An In-Depth Analysis of Environmental, Sustainability and Recycling Education in Primary Schools

An In-Depth Analysis of Environmental, Sustainability and Recycling Education in Primary Schools | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Systematic Review An In-Depth Analysis of Environmental, Sustainability and Recycling Education in Primary Schools Sinan ARI This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9003662/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study critically examines the need for education to address global ecological and social issues by providing a thorough bibliometric map and a content analysis of academic research on environmental, sustainability, and recycling education at the primary school level. Early environmental education is essential for the development of the ecological literacy and responsible citizenship needed for a resilient and sustainable future. To do this, 147 studies published in the Web of Science database during the preceding fifteen years were located. Studies pertaining to primary education were carefully examined before being submitted for bibliometric and content analysis. It has been demonstrated that the research focuses more on increasing students' environmental attitudes, ecological consciousness, and recycling/waste reduction-related behaviors. The Journal of Environmental Education and Research is the most frequently cited and important source, indicating its critical importance in academic discourse and knowledge transmission. The results show that this discipline focuses on comprehensive sustainability frameworks rather than discrete ecological challenges and is largely characterized by key phrases like "environmental education" and "sustainable development." The paper provides an evidence-based structural overview of collaborative networks and methodological techniques, focused mostly on transdisciplinary and practical projects. These findings are crucial for detecting significant research gaps and emerging theme orientations in order to maximize global curriculum design. This mapping provides useful information for researchers, educators, and legislators who want to support sustainable education programs and accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the elementary school level. education environment environmental education life science primary school sustainability sustainable development goals (SDGs) Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 1. Introduction Environmental issues that arise anywhere in the world have an impact on the entire planet on a global scale rather than just the local area. Because of the dynamic connections between water resources, the atmosphere, ocean currents, and living things, any harm done to one component of the ecosystem, which is an interrelated whole, can transcend regional boundaries and reach a global level. Natural resources are being destroyed and depleted as a result of rising consumption patterns and an expanding global population. One of the most effective tools in solving these problems, which concern all of humanity, is environmental, recycling, and sustainable environmental education. In this context, environmental education can enable individuals to gain awareness of nature, recognize environmental problems, and act as solution-oriented, responsible individuals. Environmental awareness provided from an early age can help children learn to live in harmony with nature and internalize the responsibility of leaving a more livable world for future generations. Environmental problems are evident worldwide. In 2015, approximately 150 natural disasters occurred worldwide, affecting millions of people (Ahmadi et al., 2018 ). At least 326 people lost their lives in the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico in 2017 (Weber, 2017). In August 2018, devastating floods in the Indian state of Kerala caused the deaths of 483 people. In July 2021, while floods occurred in Germany and Belgium, extreme heat waves hit Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States (Gopinath & Kumar, 2025 ). According to a study on extreme drought using data from the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT), more than 1.6 billion people are affected by drought, with South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa being the most severely affected regions (Mani, Khorram-Manesh, & Goniewicz, 2024 ). In December 2021, a forest fire in the US state of Colorado burned more than 2,500 hectares (approximately 6,200 acres) of land in under 24 hours and destroyed over a thousand homes. The 2022 heatwave in Portugal caused the deaths of 2,400 people, with the elderly being the most affected by this disaster. In Türkiye, on February 6, 2023, an earthquake described as the disaster of the century killed 53,537 people and injured 107,213 (Tuna, 2024 ). In July 2021, while Germany and Belgium experienced flooding, extreme heat waves hit Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and India's Kerala state witnessed devastating floods in August 2018 that killed at least 483 people. Furthermore, examples such as the 2021 floods in Jamaica, the 2023 forest fires in Indonesia and Canada, droughts in Central America, severe storms in South Africa, and the 2024 flood disaster in Lebanon can be added to this list (GAR, 2024). These disasters in various parts of the world cause many problems, including loss of life, as well as economic, psychological, social, political, educational, and environmental issues (Tuohy & Stephens, 2012 ). In the end, disasters are occurrences that have a significant impact on the communities in which they take place and cause damage and human casualties (UNDRR, 2015). Some disasters can be prevented or lessened to lessen their effects, even when they cannot be completely avoided. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) published the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025: Resilience Pays: Financing and Investing for Our Future, which outlines the financial and economic ramifications of disaster risks, contemporary trends, and possible approaches to reducing these risks through focused investments. Among the best ways to solve these issues, which have an impact on all of mankind, are environmental education, recycling, and education for sustainable development. Environmental education is essential in creating proactive citizens because it increases students' understanding of the natural world, helps them identify environmental issues, and encourages responsible and solution-focused conduct. Children can live in harmony with the environment and internalize the duty to leave a more sustainable and livable world for future generations when such awareness is instilled in them at a young age. In order to address and increase knowledge of global issues including pollution, climate change, and ecosystem degradation, environmental education is essential (Salazar et al., 2024 ). Promoting sustainable habits and preparing the next generation to address pressing global issues including environmental pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss depend heavily on environmental education (Hainseli, Aubry, & Bourdin, 2018). Therefore, giving kids the attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills, they need to reconsider and alter present patterns of behavior is one of society's most crucial duties in environmental education, assuring a sustainable, equitable, and healthy future for everybody (Davis & Cooke, 1996 ). According to the Common Worlds Research Collective's "UNESCO Future of Education" report from 2020, environmental education requires a paradigm change from learning about the world and responding accordingly to learning to be with the world around us. In this sense, the UK Department for Education's strategy on sustainability, environmental, and climate change education (Department for Education, 2022 ) takes a human-centered approach to environmental education and contends that policymakers, educators, young people, and children can work together to find solutions to environmental issues. Environmental issues were acknowledged as a global concern at the 1972 Stockholm Climate Summit. Action plans for sustainable development and a call for international collaboration to address environmental issues were developed at the Rio de Janeiro summit in 1992. A path for governments and societies to advance sustainable development was established in 2015 when the United Nations adopted the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. One of the most concrete instances of sustainable environmental education is recycling. Recycling is an essential tactic for cutting waste and preserving natural resources. One of society's most important duties is to provide children with the attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills necessary to reevaluate and change current behavioral patterns in order to ensure a sustainable, just, and healthy future for everybody (Davis & Cooke, 1996 ). In conclusion, rather than merely imparting knowledge to pupils, environmental education is a crucial tool for creating individuals who accept sustainable principles and live-in harmony with nature (Husin, Helmi, Nengsih & Rendana, 2025 ). Environmental education in elementary schools is intended to teach students about sustainable practices and foster an awareness of the environment on a global scale. To achieve this, countries strive to provide this education starting in elementary school through classes like science, social studies, and life skills. As part of Science and Environmental Studies classes, students in Finland engage in agricultural and recycling projects in school gardens, fostering ecological literacy via energy conservation and nature-based activities (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2016). In India, the NCERT curriculum's "Environmental Studies (EVS)" course helps students build sustainable living habits by teaching them about recycling and the preservation of natural resources through hands-on experience (NCERT, 2020). In the UK, science, geography, and civic classes incorporate environmental education, and the Eco-Schools program involves pupils in recycling, carbon foot printing, and energy conservation initiatives (Eco-Schools, 2021 ). Within the framework of learning about nature and the environment, the curriculum for the Life Sciences course in Türkiye, which is taught in the first, second, and third grades of elementary school, aims to improve students' comprehension of the importance of natural resources for human life, natural disasters, and environmental sustainability. The "Integrated Studies" course in Japan exposes students to recycling, natural disasters, and sustainable living through project-based learning, giving them a critical viewpoint on environmental issues (MEXT, 2017). Science and Social Studies (HASS) courses in Australia give pupils the opportunity to learn about recycling, energy, water, and sustainable living practices within the framework of Indigenous wisdom (ACARA, 2022). These international examples demonstrate the widespread use of transdisciplinary and practical techniques in environmental education in primary schools. Environmental education now necessitates a fundamental paradigm shift that calls for not only understanding the world and acting appropriately, but also learning to live with it and develop a reciprocal relationship with our environment, according to the Common Worlds Research Collective's UNESCO Future of Education report (2020). The primary objective of this study is to provide a thorough and comprehensive examination of the academic literature on environmental education in elementary schools. To do this, articles in the field are first carefully examined using content analysis, with a focus on methodology, data gathering techniques, and primary study findings. They are then analyzed using bibliometric techniques to reveal their scientific structure and development trends, including source efficiency, author contributions, citation patterns, keyword usage, and journal/source networks, in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of the subject. Additionally, we hope to highlight the field's development dynamics and contribute to the body of literature by providing a fundamental point of reference that will guide future research by presenting studies on environmental, sustainability, and recycling education in elementary schools within a methodical framework. These objectives led to the formulation of the following research questions: What are the goals of the publications that were examined and what are the research findings? In terms of technique, data gathering instruments, and data analysis, how are the articles analyzed distributed? Which sources are most crucial for studying environmental education in primary schools, and how are they shared? Who are the most important authors in the field of elementary school environmental education, and how has their impact evolved over time? Which articles in the topic of environmental education for elementary schools earn the most citations, and what are their yearly and normalized citation rates? Which terms are most frequently used in research on elementary school environmental education, and how have they evolved thematically over time? What is the typical journal/source network structure for studies on environmental education in elementary schools? 2. Method The current literature was examined using bibliometric and content analytic techniques in this study, which thoroughly investigates environmental education programs in elementary schools. Bibliometric analysis is a research method that uses quantitative techniques to analyze the dynamics and structural features of scientific works. By mapping elements like citation networks, author partnerships, and keyword distributions, bibliometric analysis reveals a discipline's current state, its impact on the literature, and research trends (van Eck & Waltman, 2014 ). In this way, bibliometric analysis enables a multifaceted approach to the topic being studied (Chen et al., 2010 ). Thus, by providing a thorough overview of the subject, the study aims to guide scholars and educational officials. Content analysis, according to Krippendorff ( 2018 ), is a research technique used to derive trustworthy findings regarding usage settings from texts or other important materials. 