Environmental literacy readiness of preservice biology teachers in the context of wetland ecosystems to support SDG 4

Abstract

Environmental literacy is an essential competency for supporting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, particularly in fostering quality education that promotes sustainability awareness and responsible environmental action. As future educators, pre-service biology teachers are expected to possess adequate environmental literacy to integrate sustainability principles into biology learning. This study aimed to examine the environmental literacy readiness of pre-service biology teachers as a foundation for integrating sustainability principles into future biology teaching, using wetland ecosystems as a contextual learning setting aligned with SDG 4. A quantitative descriptive survey design was employed involving 42 fourth-semester pre-service biology teachers. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using an Environmental Literacy Readiness Questionnaire consisting of four dimensions: environmental knowledge, cognitive skills, environmental attitudes, and pro-environmental behavior. The instrument met validity requirements (r>0.397) and demonstrated very high reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.987). The results indicated that all four dimensions of environmental literacy scored above 80%, indicating a very high level of environmental literacy readiness among pre-service biology teachers. The overall readiness index reached 82.38%, indicating a very high level of readiness. These findings suggest that pre-service biology teachers are well-positioned to support sustainability-oriented biology education and contribute to the achievement of SDG 4 through wetland-based learning.