Ecological Citizenship and Environmental Participation among Pre-Service Teachers: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study

The growing environmental challenges have increased the importance of environmental responsibility and active participation in addressing environmental issues. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the levels of ecological citizenship among pre-service teachers, who play a significant role in shaping future generations’ environmental awareness and behaviors. The purpose of this study is to determine the levels of ecological citizenship among pre-service teachers and to examine the factors influencing these levels. The study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach following an explanatory sequential design. The quantitative component drew on data from 978 pre-service teachers enrolled in science, primary school, and social studies teacher education programs in the 2022–2023 academic year, while the qualitative component was based on interviews with 13 pre-service teachers. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the quantitative data, whereas the qualitative data were examined through content analysis. The results of the study revealed that the pre-service teachers’ levels of ecological citizenship were moderate. Upon examining the sub-dimensions, it was observed that the participation dimension was at a lower level compared to the other dimensions. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in the overall ecological citizenship levels of the pre-service teachers according to gender, department, or university. However, statistically significant differences with small effect sizes were identified in some sub-dimensions according to gender and department, while no significant differences were observed in the sub-dimensions according to the university variable. Qualitative findings provided further explanations for the relatively low participation dimension, revealing that although pre-service teachers possessed environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility, they struggled to translate this awareness into action. In particular, an inability to break habits and a consumption-oriented lifestyle emerged as key factors limiting ecological citizenship behaviors. Furthermore, a lack of environmental awareness and insufficient interest in environmental issues were among the primary factors negatively affecting the pre-service teachers’ levels of environmental participation.