2.1 The Article Selection Process Research on this topic was found in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Together with the conjunction "and," the terms "environmental education," "recycling education," "sustainable environmental education," and "primary school" as they exist in all sectors were included to this database, producing a total of 147 studies. August 2025 saw the acquisition of data from the Web of Science. The studies were published between 2011 and 2025, and they were included in the "Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)," "Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)," "Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)," "Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI)," and "Conference Proceedings Citation Index – Social Science & Humanities (CPCI-SSH)." Data analysis was performed using R.4.3 software, and findings were obtained using the biblioshiny() function in the bibliometrix package. During the process of eliminating studies, the researcher first downloaded publications in Excel format from the Web of Science website and examined them for duplication or publication of the same study in different journals. In this context, 24 studies focusing on primary school students, parents, or curriculum changes were selected for content analysis. The workflow for the content and bibliometric analysis process is shown in Fig. 1 . As shown in Fig. 1 , 24 publications were included in the study following the analyses. General information about these publications is presented in Fig. 2 . According to Fig. 2 , 24 studies published between 2011 and 2025 were obtained from 21 different sources. A total of 87 authors contributed to these studies, with only three authors producing the work individually. The international collaboration rate was 12.5%. The annual growth rate was 3.71%, the average age of the documents was 6.71 years, and the average number of citations was 12.5. Furthermore, the authors used 99 keywords and utilized 925 references. The number of articles and citations by years is given in Fig. 3 . When the distribution of the studies analysed in Fig. 3 according to years is examined, it is observed that the highest number of publications was made in 2017 (5 studies), while there were no studies on the relevant subject in 2013, 2014, 2023, and 2024. It is observed that the most citations to the studies conducted were made to the study from 2011. The keyword, country, and journal relationships in the articles, as determined by the 15 most intense matches, are presented in Fig. 4 . According to the matches in Fig. 4 , it is observed that "environmental education" is the most frequently used keyword, and this word is also preferred in Spain, Austria, India, Greece, the Czech Republic, and Japan. This keyword is most frequently used in the journal "Environmental Education Research." While there is a concentration of studies conducted in Israel, only the publications appear in the journal "Epidemiologia & Prevenzione." According to the matches in the table, frequently used keywords in journals will provide researchers with an opportunity to learn about the journal's subject areas. 3. Findings After reviewing the information from the studies included in the analysis, the relationships between these pieces of information were examined. 3.1 Findings Regarding the Content Analysis 3.1.1 Findings regarding the authors, objectives, and results of the studies The results of the content analysis, which include the researchers, research topics, and findings of 24 studies with primary school-level samples, are presented in Table 1 . Table 1 Researchers, information regarding the research objectives and research outcomes Authors Aim of Research Conclusion of Research Christie, C et al. 2025 ) Identifying gaps in environmental education research and the need for regionally focused education, examining the content of field trips, comparing schools with and without environmental certification, determining teacher training needs, and researching motivations and challenges in outdoor teaching. There are shortcomings in education regarding pollution and recycling. Environmentally certified schools do not organise more outdoor trips than non-certified schools. There is a need to strengthen outdoor education. Ballesteros, M. I. Et al. (2025) To examine the transformative impact of the School Agenda 21 programme on communities through schools. To examine environmentally friendly behaviours, critical environmental literacy, civic participation, and perceptions related to the project. Through the School Agenda 21 (SA21) programme, students have developed critical thinking skills and acquired sustainable habits, becoming engaged citizens who can identify environmental issues, propose solutions, and advocate for sustainability-focused social change. Ricoy, M. C., & Sánchez-Martínez, C. (2022) Developing primary school pupils' ecological awareness and digital literacy through gamification tools, using a learning programme designed for them. Following the environmental awareness intervention, children demonstrated behaviours such as consuming less paper, reusing plastic waste, recycling glass and plastics, and recovering waste products. Botella, P. et al. (2022) To evaluate the effect of a physical education lesson proposal based on the self-construction of materials on primary school pupils' ecological awareness. A physical education lesson proposal based on the self-construction of materials did not lead to significant changes in primary school pupils' ecological awareness; however, the pupils enjoyed the activity. Koutsos, T. M., et al (2021). To improve environmental education in the university curriculum, examine university students' perceptions of the factors influencing the recycling behaviour of preschool and primary school pupils. According to university students, the family environment is the most important factor influencing children's recycling behaviour. Javier Arturo Hall-López (2021) Evaluating changes in the environmental attitudes of future physical education and sports teachers after participating in a primary school physical education experience using recycled paper/cardboard. It was concluded that the intervention was effective in developing environmental attitudes through physical education among participating students, supporting the United Nations (UN) goals of sustainable development, health and well-being, quality education, and responsible production and consumption. Herdiansyah, H. et al. (2021) To examine the role of parental education and good habits acquired in childhood in fostering sustainable waste disposal behaviour in order to raise environmentally conscious generations. Proper habits acquired from childhood and parental education are important factors in shaping environmental awareness, attitudes, values, and habits. Fatton M, et al. (2021) This study aimed to implement service-learning as a pedagogical approach to increase scientific and microbiology literacy in society. Awareness of both positive and negative roles of microbes has been raised among primary and secondary school pupils, and cooperation between educational institutions has been strengthened. Martínez-Medina, R., & Arrebola, J. C. (2019) Analysing the cognitive complexity of sustainability-related activities included in primary school social studies textbooks in Spain and the sustainability subtopics addressed. It has been determined that the vast majority of activities in the books are cognitively simple and that complex activities are lacking. The most frequently addressed topics are environmental issues and recycling. Ramamoorthy, R., Poyyamoli, G., & Kumar, S. ( 2019 ). To determine the solid waste generation rate and composition in selected school campuses in the Puducherry region of India, and to identify the shortcomings of the existing waste management systems. The research reveals significant differences in solid waste production among schools in the Puducherry region, based on age, school type, and educational level. It indicates that current waste management practices are inadequate. Delgado, M. R., et al. (2019) Evaluating the results of an application aimed at developing Ecological Awareness and Digital Literacy among primary school pupils using gamification tools. It has been observed that the programme, implemented using gamification and digital tools, has been successful in encouraging children to develop new habits in areas such as water/electricity usage and paper/plastic recycling, and that it has increased motivation. Cheung, Y. T. Y., Chow, C. F., & So, W. W. M. (2018). To examine the effectiveness of the "train-the-trainer" (TTT) model for plastic waste recycling within the scope of environmental education and to evaluate the development of the pedagogical content knowledge and teaching skills of the "green ambassadors" trained using this model. Research, training, and practical experience have demonstrated that young educators have enhanced their subject and pedagogical content knowledge and contributed to school-based plastic recycling education through environmental behavioral changes. Pavlátová, V. ( 2018 ). To implement the environmental education programme entitled "Environmental Tales", designed for primary and secondary school pupils, and to evaluate the programme's effectiveness on pupils' environmental awareness and attitudes. It has been determined that the Environmental Fairy Tales education programme is effective in increasing students' environmental awareness and fostering positive attitudes towards nature. It has been concluded that fairy tales and creative methods strengthen knowledge transfer and student participation. Goldman, D., et al. ( 2018 ) To investigate the impact of the "Green School Certificate" programme in Israel on the environmental literacy of upper primary school pupils and on sustainable practices in schools. It has been found that schools with advanced Green School certification achieve higher results in both their pupils' environmental literacy levels and the school's environmental performance/practices compared to schools with lower certification levels. Tucker, R., & Izadpanahi, P. ( 2017 ) To determine whether the environmental attitudes and behaviours of children attending schools designed according to sustainability principles differ from those of children attending traditionally designed schools. Children attending schools designed for sustainability have been found to exhibit significantly more environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviours than children attending traditional schools. The most significant difference was observed in attitudes towards Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at school. Izadpanahi, P., Elkadi, H., & Tucker, R. ( 2017 ) To determine whether primary school pupils' environmental attitudes can be predicted based on whether their schools are designed for sustainability. It has been found that sustainable design in schools positively impacts children's environmental attitudes, particularly towards visible green building features (such as solar panels, recycled water usage, and natural lighting). Güler Yildiz, T., et al. ( 2017 ) A comprehensive study to determine the views of children aged 48–66 months on Sustainable Development (SD), along with their parents' and teachers' attitudes towards SD and the SD activities implemented at home and school. Children expressed their views on the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of the SDGs, with a particular emphasis on water/electricity conservation, as well as recycling. Zorpas, A. A., Voukkali, I., & Loizia, P. (2017) To understand students' knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral changes regarding 500ml plastic water bottles. Thus, the aim is to design more effective waste prevention behaviours and policies to reduce the amount of specific waste streams in schools. It has been determined that students' waste prevention behaviours (WPB) vary from class to class. These behaviours are primarily related to the beliefs of students' parents and the social synergies among students. Alwi, A., et al. (2017) To investigate the effect of the Green Skills Module (Gs Module) used in Design and Technology (D&T) lessons for primary school pupils on their knowledge achievement. It has been determined that participants have limited awareness of sustainable development, but show positive tendencies in matters of environmental protection and responsibility. Phang, F. A., et al. (2016). To evaluate the effectiveness of the Iskandar Malaysia Ecolife Challenge (IMELC) programme in increasing the knowledge and awareness levels of students and teachers regarding low-carbon practices. The primary objective is to contribute to the region's carbon emission reduction target by 2025 through education. Following the MELC programme, it was found that students' awareness of low-carbon practices increased by 8% and teachers' awareness by 5%. The programme has also been proven to result in significant electricity and water savings in schools and to contribute to concrete carbon reduction by increasing recycling rates. Sprung, G., et al. ( 2015 ). To increase awareness of sustainable technology among students aged 10–18 Courses and workshops were organised to provide students and teachers with information and awareness on e-waste and sustainable technology. Gallotti, C. Et al. ( 2012 ) To increase awareness and knowledge levels among primary school children and, indirectly, their parents, about environmental issues such as waste recycling and energy conservation; to develop the concept of sorting and collection through games, and to foster environmental responsibility. Game-based approaches in environmental education have positively influenced both children's knowledge levels and families' home practices, revealing meaningful differences. Kayihan, K. S., & Tönük, S. (2012). Evaluating waste and waste management practices in primary schools participating in the Eco-Schools International Programme in Istanbul. The study concluded that Eco-Schools' waste management efforts alone are not sufficient; for these efforts to be sustainable and widespread, they must be supported by formal recognition at the curriculum level, inter-institutional cooperation, and national-level dissemination policies. Maddox, P., Doran, C., Williams, I. D., & Kus, M. (2011). The THAW Project is a study that aims to measure the role of school-based waste education on household behaviour through intergenerational influence. It has been proven that household recycling behaviour can be positively influenced through a practical school-based waste education model. Table 1 's content analysis of environmental, sustainability, and recycling education at the elementary school level highlights how varied and application-focused environmental education is. The primary objectives of the examined studies have been to increase students' ecological understanding, environmental attitudes, and recycling/waste reduction behaviors. This scenario shows how environmental education in elementary schools has the capacity to change, combining theory and practice through an interdisciplinary approach with the ultimate goal of positioning the individual as an engaged environmental citizen. According to the research' findings, students' environmental awareness is positively and significantly impacted by game-based learning strategies, service-learning models, and school buildings built with sustainability in mind. Additionally, studies show that school-based interventions can alter domestic behavior through intergenerational effects, and that the family environment and parental education are crucial to the success of environmental education. Even in accredited institutions, the results show persistent deficiencies in education, highlighting the necessity of improving outdoor education and curriculum-level assistance. 3.1.2 Findings regarding the methods of the articles The findings regarding the methods of the examined studies are presented in Fig. 5 . When examining Fig. 5 , 59% of the studies were quantitative, 33% were qualitative, and 8% employed mixed methods. The use of mixed methods, which combines qualitative and quantitative approaches in studies, reflects the need for a multidimensional approach and an in-depth understanding of the subject. 3.1.3 Findings regarding data collection tools The findings regarding the data collection tools used in the research are presented in Fig. 6 . As shown in Fig. 6 , surveys and scales, which are commonly used in quantitative research, have been employed in these studies. This supports Fig. 5 . This is because, when looking at Fig. 5 , quantitative research carries more weight in the studies. However, the interviews and semi-structured interviews used in the research also reveal a desire for greater depth in schools on the topics of the environment, recycling, and sustainability. 