The Relationship Between Sustainable Consciousness and Environmental Awareness Sensitivity Level in the Context of Sustainable Development

Abstract

In light of the changes and developments that have gained momentum in the 21st century, it is emphasized that the development process should be made sustainable and functional in today's rapidly globalizing societies. As a part of social life, it is important for individuals to adapt to sustainability. Within the scope of sustainable development goals, the issue of a sustainable environment for sustainable societies also comes to the fore. In this context, qualified education is emphasized for individuals and societies with sustainable awareness and awareness of environmental sensitivity. As a matter of fact, it is noteworthy that it is necessary to determine the levels of sustainable awareness and environmental awareness for sustainable development of teacher candidates who will be the educational veterans of the future. This study aims to examine the relationship between teacher candidates' sustainable awareness and environmental awareness levels for sustainable development. The research process was carried out with the relational screening model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, in accordance with the purpose and content of the study. In this study, the ‘Sustainable Consciousness Scale' prepared by Michalos et al. (2012), adapted by Yüksel & Yıldız (2019), and the ’Environmental Sensitivity Scale’ prepared by Yeşil & Turan (2020) were used. The data obtained were analyzed with the statistical analysis program. According to the descriptive statistics, it was seen that none of the data showed normal distribution, and group comparisons were made with the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis tests. As a result, it is understood that sustainable awareness and environmental awareness awareness levels for sustainable development are interrelated and reflected in the opinions of teacher candidates. It is thought that sustainable awareness and environmental awareness can be implemented by designing purposeful activities in schools to encourage the transformation of sustainable awareness and environmental awareness levels into behavior in individual and social life and that sustainable awareness and environmental awareness can be discussed in different education forums to support sustainable society.