Teacher-Led Initiatives in Promoting Environmental Education in Kindergartens: A Case Study in Hong Kong

Abstract

Environmental Education (EE) has become an increasingly important component of early childhood education as educators are expected to nurture children's environmental awareness, sustainable behaviours, and ecological responsibility from an early age. Despite the growing emphasis on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), empirical evidence examining how teacher-led professional development facilitates the successful integration of EE into kindergarten curricula remains limited, particularly within highly urbanised educational contexts such as Hong Kong. Addressing this research gap, this study investigated the effectiveness of a collaborative teacher-led EE initiative in enhancing teachers' environmental knowledge, instructional confidence, curriculum integration, and children's environmental learning outcomes. A mixed-methods case study incorporating action research principles was conducted over seven months in a Hong Kong kindergarten. Six teachers participated in a structured professional development programme consisting of environmental education workshops, collaborative lesson planning, classroom implementation, lesson evaluation, reflective discussions, and ongoing mentoring. Quantitative data were collected using pre- and post-intervention questionnaires measuring teachers' environmental knowledge, awareness, confidence, and instructional practices. Qualitative data were obtained through classroom observations, lesson plans, reflective field notes, teacher discussions, and children's learning artefacts. Descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, correlation analyses, and thematic analysis were employed to analyse the data. The findings demonstrated significant improvements in teachers' environmental knowledge, instructional confidence, and readiness to integrate EE across multiple curriculum themes. Collaborative lesson planning and continuous professional support enhanced teachers' pedagogical competence, resulting in more interactive, inquiry-based, and experiential learning activities. Classroom observations further indicated positive changes in children's environmental awareness, curiosity, participation, and environmentally responsible behaviours. Nevertheless, persistent challenges were identified, including limited instructional resources, insufficient time allocation, and teachers' uncertainty when introducing complex environmental concepts. This study contributes to the emerging literature on teacher professional development in Environmental Education by demonstrating that sustained collaborative support, rather than one-off training, plays a critical role in strengthening teachers' pedagogical capacity for implementing EE in early childhood settings. The findings provide practical recommendations for policymakers, curriculum developers, and teacher educators seeking to strengthen Education for Sustainable Development through systematic professional learning and collaborative curriculum innovation in kindergarten education.