3.1.4 Findings related to data analysis in the research Araştırmaların veri analizine ilişkin bulgular şekil 7’de verilmiştir. According to Fig. 7 , in studies related to environmental, sustainability, and recycling education, content analysis is the most commonly used analysis method, while statistical tests and regression analyses are less preferred. Descriptive statistics and percentage calculations are also generally used to summarise the data within a general framework. 3.2 Findings Regarding the Most Effective Sources of the Studies Analyzed The sources of 24 studies that were published were examined. These sources are given in Table 2 . Table 2 Frequencies of the 10 Most Effective Sources Sources Articles Envıronmental Educatıon Research 2 Internatıonal Journal of Envıronmental Research And Publıc Health 2 11th Internatıonal Conference Of Educatıon, Research And Innovatıon (Icerı2018) 1 12th Internatıonal Conference Of Educatıon, Research And Innovatıon (Icerı2019) 1 14th Internatıonal Technology, Educatıon, And Development Conference (Inted2020) 1 Clean Technologıes And Envıronmental Polıcy 1 Educatıonal Scıences-Theory \& Practıce 1 Edulearn15: 7th Internatıonal Conference On Educatıon And New Learnıng Technologıes 1 Envıronmental Engıneerıng And Management Journal 1 Envıronmental Scıence And Pollutıon Research 1 When Table 2 is examined for article frequencies of the most influential sources in environmental education and related fields, "Environmental Education Research" and "International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health" stand out as the most cited sources with two articles each, while the 11th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation- ICERI2018, 12th ICERI2019, and 14th INTED2020 stand out with only 1 article each. Upon examining the journals, it becomes apparent that these sources are pioneers in various fields, indicating that environmental education studies are approached in a multidisciplinary manner within the educational process. The 10 most cited references, along with the number of citations, are shown in Table 3 . Table 3 The 10 most cited sources and their citation numbers Sources Atıf Environmental Education Research 47 The Journal of Environmental Education 46 Sustainability 24 Resources, Conservation, and Recycling 20 Environment and Behavior 19 Journal of Cleaner Production 17 Journal of Environmental Psychology 17 Waste Management 16 The Journal of Environmental Education 11 Journal of Chemical Education 10 Table 3 shows the 10 most cited sources and their citation counts in environmental education and related fields. The most cited journal is "Environmental Education Research" with 47 citations, followed by "The Journal of Environmental Education" with 46 citations. "Sustainability" comes in third with 24 citations, followed by "Resources, Conservation and Recycling" (20 citations), "Environment and Behavior" (19 citations), "Journal of Cleaner Production" (17 citations), "Journal of Environmental Psychology" (17 citations), "Waste Management" (16 citations), "The Journal of Environmental Education" (11 citations), and "Journal of Chemical Education" (10 citations). Therefore, citations play an important role in addition to journal publications. Even if the journals have a small number of studies, the citations they receive increase their visibility in the relevant field. 3.3 Findings of the authors of the reviewed studies Eighty-seven authors contributed to 24 studies in environmental education and related fields, and their contributions to the studies were examined. Authors, number of studies, and article contributions are given in Table 4 . Table 4 Authors' studies and contributions to the articles Authors Articles Articles Fractionalized Parisa Izadpanahi 2 0.83 Richard Tucker 2 0.83 Haryanti Mohd Affandi 1 0.17 J. Alarcon Castro 1 1.00 Luca Alessi 1 0.11 Amarumi Alwi 1 0.17 Jose C. Arrebola 1 0.50 Javier Arturo Hall-Lopez 1 1.00 Ofira Ayalon 1 0.25 Emine Hande Aydos 1 0.25 When the contributions of the authors to the studies listed in Table 4 are analyzed, it is evident that Parisa Izadpanahi and Richard Tucker contributed to the environmental education literature with two studies, and their combined contribution in these studies is 0.83%. This value indicates that the authors were actively involved in the study. The other authors contributed only one study, with the highest impact factor observed for "Alarcon Castro." The author published their work as a single author. Other authors were not first-authored in the studies and were involved in studies conducted with at least two other authors. The distribution of studies conducted by the authors, by year, is presented in Fig. 5 . In Fig. 5 , when the distribution and impact of the authors' studies on the relevant topic by years are examined, it is seen that Parisa Izadpanahi and Richard Tucker's publications in 2017 are both more than those of other authors (size of the nodes) and have a significant impact on the literature (darkness of the colours). Ofira Ayalon's 2018 work also held a significant place, receiving a high number of citations. The number of publications in the organisations is shown in Table 5 . Table 5 Number of publications in organizations Affiliation Articles University of Indonesia 6 Education University of Hong Kong 4 University of Alicante 4 University of Pavia 4 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 4 Deakin University 3 Hacettepe University 3 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki 2 Beit Berl College 2 CSIR National Environmental Engineering Research Institute 2 Curtin University 2 An examination of the publications of institutions in environmental education and related fields, as presented in Table 5 , reveals that the University of Indonesia has the highest number of publications, with six articles. The University of Hong Kong, University of Alicante, University of Pavia, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia each contributed four articles; Deakin University and Hacettepe University each contributed three articles; and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Beit Berl College, CSIR National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, and Curtin University each contributed two articles on environmental education. 3.4 Findings from the Most Cited Articles in the Reviewed Studies The most cited articles in the reviewed studies reveal fundamental trends and academic influences in the field of research. Table 6 presents the detailed findings of these highly cited studies. Table 6 Citation information for the 10 most cited studies Study DOI Total Citations TC per Year Normalized TC Maddox, P., Doran, C., Williams, I. D., & Kus, M. (2011). The role of intergenerational influence in waste education programmes: The THAW project. Waste Management, 31 (12), 2590–2600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.07.023 10,1016/j,wasman,2011,07,023 69 4,6 1 Goldman, D., Ayalon, O., Baum, D., & Weiss, B. ( 2018 ). The Influence of 'Green School Certification' on Students' Environmental Literacy and the Adoption of Sustainable Practices by Schools. Journal of Cleaner Production, 183 , 1309–1313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.176 10,1016/j,jclepro,2018,02,176 53 6,63 2,27 Tucker, R., & Izadpanahi, P. ( 2017 ). Live green, think green: Sustainable school architecture and children's environmental attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 51 , 209–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.04.003 10,1016/j,jenvp,2017,04,003 49 5,44 2,45 Zorpas, A.A., Voukkali, I. & Loizia, P. Effectiveness of waste prevention program in primary students’ schools (2017). Environ Sci Pollut Res. 24 , 14304–14311 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8968-7 10,1007/s11356-017-8968-7 23 2,56 1,15 Izadpanahi, P., Elkadi, H., & Tucker, R. (2015). Greenhouse effect: The relationship between the sustainable design of schools and children's environmental attitudes. Environmental Education Research, 23(7), 901–918. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1072137 10,1080/13504622,2015,1072137 23 2,56 1,15 Ricoy, M.-C., & Sánchez-Martínez, C. (2022). Raising ecological awareness and digital literacy in primary school children through gamification. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (3), 1149. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031149 10,3390/ijerph19031149 19 4,75 1,65 Cheung, Y. T.-Y., Chow, C.-F., & So, W. W.-M. (2018). A train-the-trainer design for green ambassadors in an environmental education programme on plastic waste recycling. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 27 (1), 24–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2017.1285138 10,1080/10382046,2017,1285138 17 2,13 0,73 Herdiansyah, H., Brotosusilo, A., Negoro, H. A., Sari, R., & Zakianis, Z. (2021). Parental education and good child habits encourage sustainable littering behavior. Sustainability, 13 (15), 8645. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158645 10,3390/su13158645 10 2 2,73 Martínez-Medina, R., & Arrebola, J. C. (2019). Analysis of sustainability activities in Spanish elementary education textbooks. Sustainability, 11 (19), 5182. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195182 10,3390/su11195182 9 1,29 1,93 Ramamoorthy, R., Poyyamoli, G., & Kumar, S. ( 2019 ). Assessment of solid waste generation and management in selected school campuses in Puducherry region, India. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 18 (2), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.30638/eemj.2019.048 10.30638/eemj.2019.048 5 0,71 1,07 In the studies examined in Table 5 , the most cited study according to the total number of citations they received not only in a specific dataset but in all global citation databases such as Web of Science or Scopus is Maddox et al. ( 2011 ) "The role of intergenerational influence in waste education programmes: The THAW Project". It is noted that the annual citation average of this study is not particularly high. Goldman et al.'s ( 2018 ) study, "Influence of 'green school certification' on students' environmental literacy and adoption of sustainable practice by schools," stands out with its higher annual citation rate, while Herdiansyah et al.'s ( 2021 ) study demonstrates the highest impact in terms of normalized citation values. 3.5 Findings regarding frequently used keywords in studies on the topic The word cloud of the keywords frequently used in 24 studies on the subject, along with the increase in their frequencies over the years, is given in Fig. 6 . As can be seen in Figs. 6 a and 6 b, when the keywords frequently used in environmental education and related fields are analyzed, the most frequently repeated words are "environmental education" (eight instances), followed by "education" and "sustainable development" (seven instances each). "Children" and "recycling" appeared 5 times each, "sustainability" appeared 4 times, and "environmental" and "primary education" each appeared 3 times. "Attitudes," "behavior," "buildings," and "behaviors" appear two times each. An examination of the use of these words by year reveals that the keyword "Environmental education" was first used in 2011, but is still in use. Another frequently used keyword in recent years, "sustainable development," gained prominence after 2016. The thematic table for the network structure and topicality of the co-use of these words is given in Fig. 7 . When the relationships between the keywords used in the studies analysed in Fig. 7 are examined, "environmental education", "education", and "sustainable development" stand out as the biggest nodes, and it is seen that these terms are the most used and central topics in the studies. The word "environmental education" was frequently used with the keywords "children," "knowledge," and "managment"; the word "education" was frequently used with the keywords "enviromental attitudes," "buildings," "pedagogy," and "behaviors," and the keyword "sustainable development" was frequently used with the keyword "attitudes." An examination of the thematic structure of the words reveals that the most frequently used words are "environmental," "primary education," and "behaviors." The term "elementary school," however, appears to have lost its relevance and frequency as a keyword. The terms "environmental education," "recycling," and "sustainable development" are frequently used, but they appear to have lost their relevance. 3.6 Findings of collaborative network analysis by journals/sources The citation analysis map, organized by the journals in which the studies were published, is presented in Fig. 8 . Figure 8 shows the citation map of the joint network analysis created based on journals/sources related to environmental education. "Environmental Education Research" appears as a central node, representing the central focus of the field. The links radiating from this central node represent relationships with different journals and resources, while the colors green, blue, and red appear as clusters. Green nodes represent a network structure with journals such as Journal of Environmental Education, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, Profesorado, Society & Natural Resources, and Journal of Applied Social Psychology, demonstrating that disciplines such as environmental education, geographic environmental research, social psychology, and educational pedagogy conduct interconnected studies. Red nodes form a network structure with journals such as Journal of Cleaner Production, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Waste Management & Research, and Global Environmental Change, demonstrating that practical and application-oriented topics such as sustainability, waste management, and global environmental change are central. Blue nodes interact with each other in journals such as Science, the International Journal of Science Education, the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Frontiers in Psychology, and the Proceedings of the Social Behavior. It has been observed that psychological approaches to environmental education serve as the foundation for these studies. The map demonstrates the flexibility of the area and the effective incorporation of interdisciplinary connections in the study. 