The Journal of The Korean Association of Geographic and Environmental Education ISSN:1226-511X(Print) 2586-5641(Online) 한국지리환경교육학회지

This study systematically analyzed 86 elementary environmental and ecological education programs implemented in Korea between 2015 and 2025, employing a four-dimensional framework encompassing values and orientation, content structure, practice and experience, and implementation and operational structure. The findings indicate that Korean elementary environmental and ecological education programs have accumulated evidence of effectiveness primarily centered on fostering environmental–ecological literacy, while more recent programs show a gradual expansion of objectives toward ecological sensitivity and citizenship. In terms of content structure, instructional model–driven reconfiguration was prominent, with integrated, experiential, and STEAM-based convergence programs constituting the dominant approaches. At the level of practice and experience, activity-based instruction was widely adopted; nevertheless, learning experiences tended to remain concentrated in classroom-based indirect inquiry, with limited extension into community contexts and students’ everyday life-worlds. Regarding implementation and operational structure, programs were largely concentrated in upper grades, implemented over mid- to long-term duration, and predominantly reliant on quantitative evaluation methods, while vertical articulation across grade levels was largely absent. By applying a four-dimensional analytical framework, this study provides an integrated perspective on program goals, content, experiential design, and operational conditions, and offers structural implications for advancing the practical design of ecological transformation education at the elementary level.