Formation of Ecological Culture Among Primary School Students Through Uzbek Folk Ecology

Environmental degradation has become one of the most pressing global challenges of the twenty-first century, necessitating urgent integration of ecological education into formal schooling systems from the earliest stages. This study investigates the effectiveness of incorporating Uzbek folk ecology including proverbs, folk sayings, customs, rituals, and ethno-pedagogical traditions as a pedagogical instrument for cultivating ecological culture among primary school students in Uzbekistan. Employing a quasi-experimental design involving 240 students (aged 7–10) from four primary schools in Tashkent and Namangan regions during the 2023–2024 academic year, the research applied pedagogical experiment, structured observation, questionnaire surveys, semi-structured interviews, and comparative statistical analysis. Pre-test and post-test assessments revealed that students in the experimental group, who received instruction integrating folk ecological knowledge, demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in ecological awareness, ecological behaviour, and ecological responsibility compared to the control group.