4. Discussion There are many uses for the transdisciplinary research on environmental education in elementary schools. After locating papers that were significant to education and primary schools, the researcher conducted analysis using the Web of Science database. The analysis revealed that publications like "Environmental Education Research" and "The Journal of Environmental Education" are notable in the field in terms of both publication frequency and citation count. "Environmental Education Research" is the most referenced journal with 47 citations, indicating its critical role in developing the discipline's theoretical foundation. The high citation counts of "Sustainability" (24 citations) and "Resources, Conservation and Recycling" (20 citations) demonstrate that environmental education is not only an academic field but also a topic with practical answers. According to a content analysis of 24 studies on environmental, sustainability, and recycling education at the primary school level, environmental education has developed into an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented field with the aim of promoting ecological awareness, environmental attitudes, and responsible behaviors among students. The findings show that pedagogical approaches including game-based learning, service-learning models, and the development of sustainable school environments have a favorable effect on students' environmental literacy and sustainable behaviors. The studies also show how important parental education is and how it affects families, showing how environmental education in schools may help families across generations. From a methodological standpoint, the prevalence of quantitative research suggests a trend toward using standardized instruments like surveys and scales to measure environmental knowledge and attitudes. Nonetheless, the incorporation of mixed-method and qualitative research indicates a rising interest in delving deeper into the perspectives and experiences of educators and students. Notwithstanding these encouraging advancements, the results also point to current flaws, especially in outdoor education and curriculum integration, highlighting the necessity of more institutional cooperation and systematic policy support to guarantee the long-term viability and efficacy of environmental education programs in elementary schools. An study of author contributions reveals that Parisa Izadpanahi and Richard Tucker stand out with two studies, demonstrating their active involvement in environmental education literature. Even while collaborative contributions to the topic are typical in research initiatives, there are also single-authored works such as Alarcon Castro's. A breakdown by year reveals that Izadpanahi and Tucker's 2017 publications represent a turning point in the literature. The 2018 work by Ofira Ayalon, which also received numerous citations, is another significant contribution. With six publications, the University of Indonesia tops the institution in environmental education research. With four works apiece, the Education University of Hong Kong, University of Alicante, University of Pavia, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia show that academic institutions in Asia and Europe are contributing significantly to this topic. This diversity shows that environmental education is being tackled as a global issue and is enhanced by contributions from various cultural backgrounds. When looking at many databases, the most cited papers are Maddox et al.'s ( 2011 ) study with its total number of citations and Goldman et al.'s ( 2018 ) study with its high annual citation average. Herdiansyah et al. ( 2021 )'s high normalized citation values emphasize the importance of studies that have a major impact fast. The significance of topics like school-based sustainability, family influence, and the transformation of environmental awareness into behavior supports the broad impact of environmental education, which extends from the individual to society (Maddox et al., 2011 ; Herdiansyah et al., 2021 ). Furthermore, the development of contemporary approaches like gamification and digital literacy demonstrates that the field is open to pedagogical innovations and adapts to contemporary trends (Ricoy & Sánchez-Martínez, 2022 ). The study revealed that terms like "environmental education," "education," and "sustainable development" were essential, with "sustainable development" emerging after 2016 and "environmental education" continuing since 2011. The increasing prevalence of terms like "environmental," "primary education," and "behaviors" indicates a shift toward practical research. Multidisciplinary research is encouraged by keywords such as "environmental education" and "children" and "management," "environmental attitudes" and "behaviors," and "sustainable development" and "attitudes." The combined network analysis map's network structure revolves around "environmental education research." The green cluster focuses on theoretical and pedagogical studies, the red cluster on application-oriented research, and the blue cluster on transdisciplinary and psychological methods. However, each group demonstrates how environmental education connects with disciplines like environmental science, psychology, and sustainability. These results underline the importance of environmental education at all educational levels by enabling researchers to approach the topic holistically, considering both theoretical and practical elements. New strategies can be developed by incorporating digital tools and innovative methods such as gamification into their studies to further reach lower-level grades in integrating this globally important topic into the educational process. Environmental education policies can be revised by considering the success of institutions from diverse geographies, such as the University of Indonesia and the Education University of Hong Kong, and by taking cultural factors into account. Researchers conducting research on this topic can shape their literature by specifically utilizing key keywords and key studies obtained in the findings. Declarations Acknowledge Artificial intelligence is utilized in Figure 1. Data availability Relevant data are included in the article, and publications are available on the Web of Science. Funding There was no funding for this study. Ethical approval and consent to participate Not applicable. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9003662","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Systematic Review","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":610808525,"identity":"fef18304-7599-49f8-9eed-cb428f11fedb","order_by":0,"name":"Sinan 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8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":51377,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFigure 5.\u003c/strong\u003e Distribution of studies conducted by authors by year\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9003662/v1/fd5f16254d1129de2bd47b71.jpg"},{"id":105378802,"identity":"e1d8342a-e1c4-4a03-82d0-cdb0f1174151","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-25 10:51:11","extension":"jpg","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":173601,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9003662/v1/068500f95b75282c5ca4b844.jpg"},{"id":105564771,"identity":"0e4eadb5-bc56-49bb-b43c-75bf7f1fe8ec","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-27 12:50:48","extension":"jpg","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":104494,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"10.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9003662/v1/c55b2af28064d98c1e0c9806.jpg"},{"id":105378803,"identity":"20dade21-28a9-4dfb-8c75-b695014fe46c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-25 10:51:11","extension":"jpg","order_by":11,"title":"Figure 11","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":104763,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFigure 8. \u003c/strong\u003eCitation analysis map according to the journals in which the studies were published\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"11.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9003662/v1/f2a55cc011d7648e04736d92.jpg"},{"id":105570175,"identity":"9356dd6b-4d26-4ac5-88b6-c85b19916133","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-27 13:15:07","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2061990,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9003662/v1/c558f068-fe7e-42dd-882c-89ae1db9bd77.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"An In-Depth Analysis of Environmental, Sustainability and Recycling Education in Primary Schools","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eEnvironmental issues that arise anywhere in the world have an impact on the entire planet on a global scale rather than just the local area. Because of the dynamic connections between water resources, the atmosphere, ocean currents, and living things, any harm done to one component of the ecosystem, which is an interrelated whole, can transcend regional boundaries and reach a global level. Natural resources are being destroyed and depleted as a result of rising consumption patterns and an expanding global population.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne of the most effective tools in solving these problems, which concern all of humanity, is environmental, recycling, and sustainable environmental education. In this context, environmental education can enable individuals to gain awareness of nature, recognize environmental problems, and act as solution-oriented, responsible individuals. Environmental awareness provided from an early age can help children learn to live in harmony with nature and internalize the responsibility of leaving a more livable world for future generations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvironmental problems are evident worldwide. In 2015, approximately 150 natural disasters occurred worldwide, affecting millions of people (Ahmadi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). At least 326 people lost their lives in the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico in 2017 (Weber, 2017). In August 2018, devastating floods in the Indian state of Kerala caused the deaths of 483 people. In July 2021, while floods occurred in Germany and Belgium, extreme heat waves hit Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States (Gopinath \u0026amp; Kumar, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e). According to a study on extreme drought using data from the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT), more than 1.6\u0026nbsp;billion people are affected by drought, with South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa being the most severely affected regions (Mani, Khorram-Manesh, \u0026amp; Goniewicz, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). In December 2021, a forest fire in the US state of Colorado burned more than 2,500 hectares (approximately 6,200 acres) of land in under 24 hours and destroyed over a thousand homes. The 2022 heatwave in Portugal caused the deaths of 2,400 people, with the elderly being the most affected by this disaster. In T\u0026uuml;rkiye, on February 6, 2023, an earthquake described as the disaster of the century killed 53,537 people and injured 107,213 (Tuna, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). In July 2021, while Germany and Belgium experienced flooding, extreme heat waves hit Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and India's Kerala state witnessed devastating floods in August 2018 that killed at least 483 people.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, examples such as the 2021 floods in Jamaica, the 2023 forest fires in Indonesia and Canada, droughts in Central America, severe storms in South Africa, and the 2024 flood disaster in Lebanon can be added to this list (GAR, 2024). These disasters in various parts of the world cause many problems, including loss of life, as well as economic, psychological, social, political, educational, and environmental issues (Tuohy \u0026amp; Stephens, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). In the end, disasters are occurrences that have a significant impact on the communities in which they take place and cause damage and human casualties (UNDRR, 2015). Some disasters can be prevented or lessened to lessen their effects, even when they cannot be completely avoided. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) published the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025: Resilience Pays: Financing and Investing for Our Future, which outlines the financial and economic ramifications of disaster risks, contemporary trends, and possible approaches to reducing these risks through focused investments. Among the best ways to solve these issues, which have an impact on all of mankind, are environmental education, recycling, and education for sustainable development. Environmental education is essential in creating proactive citizens because it increases students' understanding of the natural world, helps them identify environmental issues, and encourages responsible and solution-focused conduct. Children can live in harmony with the environment and internalize the duty to leave a more sustainable and livable world for future generations when such awareness is instilled in them at a young age.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn order to address and increase knowledge of global issues including pollution, climate change, and ecosystem degradation, environmental education is essential (Salazar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Promoting sustainable habits and preparing the next generation to address pressing global issues including environmental pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss depend heavily on environmental education (Hainseli, Aubry, \u0026amp; Bourdin, 2018). Therefore, giving kids the attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills, they need to reconsider and alter present patterns of behavior is one of society's most crucial duties in environmental education, assuring a sustainable, equitable, and healthy future for everybody (Davis \u0026amp; Cooke, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e). According to the Common Worlds Research Collective's \"UNESCO Future of Education\" report from 2020, environmental education requires a paradigm change from learning about the world and responding accordingly to learning to be with the world around us. In this sense, the UK Department for Education's strategy on sustainability, environmental, and climate change education (Department for Education, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) takes a human-centered approach to environmental education and contends that policymakers, educators, young people, and children can work together to find solutions to environmental issues. Environmental issues were acknowledged as a global concern at the 1972 Stockholm Climate Summit. Action plans for sustainable development and a call for international collaboration to address environmental issues were developed at the Rio de Janeiro summit in 1992. A path for governments and societies to advance sustainable development was established in 2015 when the United Nations adopted the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. One of the most concrete instances of sustainable environmental education is recycling. Recycling is an essential tactic for cutting waste and preserving natural resources. One of society's most important duties is to provide children with the attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills necessary to reevaluate and change current behavioral patterns in order to ensure a sustainable, just, and healthy future for everybody (Davis \u0026amp; Cooke, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, rather than merely imparting knowledge to pupils, environmental education is a crucial tool for creating individuals who accept sustainable principles and live-in harmony with nature (Husin, Helmi, Nengsih \u0026amp; Rendana, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e). Environmental education in elementary schools is intended to teach students about sustainable practices and foster an awareness of the environment on a global scale. To achieve this, countries strive to provide this education starting in elementary school through classes like science, social studies, and life skills. As part of Science and Environmental Studies classes, students in Finland engage in agricultural and recycling projects in school gardens, fostering ecological literacy via energy conservation and nature-based activities (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2016). In India, the NCERT curriculum's \"Environmental Studies (EVS)\" course helps students build sustainable living habits by teaching them about recycling and the preservation of natural resources through hands-on experience (NCERT, 2020).