A study on how to implement sustainable development education in the curriculum of technical and vocational education (Case study: the field of mechatronics)

It was a mixed exploratory research in which the research tools were developed. The main purpose of the study was to determine how to include the components of sustainable development in the technical and vocational education curriculum (in this study, mechatronics curriculum). For this purpose, first the research topic was examined with a limited number of participants (five persons). Then, qualitative findings were used as a guide to formulate questions and scales for quantitative survey. These tools were used quantitatively and they were validated. A questionnaire consisting of 6 components of sustainable development including 30 items was prepared based on the comments of the individuals. It was completed by 26 prospective teachers of mechanics, electronics and vocational computer who were selected considering certain conditions. The responses were analyzed using inferential statistics. First, the normality of the data distribution was investigated through Kalmogorov- Smiranov Test. Having an ordinal scale, one-sample t-test was used for the data analysis. Also, semi-structured interview and observation method were used. Findings highlighted the fact that six components of sustainable development including »consumption reduction, material re-use, material renovation, material recycling, material repairing and perspective rethinking« could be easily included in the technical and vocational curriculum.