An Examination of the Effect of AFAD Training on Pre-Service Teachers' Sustainable Development Awareness within the ‘Sustainable Development and Education’ Course

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of AFAD education on the sustainable development awareness levels of pre-service teachers taking the “Sustainable Development and Education” course using the Sustainable Development Awareness Scale. A true experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group was employed. The study sample consisted of 48 pre-service teachers assigned to experimental and control groups. The data were analyzed using Student’s t-tests. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of the pre-service teachers who received AFAD education. While the scores of the participants who received AFAD education in the Environmental–Ethical and Communal-Social sub-dimensions of the scale indicated a high level of sustainable development awareness, no significant difference was found in the Environmental–Economic sub-dimension. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the “Sustainable Development and Education” course in faculties of education be delivered through a broader practice-based approach, that collaborations with expert institutions such as AFAD be systematized, and that these trainings be made accessible to all pre-service teachers. Future studies are recommended to be conducted with larger sample groups. © 2026, Ankara University. All rights reserved.