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the UK, science, geography, and civic classes incorporate environmental education, and the Eco-Schools program involves pupils in recycling, carbon foot printing, and energy conservation initiatives (Eco-Schools, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Within the framework of learning about nature and the environment, the curriculum for the Life Sciences course in T\u0026uuml;rkiye, which is taught in the first, second, and third grades of elementary school, aims to improve students' comprehension of the importance of natural resources for human life, natural disasters, and environmental sustainability. The \"Integrated Studies\" course in Japan exposes students to recycling, natural disasters, and sustainable living through project-based learning, giving them a critical viewpoint on environmental issues (MEXT, 2017). Science and Social Studies (HASS) courses in Australia give pupils the opportunity to learn about recycling, energy, water, and sustainable living practices within the framework of Indigenous wisdom (ACARA, 2022). These international examples demonstrate the widespread use of transdisciplinary and practical techniques in environmental education in primary schools.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvironmental education now necessitates a fundamental paradigm shift that calls for not only understanding the world and acting appropriately, but also learning to live with it and develop a reciprocal relationship with our environment, according to the Common Worlds Research Collective's UNESCO Future of Education report (2020). The primary objective of this study is to provide a thorough and comprehensive examination of the academic literature on environmental education in elementary schools. To do this, articles in the field are first carefully examined using content analysis, with a focus on methodology, data gathering techniques, and primary study findings. They are then analyzed using bibliometric techniques to reveal their scientific structure and development trends, including source efficiency, author contributions, citation patterns, keyword usage, and journal/source networks, in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of the subject. Additionally, we hope to highlight the field's development dynamics and contribute to the body of literature by providing a fundamental point of reference that will guide future research by presenting studies on environmental, sustainability, and recycling education in elementary schools within a methodical framework. These objectives led to the formulation of the following research questions:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat are the goals of the publications that were examined and what are the research findings?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn terms of technique, data gathering instruments, and data analysis, how are the articles analyzed distributed?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhich sources are most crucial for studying environmental education in primary schools, and how are they shared?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eWho are the most important authors in the field of elementary school environmental education, and how has their impact evolved over time?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhich articles in the topic of environmental education for elementary schools earn the most citations, and what are their yearly and normalized citation rates?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhich terms are most frequently used in research on elementary school environmental education, and how have they evolved thematically over time?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat is the typical journal/source network structure for studies on environmental education in elementary schools?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Method","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe current literature was examined using bibliometric and content analytic techniques in this study, which thoroughly investigates environmental education programs in elementary schools. Bibliometric analysis is a research method that uses quantitative techniques to analyze the dynamics and structural features of scientific works. By mapping elements like citation networks, author partnerships, and keyword distributions, bibliometric analysis reveals a discipline's current state, its impact on the literature, and research trends (van Eck \u0026amp; Waltman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). In this way, bibliometric analysis enables a multifaceted approach to the topic being studied (Chen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, by providing a thorough overview of the subject, the study aims to guide scholars and educational officials. Content analysis, according to Krippendorff (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), is a research technique used to derive trustworthy findings regarding usage settings from texts or other important materials.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 The Article Selection Process\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch on this topic was found in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Together with the conjunction \"and,\" the terms \"environmental education,\" \"recycling education,\" \"sustainable environmental education,\" and \"primary school\" as they exist in all sectors were included to this database, producing a total of 147 studies. August 2025 saw the acquisition of data from the Web of Science. The studies were published between 2011 and 2025, and they were included in the \"Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI),\" \"Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED),\" \"Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI),\" \"Arts \u0026amp; Humanities Citation Index (A\u0026amp;HCI),\" and \"Conference Proceedings Citation Index \u0026ndash; Social Science \u0026amp; Humanities (CPCI-SSH).\" Data analysis was performed using R.4.3 software, and findings were obtained using the biblioshiny() function in the bibliometrix package.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDuring the process of eliminating studies, the researcher first downloaded publications in Excel format from the Web of Science website and examined them for duplication or publication of the same study in different journals. In this context, 24 studies focusing on primary school students, parents, or curriculum changes were selected for content analysis. The workflow for the content and bibliometric analysis process is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, 24 publications were included in the study following the analyses. General information about these publications is presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, 24 studies published between 2011 and 2025 were obtained from 21 different sources. A total of 87 authors contributed to these studies, with only three authors producing the work individually. The international collaboration rate was 12.5%. The annual growth rate was 3.71%, the average age of the documents was 6.71 years, and the average number of citations was 12.5. Furthermore, the authors used 99 keywords and utilized 925 references. The number of articles and citations by years is given in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the distribution of the studies analysed in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e according to years is examined, it is observed that the highest number of publications was made in 2017 (5 studies), while there were no studies on the relevant subject in 2013, 2014, 2023, and 2024. It is observed that the most citations to the studies conducted were made to the study from 2011.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe keyword, country, and journal relationships in the articles, as determined by the 15 most intense matches, are presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the matches in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, it is observed that \"environmental education\" is the most frequently used keyword, and this word is also preferred in Spain, Austria, India, Greece, the Czech Republic, and Japan. This keyword is most frequently used in the journal \"Environmental Education Research.\" While there is a concentration of studies conducted in Israel, only the publications appear in the journal \"Epidemiologia \u0026amp; Prevenzione.\" According to the matches in the table, frequently used keywords in journals will provide researchers with an opportunity to learn about the journal's subject areas.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Findings","content":"\u003cp\u003eAfter reviewing the information from the studies included in the analysis, the relationships between these pieces of information were examined.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Findings Regarding the Content Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1.1 Findings regarding the authors, objectives, and results of the studies\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of the content analysis, which include the researchers, research topics, and findings of 24 studies with primary school-level samples, are presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearchers, information regarding the research objectives and research outcomes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAim of Research\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion of Research\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChristie, C et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIdentifying gaps in environmental education research and the need for regionally focused education, examining the content of field trips, comparing schools with and without environmental certification, determining teacher training needs, and researching motivations and challenges in outdoor teaching.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are shortcomings in education regarding pollution and recycling.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvironmentally certified schools do not organise more outdoor trips than non-certified schools.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere is a need to strengthen outdoor education.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBallesteros, M. I. Et al. (2025)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo examine the transformative impact of the School Agenda 21 programme on communities through schools. To examine environmentally friendly behaviours, critical environmental literacy, civic participation, and perceptions related to the project.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThrough the School Agenda 21 (SA21) programme, students have developed critical thinking skills and acquired sustainable habits, becoming engaged citizens who can identify environmental issues, propose solutions, and advocate for sustainability-focused social change.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRicoy, M. C., \u0026amp; S\u0026aacute;nchez-Mart\u0026iacute;nez, C. (2022)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDeveloping primary school pupils' ecological awareness and digital literacy through gamification tools, using a learning programme designed for them.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFollowing the environmental awareness intervention, children demonstrated behaviours such as consuming less paper, reusing plastic waste, recycling glass and plastics, and recovering waste products.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBotella, P. et al.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(2022)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo evaluate the effect of a physical education lesson proposal based on the self-construction of materials on primary school pupils' ecological awareness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA physical education lesson proposal based on the self-construction of materials did not lead to significant changes in primary school pupils' ecological awareness; however, the pupils enjoyed the activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKoutsos, T. M., et al (2021).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo improve environmental education in the university curriculum, examine university students' perceptions of the factors influencing the recycling behaviour of preschool and primary school pupils.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to university students, the family environment is the most important factor influencing children's recycling behaviour.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJavier Arturo Hall-L\u0026oacute;pez (2021)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvaluating changes in the environmental attitudes of future physical education and sports teachers after participating in a primary school physical education experience using recycled paper/cardboard.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt was concluded that the intervention was effective in developing environmental attitudes through physical education among participating students, supporting the United Nations (UN) goals of sustainable development, health and well-being, quality education, and responsible production and consumption.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHerdiansyah, H.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eet al. (2021)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo examine the role of parental education and good habits acquired in childhood in fostering sustainable waste disposal behaviour in order to raise environmentally conscious generations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProper habits acquired from childhood and parental education are important factors in shaping environmental awareness, attitudes, values, and habits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFatton M, et al.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(2021)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study aimed to implement service-learning as a pedagogical approach to increase scientific and microbiology literacy in society.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAwareness of both positive and negative roles of microbes has been raised among primary and secondary school pupils, and cooperation between educational institutions has been strengthened.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMart\u0026iacute;nez-Medina, R., \u0026amp; Arrebola, J. C. (2019)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalysing the cognitive complexity of sustainability-related activities included in primary school social studies textbooks in Spain and the sustainability subtopics addressed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been determined that the vast majority of activities in the books are cognitively simple and that complex activities are lacking. The most frequently addressed topics are environmental issues and recycling.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRamamoorthy, R., Poyyamoli, G., \u0026amp; Kumar, S. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo determine the solid waste generation rate and composition in selected school campuses in the Puducherry region of India, and to identify the shortcomings of the existing waste management systems.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe research reveals significant differences in solid waste production among schools in the Puducherry region, based on age, school type, and educational level. It indicates that current waste management practices are inadequate.