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- 19-12-2024 (3)
- 19-12-2024 (2)
- 18-12-2024 (1)
Keywords
practices
character education
early childhood
sustainable development
Abstract
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is integral to quality education and a lifelong learning process. This study explores how character education can contribute to sustainable development within pedagogical practices, focusing on preschool settings to cultivate moral citizens. It addresses a gap in existing literature, as few studies have examined this topic in preschool environments. Specifically, this research investigates the beliefs and practices of preschool teachers regarding Early Childhood Character Education (ECCE) and the relationship between their beliefs and practices. A total of 118 preschool teachers from the Petaling Jaya area participated in this study, which employed a quantitative research design utilizing questionnaires for data collection, enabling descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Findings indicate that the majority of preschool teachers hold positive beliefs about the effects of character education and actively implement it in their classrooms. A significant positive correlation was found between their beliefs and practices. Moving forward, the implementation of Character Education for Sustainable Development should involve collaboration among various stakeholders. This research provides valuable insights for preschool teachers and policymakers, highlighting the importance of contextualizing character education within the local context. Further research is recommended in the Malaysian setting, ideally using qualitative methods to obtain more in-depth and nuanced data.
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