Eco-anxietyNCT07909057
Eco-STEAM Education and Eco-Anxiety in Primary School Children
A study testing Eco-STEAM Educational Programme in people with Eco-anxiety, run by İSTANBUL 29 MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİ at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
This study examined changes in environmental worry and related feelings among second-grade primary school children who participated in an Eco-STEAM educational programme in Istanbul, Turkey. Eco-STEAM combines ecology activities with science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 7 to 8 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Eco-anxiety
- What is being tested?
- Eco-STEAM Educational Programme
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 62 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 7 Apr 2025to 20 Jun 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 7 to 8 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Enrolled in one of the two participating second-grade classes at the study school in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Parent or legal guardian consent for participation.
- Child assent to participate.
Who cannot join
- No additional exclusion criteria were applied.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
İstanbul 29 Mayıs Üniversitesi
Istanbul, Ümraniye, 34764
About this study
Official title: Eco-STEAM Vs. Eco-Anxiety: Examining STEAM-Based Ecology Activities in Primary School
This study examined changes in environmental worry and related feelings among second-grade primary school children who participated in an Eco-STEAM educational programme in Istanbul, Turkey. Eco-STEAM combines ecology activities with science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The main questions were:
Read more
- Did children's eco-anxiety scores change from before to after the programme within each group?
- Did the programme group and the comparison group differ in eco-anxiety scores before or after the programme?
The study included 62 children in two existing classes. One class of 30 children participated in the Eco-STEAM programme, while the other class of 32 children continued its usual classroom instruction. The classes were not assigned randomly.
Children in the Eco-STEAM group participated in 18 activities over eight weeks, with three class periods on one day each week. Activities included observing nature, exploring the water cycle, making a windsors, building miniature ecosystem models and creating art with natural materials.
Children in both groups completed the nine-item Children's Eco-Anxiety Scale before and after the programme. The questionnaire asked about environmental worry, fear, sadness and related feelings. Scores were compared within and between the groups.
Read the detailed description
Environmental education can increase children's awareness of ecological threats while providing opportunities to explore their concerns through observation, creative expression and practical activities. This study examined the emotional dimension of an ecology-based STEAM programme delivered within a primary-school setting. The programme was designed to support environmental learning through STEAM activities. It was not designed to diagnose or treat a mental disorder, and the questionnaire was used to assess self-reported environmental concerns rather than establish a clinical diagnosis.
A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control-group pretest-posttest design was used. Two intact classes at the same school were assigned to the study conditions according to school administration arrangements and teacher willingness to participate. Existing class structures were maintained, and allocation was not random.
The researcher delivered the programme with the classroom teacher participating as an assistant and observer. Sessions took place in the classroom, school garden and a nearby park. Activities connected ecological observation and inquiry with tool making, design, artistic representation and mathematical comparisons. The emphasis on individual STEAM components varied across activities. Brief reflective discussions provided opportunities for children to share observations and feelings. Prepared activity plans guided implementation, and the researcher recorded brief observation notes after each session. Including information meetings and assessments, the overall study procedure lasted ten weeks.
The comparison class continued routine textbook-based instruction addressing environmental objectives in the existing curriculum and received no additional environmental education programme.
Before the intervention phase, the measurement instrument was developed and examined in a separate sample of 218 primary-school students. This preparatory sample is distinct from the 62 participants in the intervention study and is not included in its registered enrolment.
The analysis used descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests for comparisons between groups at each assessment and paired-samples t-tests for changes within each group. Effect sizes were also calculated. The analyses did not directly test a between-group difference in change over time or account for classroom clustering. With one class per condition, differences related to the programme cannot be separated from classroom or teacher characteristics. Accordingly, a statistically significant change within one group alone was not interpreted as evidence of superiority over the comparison condition.
This record describes the study as conducted. Registration occurred after data collection and analysis; it does not constitute prospective registration of the study procedures or analysis plan.
- Conditions
- Eco-anxiety
- Being tested
- Eco-STEAM Educational Programme
- Keywords
- Eco-anxiety, Eco-STEAM, Primary school children, Environmental education
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Eco-STEAM Educational ProgrammeBehavioural
An ecology-based educational programme integrating science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics through nature observation, inquiry, tool making, modelling and artistic expression. Activities included exploring the water cycle, constructing windsors, creating miniature ecosystem models and working with natural materials. The researcher delivered the programme with the classroom teacher assisting and observing. Sessions used classroom, school-garden and nearby-park settings and included brief reflective discussions.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Eco-STEAM Educational Programme | Experimental | Participants received an eight-week Eco-STEAM educational programme comprising 18 activities, delivered on one day per week for three class periods. Activities integrated ecology with science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Receives: Behavioral: Eco-STEAM Educational Programme |
| Routine Classroom Instruction | No intervention | Participants continued routine textbook-based classroom instruction addressing environmental objectives in the existing curriculum. No additional educational programme was provided as part of the study. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Children's Eco-Anxiety Scale (CEAS-9) Total Score From Baseline to Post-intervention
Eco-anxiety was assessed using the nine-item Children's Eco-Anxiety Scale (CEAS-9), developed in Turkish for this study. Each item is scored from 1 (never) to 3 (always). Total scores range from 9 to 27, with higher scores indicating more frequently reported environmental worry, fear, sadness and related negative feelings. No items are reverse-scored. The scale has no validated diagnostic cut-off. Total scores were assessed before and after the programme in both groups. A decrease in total score indicates a reduction in self-reported eco-anxiety.