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDelgado, M. R., et al. (2019)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvaluating the results of an application aimed at developing Ecological Awareness and Digital Literacy among primary school pupils using gamification tools.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been observed that the programme, implemented using gamification and digital tools, has been successful in encouraging children to develop new habits in areas such as water/electricity usage and paper/plastic recycling, and that it has increased motivation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCheung, Y. T. Y., Chow, C. F., \u0026amp; So, W. W. M. (2018).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo examine the effectiveness of the \"train-the-trainer\" (TTT) model for plastic waste recycling within the scope of environmental education and to evaluate the development of the pedagogical content knowledge and teaching skills of the \"green ambassadors\" trained using this model.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch, training, and practical experience have demonstrated that young educators have enhanced their subject and pedagogical content knowledge and contributed to school-based plastic recycling education through environmental behavioral changes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePavl\u0026aacute;tov\u0026aacute;, V. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo implement the environmental education programme entitled \"Environmental Tales\", designed for primary and secondary school pupils, and to evaluate the programme's effectiveness on pupils' environmental awareness and attitudes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been determined that the Environmental Fairy Tales education programme is effective in increasing students' environmental awareness and fostering positive attitudes towards nature. It has been concluded that fairy tales and creative methods strengthen knowledge transfer and student participation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGoldman, D., et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo investigate the impact of the \"Green School Certificate\" programme in Israel on the environmental literacy of upper primary school pupils and on sustainable practices in schools.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been found that schools with advanced Green School certification achieve higher results in both their pupils' environmental literacy levels and the school's environmental performance/practices compared to schools with lower certification levels.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTucker, R., \u0026amp; Izadpanahi, P. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo determine whether the environmental attitudes and behaviours of children attending schools designed according to sustainability principles differ from those of children attending traditionally designed schools.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren attending schools designed for sustainability have been found to exhibit significantly more environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviours than children attending traditional schools. The most significant difference was observed in attitudes towards Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at school.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIzadpanahi, P., Elkadi, H., \u0026amp; Tucker, R. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo determine whether primary school pupils' environmental attitudes can be predicted based on whether their schools are designed for sustainability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been found that sustainable design in schools positively impacts children's environmental attitudes, particularly towards visible green building features (such as solar panels, recycled water usage, and natural lighting).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eG\u0026uuml;ler Yildiz, T., et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA comprehensive study to determine the views of children aged 48\u0026ndash;66 months on Sustainable Development (SD), along with their parents' and teachers' attitudes towards SD and the SD activities implemented at home and school.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren expressed their views on the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of the SDGs, with a particular emphasis on water/electricity conservation, as well as recycling.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZorpas, A. A., Voukkali, I., \u0026amp; Loizia, P. (2017)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo understand students' knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral changes regarding 500ml plastic water bottles. Thus, the aim is to design more effective waste prevention behaviours and policies to reduce the amount of specific waste streams in schools.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been determined that students' waste prevention behaviours (WPB) vary from class to class. These behaviours are primarily related to the beliefs of students' parents and the social synergies among students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlwi, A., et al. (2017)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo investigate the effect of the Green Skills Module (Gs Module) used in Design and Technology (D\u0026amp;T) lessons for primary school pupils on their knowledge achievement.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been determined that participants have limited awareness of sustainable development, but show positive tendencies in matters of environmental protection and responsibility.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhang, F. A., et al. (2016).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo evaluate the effectiveness of the Iskandar Malaysia Ecolife Challenge (IMELC) programme in increasing the knowledge and awareness levels of students and teachers regarding low-carbon practices. The primary objective is to contribute to the region's carbon emission reduction target by 2025 through education.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFollowing the MELC programme, it was found that students' awareness of low-carbon practices increased by 8% and teachers' awareness by 5%. The programme has also been proven to result in significant electricity and water savings in schools and to contribute to concrete carbon reduction by increasing recycling rates.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSprung, G., et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo increase awareness of sustainable technology among students aged 10\u0026ndash;18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCourses and workshops were organised to provide students and teachers with information and awareness on e-waste and sustainable technology.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGallotti, C. Et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo increase awareness and knowledge levels among primary school children and, indirectly, their parents, about environmental issues such as waste recycling and energy conservation; to develop the concept of sorting and collection through games, and to foster environmental responsibility.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGame-based approaches in environmental education have positively influenced both children's knowledge levels and families' home practices, revealing meaningful differences.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKayihan, K. S., \u0026amp; T\u0026ouml;n\u0026uuml;k, S. (2012).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvaluating waste and waste management practices in primary schools participating in the Eco-Schools International Programme in Istanbul.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study concluded that Eco-Schools' waste management efforts alone are not sufficient; for these efforts to be sustainable and widespread, they must be supported by formal recognition at the curriculum level, inter-institutional cooperation, and national-level dissemination policies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaddox, P., Doran, C., Williams, I. D., \u0026amp; Kus, M. (2011).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe THAW Project is a study that aims to measure the role of school-based waste education on household behaviour through intergenerational influence.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been proven that household recycling behaviour can be positively influenced through a practical school-based waste education model.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e's content analysis of environmental, sustainability, and recycling education at the elementary school level highlights how varied and application-focused environmental education is. The primary objectives of the examined studies have been to increase students' ecological understanding, environmental attitudes, and recycling/waste reduction behaviors. This scenario shows how environmental education in elementary schools has the capacity to change, combining theory and practice through an interdisciplinary approach with the ultimate goal of positioning the individual as an engaged environmental citizen. According to the research' findings, students' environmental awareness is positively and significantly impacted by game-based learning strategies, service-learning models, and school buildings built with sustainability in mind. Additionally, studies show that school-based interventions can alter domestic behavior through intergenerational effects, and that the family environment and parental education are crucial to the success of environmental education. Even in accredited institutions, the results show persistent deficiencies in education, highlighting the necessity of improving outdoor education and curriculum-level assistance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1.2 Findings regarding the methods of the articles\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings regarding the methods of the examined studies are presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen examining Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, 59% of the studies were quantitative, 33% were qualitative, and 8% employed mixed methods. The use of mixed methods, which combines qualitative and quantitative approaches in studies, reflects the need for a multidimensional approach and an in-depth understanding of the subject.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1.3 Findings regarding data collection tools\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings regarding the data collection tools used in the research are presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, surveys and scales, which are commonly used in quantitative research, have been employed in these studies. This supports Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e. This is because, when looking at Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, quantitative research carries more weight in the studies. However, the interviews and semi-structured interviews used in the research also reveal a desire for greater depth in schools on the topics of the environment, recycling, and sustainability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1.4 Findings related to data analysis in the research\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAraştırmaların veri analizine ilişkin bulgular şekil 7\u0026rsquo;de verilmiştir.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, in studies related to environmental, sustainability, and recycling education, content analysis is the most commonly used analysis method, while statistical tests and regression analyses are less preferred. Descriptive statistics and percentage calculations are also generally used to summarise the data within a general framework.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Findings Regarding the Most Effective Sources of the Studies Analyzed\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe sources of 24 studies that were published were examined. These sources are given in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequencies of the 10 Most Effective Sources\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSources\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArticles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvıronmental Educatıon Research\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternatıonal Journal of Envıronmental Research And Publıc Health\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11th Internatıonal Conference Of Educatıon, Research And Innovatıon (Icerı2018)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12th Internatıonal Conference Of Educatıon, Research And Innovatıon (Icerı2019)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14th Internatıonal Technology, Educatıon, And Development Conference (Inted2020)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClean Technologıes And Envıronmental Polıcy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducatıonal Scıences-Theory \\\u0026amp; Practıce\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEdulearn15: 7th Internatıonal Conference On Educatıon And New Learnıng Technologıes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvıronmental Engıneerıng And Management Journal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvıronmental Scıence And Pollutıon Research\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e is examined for article frequencies of the most influential sources in environmental education and related fields, \"Environmental Education Research\" and \"International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health\" stand out as the most cited sources with two articles each, while the 11th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation- ICERI2018, 12th ICERI2019, and 14th INTED2020 stand out with only 1 article each. Upon examining the journals, it becomes apparent that these sources are pioneers in various fields, indicating that environmental education studies are approached in a multidisciplinary manner within the educational process. The 10 most cited references, along with the number of citations, are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe 10 most cited sources and their citation numbers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSources\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAtıf\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvironmental Education Research\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Journal of Environmental Education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSustainability\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResources, Conservation, and Recycling\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnvironment and Behavior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJournal of Cleaner Production\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJournal of Environmental Psychology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWaste Management\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Journal of Environmental Education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJournal of Chemical Education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e shows the 10 most cited sources and their citation counts in environmental education and related fields. The most cited journal is \"Environmental Education Research\" with 47 citations, followed by \"The Journal of Environmental Education\" with 46 citations. \"Sustainability\" comes in third with 24 citations, followed by \"Resources, Conservation and Recycling\" (20 citations), \"Environment and Behavior\" (19 citations), \"Journal of Cleaner Production\" (17 citations), \"Journal of Environmental Psychology\" (17 citations), \"Waste Management\" (16 citations), \"The Journal of Environmental Education\" (11 citations), and \"Journal of Chemical Education\" (10 citations). Therefore, citations play an important role in addition to journal publications. Even if the journals have a small number of studies, the citations they receive increase their visibility in the relevant field.