindergartens. This paper presents the results and displayed the measurement characteristics of the tested instrument. The research resulted in the scale with a high score measures reliability, while the factor analysis identified factors that explain a significant part of the variance. However, it is clear from the results that there is a significant interconnection between items. Ultimately, this study suggests further development of the measuring instruments which could be explicitly measured and conduct research, and on this basis to develop approaches, content and methods, as well as education, training and competence of educators focused on the holistic approach in the development of all dimensions of sustainability which encourage and better working practices in education for sustainable development in kindergartens.

Keywords: teachers, sustainable kindergartens, dimensions of sustainability, education for sustainable development.