Resumen

GEDULD, Deidre  y  OKOYE, Felix. Encouraging eco-pedagogical awareness through play amongst early childhood development educators: A reflection on the South African context. Journal of Education [online]. 2026, n.103, pp.100-117. ISSN 2520-9868.  https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i103a06.

Amidst South Africa's ecological crisis and the Early Childhood Development (ECD) to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) structural shift, pedagogical approaches for the 0-4 age cohort require re-evaluation. Current practices often prioritise modern formal instruction aspirations over play, which undermines the cognitive development proclivity of children interacting with nature, while leaving educators ill-equipped to foster environmental consciousness in underprivileged contexts. In this study, we explore how play-based pedagogy can serve as a transformative tool for fostering eco-pedagogical awareness and environmental agency among ECD educators and children. The study focuses on resource-constrained South African educational environments in which socio-economic inequality exacerbates a disconnection from nature. Grounded in a critical pedagogical paradigm, the study employed a five-step systematic qualitative review. Thirty core sources from the Global South and Southern African Development Community (SADC) region were synthesised to identify pedagogical possibilities in South African ECD. Findings reveal that eco-pedagogy is marginalised in local training. What is known as eco-pedagogical competence is a neglected teacher attribute yet play offers a biocentric entry point for learners to engage with nature as a co-teacher rather than as a mere resource. The study thus concludes that fostering ecological justice requires a conceptual shift from that required for a resource-driven response. We recommend including the notion of Indigenous Generativity into formal educator training and framing eco-pedagogy as a fundamental children's right under Section 24 of the Constitution to ensure that environmental stewardship becomes a cornerstone of quality early education.

Palabras clave : agency; eco-pedagogy; transformative education; early childhood education; play-based learning; environmental ethics.

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