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Findings of the authors of the reviewed studies\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eEighty-seven authors contributed to 24 studies in environmental education and related fields, and their contributions to the studies were examined. Authors, number of studies, and article contributions are given in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors' studies and contributions to the articles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArticles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArticles Fractionalized\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParisa Izadpanahi\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRichard Tucker\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHaryanti Mohd Affandi\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJ. Alarcon Castro\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLuca Alessi\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmarumi Alwi\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJose C. Arrebola\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJavier Arturo Hall-Lopez\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOfira Ayalon\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmine Hande Aydos\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the contributions of the authors to the studies listed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e are analyzed, it is evident that Parisa Izadpanahi and Richard Tucker contributed to the environmental education literature with two studies, and their combined contribution in these studies is 0.83%. This value indicates that the authors were actively involved in the study. The other authors contributed only one study, with the highest impact factor observed for \"Alarcon Castro.\" The author published their work as a single author. Other authors were not first-authored in the studies and were involved in studies conducted with at least two other authors. The distribution of studies conducted by the authors, by year, is presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, when the distribution and impact of the authors' studies on the relevant topic by years are examined, it is seen that Parisa Izadpanahi and Richard Tucker's publications in 2017 are both more than those of other authors (size of the nodes) and have a significant impact on the literature (darkness of the colours). Ofira Ayalon's 2018 work also held a significant place, receiving a high number of citations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe number of publications in the organisations is shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of publications in organizations\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAffiliation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArticles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversity of Indonesia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducation University of Hong Kong\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversity of Alicante\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversity of Pavia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversiti Teknologi Malaysia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDeakin University\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHacettepe University\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAristotle University of Thessaloniki\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeit Berl College\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCSIR National Environmental Engineering Research Institute\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCurtin University\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn examination of the publications of institutions in environmental education and related fields, as presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, reveals that the University of Indonesia has the highest number of publications, with six articles. The University of Hong Kong, University of Alicante, University of Pavia, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia each contributed four articles; Deakin University and Hacettepe University each contributed three articles; and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Beit Berl College, CSIR National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, and Curtin University each contributed two articles on environmental education.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4 Findings from the Most Cited Articles in the Reviewed Studies\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe most cited articles in the reviewed studies reveal fundamental trends and academic influences in the field of research. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e presents the detailed findings of these highly cited studies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCitation information for the 10 most cited studies\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDOI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Citations\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTC per Year\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNormalized TC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaddox, P., Doran, C., Williams, I. D., \u0026amp; Kus, M. (2011). The role of intergenerational influence in waste education programmes: The THAW project. \u003cem\u003eWaste Management, 31\u003c/em\u003e(12), 2590\u0026ndash;2600. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.07.023\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.wasman.2011.07.023\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10,1016/j,wasman,2011,07,023\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10,1016/j,wasman,2011,07,023\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4,6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGoldman, D., Ayalon, O., Baum, D., \u0026amp; Weiss, B. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). The Influence of 'Green School Certification' on Students' Environmental Literacy and the Adoption of Sustainable Practices by Schools. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Cleaner Production, 183\u003c/em\u003e, 1309\u0026ndash;1313. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.176\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.176\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10,1016/j,jclepro,2018,02,176\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10,1016/j,jclepro,2018,02,176\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6,63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2,27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTucker, R., \u0026amp; Izadpanahi, P. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Live green, think green: Sustainable school architecture and children's environmental attitudes and behaviors. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Environmental Psychology, 51\u003c/em\u003e, 209\u0026ndash;216. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.04.003\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.04.003\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10,1016/j,jenvp,2017,04,003\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10,1016/j,jenvp,2017,04,003\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5,44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2,45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZorpas, A.A., Voukkali, I. \u0026amp; Loizia, P. Effectiveness of waste prevention program in primary students\u0026rsquo; schools (2017). \u003cem\u003eEnviron Sci Pollut Res. 24\u003c/em\u003e, 14304\u0026ndash;14311 \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8968-7\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1007/s11356-017-8968-7\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10,1007/s11356-017-8968-7\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10,1007/s11356-017-8968-7\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2,56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIzadpanahi, P., Elkadi, H., \u0026amp; Tucker, R. (2015). Greenhouse effect: The relationship between the sustainable design of schools and children's environmental attitudes. Environmental Education Research, 23(7), 901\u0026ndash;918. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1072137\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/13504622.2015.1072137\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10,1080/13504622,2015,1072137\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10,1080/13504622,2015,1072137\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2,56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRicoy, M.-C., \u0026amp; S\u0026aacute;nchez-Mart\u0026iacute;nez, C. (2022). Raising ecological awareness and digital literacy in primary school children through gamification. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19\u003c/em\u003e(3), 1149. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031149\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.3390/ijerph19031149\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10,3390/ijerph19031149\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10,3390/ijerph19031149\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4,75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCheung, Y. T.-Y., Chow, C.-F., \u0026amp; So, W. W.-M. (2018). A train-the-trainer design for green ambassadors in an environmental education programme on plastic waste recycling. \u003cem\u003eInternational Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 27\u003c/em\u003e(1), 24\u0026ndash;42. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2017.1285138\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/10382046.2017.1285138\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10,1080/10382046,2017,1285138\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10,1080/10382046,2017,1285138\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2,13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0,73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHerdiansyah, H., Brotosusilo, A., Negoro, H. A., Sari, R., \u0026amp; Zakianis, Z. (2021). 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Analysis of sustainability activities in Spanish elementary education textbooks. \u003cem\u003eSustainability, 11\u003c/em\u003e(19), 5182. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.3390/su11195182\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.3390/su11195182\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10,3390/su11195182\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10,3390/su11195182\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRamamoorthy, R., Poyyamoli, G., \u0026amp; Kumar, S. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Assessment of solid waste generation and management in selected school campuses in Puducherry region, India. \u003cem\u003eEnvironmental Engineering and Management Journal, 18\u003c/em\u003e(2), 499\u0026ndash;512. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.30638/eemj.2019.048\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.30638/eemj.2019.048\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.30638/eemj.2019.048\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.30638/eemj.2019.048\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0,71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the studies examined in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, the most cited study according to the total number of citations they received not only in a specific dataset but in all global citation databases such as Web of Science or Scopus is Maddox et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) \"The role of intergenerational influence in waste education programmes: The THAW Project\". It is noted that the annual citation average of this study is not particularly high. Goldman et al.'s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) study, \"Influence of 'green school certification' on students' environmental literacy and adoption of sustainable practice by schools,\" stands out with its higher annual citation rate, while Herdiansyah et al.'s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) study demonstrates the highest impact in terms of normalized citation values.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5 Findings regarding frequently used keywords in studies on the topic\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe word cloud of the keywords frequently used in 24 studies on the subject, along with the increase in their frequencies over the years, is given in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs can be seen in Figs.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003ea and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eb, when the keywords frequently used in environmental education and related fields are analyzed, the most frequently repeated words are \"environmental education\" (eight instances), followed by \"education\" and \"sustainable development\" (seven instances each). \"Children\" and \"recycling\" appeared 5 times each, \"sustainability\" appeared 4 times, and \"environmental\" and \"primary education\" each appeared 3 times. \"Attitudes,\" \"behavior,\" \"buildings,\" and \"behaviors\" appear two times each. An examination of the use of these words by year reveals that the keyword \"Environmental education\" was first used in 2011, but is still in use. Another frequently used keyword in recent years, \"sustainable development,\" gained prominence after 2016. The thematic table for the network structure and topicality of the co-use of these words is given in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the relationships between the keywords used in the studies analysed in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e are examined, \"environmental education\", \"education\", and \"sustainable development\" stand out as the biggest nodes, and it is seen that these terms are the most used and central topics in the studies. The word \"environmental education\" was frequently used with the keywords \"children,\" \"knowledge,\" and \"managment\"; the word \"education\" was frequently used with the keywords \"enviromental attitudes,\" \"buildings,\" \"pedagogy,\" and \"behaviors,\" and the keyword \"sustainable development\" was frequently used with the keyword \"attitudes.\"\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn examination of the thematic structure of the words reveals that the most frequently used words are \"environmental,\" \"primary education,\" and \"behaviors.