NECESSARY COMPETENCES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS FOR IMPLEMENTING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH LITERATURE

Quality initial education of early childhood educators implies the acquisition of the necessary competencies in different areas of action to adequately respond to the challenges of early childhood practices. One of these areas is an extremely important and demanding area of education for sustainable development. Competencies for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and pedagogical competencies of early childhood educators are crucial for the educational process. According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) goals, qualified educators are recognized as key agents of change in the system of early and preschool education. It is therefore clear that the quality of their education and professional development is a key prerequisite for the advancement of existing practices within the education system.

For an educator to carry out sustainable development activities at all, one must have specific knowledge and understanding of the concept of sustainable development first. An educator who understands the connection between ecology (ecological dimension) with economic development (economic dimension) and the well-being of all people (social dimension), can encourage children’s research activities on sustainable development, learning by doing, discussing, gaining experience, and creating mutual conclusions. An educator, through his methods and way of thinking, becomes children’s learning model and can develop a responsible relationship with nature in children, but also develop the awareness that environmental development has an impact on economic development, and the importance of involving parents and other adults in sustainability.

The aim of the study is to analyse research articles regarding education for sustainable development in early childhood education, where the main respondents were early childhood educators. For this purpose, the following research questions were asked:
(I) What is the conceptual definition of sustainable development and education for sustainable development in research articles;
(II) What methods are used to research the competences (knowledge, attitudes, and skills) of early childhood educators in the field of Education for Sustainable Development;
(III) What are the major research results?

The main results indicate that there is still inconsistency in the conceptual definition of sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development is viewed through three interrelated dimensions – environmental, economic, and social. The methodology used in the research is equally represented, both qualitatively and quantitatively. It seems there is still an insufficient number of studies related to the self-assessment of educators' competence to implement Education for Sustainable Development in their practice in preschool and kindergarten settings.

Acknowledgement:
This work is supported by the University of Rijeka with the project no. uniri-pr-drustv-19-19 1500. Providit.