Vol. 3 - 2026
The study aimed at investigating the relationship between the pedagogical practices, quality learning environment and sustainability literacy of teachers and the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in pre-primary schools in Lagos State by UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Although the world has been focused on ESD, there is little empirical evidence regarding how sustainability concepts are being applied in early childhood classrooms, including in the classroom environment and teaching practices in Lagoes State. Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The sample consisted of 180 pre-primary teachers of public and private schools in Lagos State selected using multistage sampling procedure. Three researcher-made instruments were used to gather data: Teachers' Pedagogical Practices for Sustainability Scale (r=.82), Learning Environment Sustainability Checklist (r=.79), and Sustainability Literacy Test (r=.86). The three instruments were validated for content and face validity and reliability index of Cronbach alpha was .793 for the entire scale. Mean, Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used for data analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Teachers’ practices, literacy, environments significantly influence sustainable education implementation effectiveness. A significant positive correlation was found between the variables (r = .61, p < .05), which explained 48% of the variance in ESD implementation (R² = .48). The study revealed that there is a need for sustainability literacy and classroom environments to be improved for effective implementation of ESD. It suggests that teachers should engage in professional development, as well as improve the curriculum and provide contextually relevant learning materials.
Early childhood education, sustainable development,, pedagogical practices, learning environment,
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