\" The term \"elementary school,\" however, appears to have lost its relevance and frequency as a keyword. The terms \"environmental education,\" \"recycling,\" and \"sustainable development\" are frequently used, but they appear to have lost their relevance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.6 Findings of collaborative network analysis by journals/sources\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe citation analysis map, organized by the journals in which the studies were published, is presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig11\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig11\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e shows the citation map of the joint network analysis created based on journals/sources related to environmental education. \"Environmental Education Research\" appears as a central node, representing the central focus of the field. The links radiating from this central node represent relationships with different journals and resources, while the colors green, blue, and red appear as clusters. Green nodes represent a network structure with journals such as Journal of Environmental Education, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, Profesorado, Society \u0026amp; Natural Resources, and Journal of Applied Social Psychology, demonstrating that disciplines such as environmental education, geographic environmental research, social psychology, and educational pedagogy conduct interconnected studies. Red nodes form a network structure with journals such as Journal of Cleaner Production, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Waste Management \u0026amp; Research, and Global Environmental Change, demonstrating that practical and application-oriented topics such as sustainability, waste management, and global environmental change are central. Blue nodes interact with each other in journals such as Science, the International Journal of Science Education, the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Frontiers in Psychology, and the Proceedings of the Social Behavior. It has been observed that psychological approaches to environmental education serve as the foundation for these studies. The map demonstrates the flexibility of the area and the effective incorporation of interdisciplinary connections in the study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThere are many uses for the transdisciplinary research on environmental education in elementary schools. After locating papers that were significant to education and primary schools, the researcher conducted analysis using the Web of Science database. The analysis revealed that publications like \"Environmental Education Research\" and \"The Journal of Environmental Education\" are notable in the field in terms of both publication frequency and citation count. \"Environmental Education Research\" is the most referenced journal with 47 citations, indicating its critical role in developing the discipline's theoretical foundation. The high citation counts of \"Sustainability\" (24 citations) and \"Resources, Conservation and Recycling\" (20 citations) demonstrate that environmental education is not only an academic field but also a topic with practical answers. According to a content analysis of 24 studies on environmental, sustainability, and recycling education at the primary school level, environmental education has developed into an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented field with the aim of promoting ecological awareness, environmental attitudes, and responsible behaviors among students. The findings show that pedagogical approaches including game-based learning, service-learning models, and the development of sustainable school environments have a favorable effect on students' environmental literacy and sustainable behaviors. The studies also show how important parental education is and how it affects families, showing how environmental education in schools may help families across generations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom a methodological standpoint, the prevalence of quantitative research suggests a trend toward using standardized instruments like surveys and scales to measure environmental knowledge and attitudes. Nonetheless, the incorporation of mixed-method and qualitative research indicates a rising interest in delving deeper into the perspectives and experiences of educators and students. Notwithstanding these encouraging advancements, the results also point to current flaws, especially in outdoor education and curriculum integration, highlighting the necessity of more institutional cooperation and systematic policy support to guarantee the long-term viability and efficacy of environmental education programs in elementary schools. An study of author contributions reveals that Parisa Izadpanahi and Richard Tucker stand out with two studies, demonstrating their active involvement in environmental education literature. Even while collaborative contributions to the topic are typical in research initiatives, there are also single-authored works such as Alarcon Castro's. A breakdown by year reveals that Izadpanahi and Tucker's 2017 publications represent a turning point in the literature. The 2018 work by Ofira Ayalon, which also received numerous citations, is another significant contribution. With six publications, the University of Indonesia tops the institution in environmental education research. With four works apiece, the Education University of Hong Kong, University of Alicante, University of Pavia, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia show that academic institutions in Asia and Europe are contributing significantly to this topic. This diversity shows that environmental education is being tackled as a global issue and is enhanced by contributions from various cultural backgrounds. When looking at many databases, the most cited papers are Maddox et al.'s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) study with its total number of citations and Goldman et al.'s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) study with its high annual citation average. Herdiansyah et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e)'s high normalized citation values emphasize the importance of studies that have a major impact fast. The significance of topics like school-based sustainability, family influence, and the transformation of environmental awareness into behavior supports the broad impact of environmental education, which extends from the individual to society (Maddox et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Herdiansyah et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Furthermore, the development of contemporary approaches like gamification and digital literacy demonstrates that the field is open to pedagogical innovations and adapts to contemporary trends (Ricoy \u0026amp; S\u0026aacute;nchez-Mart\u0026iacute;nez, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The study revealed that terms like \"environmental education,\" \"education,\" and \"sustainable development\" were essential, with \"sustainable development\" emerging after 2016 and \"environmental education\" continuing since 2011. The increasing prevalence of terms like \"environmental,\" \"primary education,\" and \"behaviors\" indicates a shift toward practical research. Multidisciplinary research is encouraged by keywords such as \"environmental education\" and \"children\" and \"management,\" \"environmental attitudes\" and \"behaviors,\" and \"sustainable development\" and \"attitudes.\"\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe combined network analysis map's network structure revolves around \"environmental education research.\" The green cluster focuses on theoretical and pedagogical studies, the red cluster on application-oriented research, and the blue cluster on transdisciplinary and psychological methods. However, each group demonstrates how environmental education connects with disciplines like environmental science, psychology, and sustainability. These results underline the importance of environmental education at all educational levels by enabling researchers to approach the topic holistically, considering both theoretical and practical elements. New strategies can be developed by incorporating digital tools and innovative methods such as gamification into their studies to further reach lower-level grades in integrating this globally important topic into the educational process. Environmental education policies can be revised by considering the success of institutions from diverse geographies, such as the University of Indonesia and the Education University of Hong Kong, and by taking cultural factors into account. Researchers conducting research on this topic can shape their literature by specifically utilizing key keywords and key studies obtained in the findings.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledge\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtificial intelligence is utilized in Figure 1.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRelevant data are included in the article, and publications are available on the Web of Science.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was no funding for this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable. This study did not involve experiments on animals or humans. \u0026lsquo;Clinical trial number: not applicable.\u0026rsquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe article has a single author. It is entirely the author's own work.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAhmadi S, Khankeh H, Sahaf R, Dalvandi A, Hosseini SA, Jalilvand S. (2018). 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Sage; 2018.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKoutsos TM, Menexes GC, Balampekou EI, Oikonomou A. (2021). University students\u0026rsquo; perception of the factors affecting preschool and primary students\u0026rsquo; recycling behaviour as a tool to improve environmental education in the university curriculum \u003cem\u003ePsyEcology\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e12\u003c/em\u003e(2), 125\u0026ndash;176.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMacGill B. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority (ACARA)\u0026mdash;holding responsibility: the arts curriculum and the cross-curriculum priorities. Curriculum Perspect. 2022;42(2):185\u0026ndash;9.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaddox P, Doran C, Williams ID, Kus M. The role of intergenerational influence in waste education programmes: The THAW project. Waste Manag. 2011;31(12):2590\u0026ndash;600. ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.07.023.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMani ZA, Khorram-Manesh A, Goniewicz K. Global health emergencies of extreme drought events: Historical impacts and future preparedness. Atmosphere. 2024;15(9):1137. ttps://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15091137.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMart\u0026iacute;nez-Medina R, Arrebola JC. Analysis of sustainability activities in Spanish elementary education textbooks. Sustainability. 2019;11(19):5182. ttps://doi.org/10.3390/su11195182.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMinistry of Education. Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. (2017). Curriculum Guidelines for Integrated Studies.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNational Council of Educational Research and Training. India. 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Retrieved from \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://www.undrr.org/terminology\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://www.undrr.org/terminology\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003evan Eck NJ, Waltman L. Visualizing Bibliometric Networks. In: Ding Y, Rousseau R, Wolfram D, editors. Measuring Scholarly Impact. Cham: Springer; 2014. ttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10377-8_13.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZorpas AA, Voukkali I, Loizia P. Effectiveness of waste prevention program in primary students\u0026rsquo; schools. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2017;24(16):14304\u0026ndash;11.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"education, environment, environmental education, life science, primary school, sustainability, sustainable development goals (SDGs)","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9003662/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9003662/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study critically examines the need for education to address global ecological and social issues by providing a thorough bibliometric map and a content analysis of academic research on environmental, sustainability, and recycling education at the primary school level. Early environmental education is essential for the development of the ecological literacy and responsible citizenship needed for a resilient and sustainable future. To do this, 147 studies published in the Web of Science database during the preceding fifteen years were located. Studies pertaining to primary education were carefully examined before being submitted for bibliometric and content analysis. It has been demonstrated that the research focuses more on increasing students' environmental attitudes, ecological consciousness, and recycling/waste reduction-related behaviors. The Journal of Environmental Education and Research is the most frequently cited and important source, indicating its critical importance in academic discourse and knowledge transmission. The results show that this discipline focuses on comprehensive sustainability frameworks rather than discrete ecological challenges and is largely characterized by key phrases like \"environmental education\" and \"sustainable development.\" The paper provides an evidence-based structural overview of collaborative networks and methodological techniques, focused mostly on transdisciplinary and practical projects. These findings are crucial for detecting significant research gaps and emerging theme orientations in order to maximize global curriculum design. This mapping provides useful information for researchers, educators, and legislators who want to support sustainable education programs and accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the elementary school level.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"An In-Depth Analysis of Environmental, Sustainability and Recycling Education in Primary Schools","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-25 10:51:02","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9003662/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-08T07:25:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-27T05:14:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"211071619766877053616800610559626765531","date":"2026-04-15T07:31:17+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"105315572562853967494291333999679626318","date":"2026-03-30T12:41:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-30T10:29:49+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"22051290131650185971842770977066637148","date":"2026-03-22T19:23:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-20T17:27:53+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-20T17:10:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-19T13:45:41+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-14T21:12:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Sustainability","date":"2026-03-14T21:07:07+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"2a200e41-229c-4093-9ff5-8d0d8e7c266c","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 25th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-08T07:25:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-08T07:40:34+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-25 10:51:02","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9003662","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9003662","identity":"rs-9003662","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}