Measured: Baseline (before the programme) and post-intervention (after the eight-week programme).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Nov 2026
- Study start7 Apr 2025
- Primary completion20 Jun 2025
- Study completion20 Jun 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Eco-anxietyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Two intact second-grade classes at the same primary school participated in a non-randomized, parallel-group study. One class received the Eco-STEAM educational programme (30 participants), while the other continued routine classroom instruction (32 participants). Class assignment followed school administration arrangements and teacher willingness to participate. Both groups completed pretest and posttest assessments.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 62 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- İSTANBUL 29 MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİ
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Lütfullah Çelikten, İSTANBUL 29 MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİ
- Investigators
- Lütfullah Çelikten, Dr., Principal investigator, İstanbul 29 Mayıs Üniversitesi
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07909057
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 29MU-EF-01
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 26 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 2 Nov 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Nov 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Eco-STEAM Vs. Eco-Anxiety: Examining STEAM-Based Ecology Activities in Primary School
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07909057
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 29MU-EF-01
- Conditions
- Eco-anxiety
- Keywords
- Eco-anxiety, Eco-STEAM, Primary school children, Environmental education
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 62 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- İSTANBUL 29 MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 7 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 20 Jun 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 20 Jun 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Nov 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study examined changes in environmental worry and related feelings among second-grade primary school children who participated in an Eco-STEAM educational programme in Istanbul, Turkey. Eco-STEAM combines ecology activities with science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The main questions were:
- Did children's eco-anxiety scores change from before to after the programme within each group?
- Did the programme group and the comparison group differ in eco-anxiety scores before or after the programme?
The study included 62 children in two existing classes. One class of 30 children participated in the Eco-STEAM programme, while the other class of 32 children continued its usual classroom instruction. The classes were not assigned randomly.
Children in the Eco-STEAM group participated in 18 activities over eight weeks, with three class periods on one day each week. Activities included observing nature, exploring the water cycle, making a windsors, building miniature ecosystem models and creating art with natural materials.
Children in both groups completed the nine-item Children's Eco-Anxiety Scale before and after the programme. The questionnaire asked about environmental worry, fear, sadness and related feelings. Scores were compared within and between the groups.
Detailed description
Environmental education can increase children's awareness of ecological threats while providing opportunities to explore their concerns through observation, creative expression and practical activities. This study examined the emotional dimension of an ecology-based STEAM programme delivered within a primary-school setting. The programme was designed to support environmental learning through STEAM activities. It was not designed to diagnose or treat a mental disorder, and the questionnaire was used to assess self-reported environmental concerns rather than establish a clinical diagnosis.
A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control-group pretest-posttest design was used. Two intact classes at the same school were assigned to the study conditions according to school administration arrangements and teacher willingness to participate. Existing class structures were maintained, and allocation was not random.
The researcher delivered the programme with the classroom teacher participating as an assistant and observer. Sessions took place in the classroom, school garden and a nearby park. Activities connected ecological observation and inquiry with tool making, design, artistic representation and mathematical comparisons. The emphasis on individual STEAM components varied across activities. Brief reflective discussions provided opportunities for children to share observations and feelings. Prepared activity plans guided implementation, and the researcher recorded brief observation notes after each session. Including information meetings and assessments, the overall study procedure lasted ten weeks.
The comparison class continued routine textbook-based instruction addressing environmental objectives in the existing curriculum and received no additional environmental education programme.
Before the intervention phase, the measurement instrument was developed and examined in a separate sample of 218 primary-school students. This preparatory sample is distinct from the 62 participants in the intervention study and is not included in its registered enrolment.
The analysis used descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests for comparisons between groups at each assessment and paired-samples t-tests for changes within each group. Effect sizes were also calculated. The analyses did not directly test a between-group difference in change over time or account for classroom clustering. With one class per condition, differences related to the programme cannot be separated from classroom or teacher characteristics. Accordingly, a statistically significant change within one group alone was not interpreted as evidence of superiority over the comparison condition.
This record describes the study as conducted. Registration occurred after data collection and analysis; it does not constitute prospective registration of the study procedures or analysis plan.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Two intact second-grade classes at the same primary school participated in a non-randomized, parallel-group study. One class received the Eco-STEAM educational programme (30 participants), while the other continued routine classroom instruction (32 participants). Class assignment followed school administration arrangements and teacher willingness to participate. Both groups completed pretest and posttest assessments.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Eco-STEAM Educational Programme | Experimental | Behavioral: Eco-STEAM Educational ProgrammeParticipants received an eight-week Eco-STEAM educational programme comprising 18 activities, delivered on one day per week for three class periods. Activities integrated ecology with science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. |
| Routine Classroom Instruction | No intervention | –Participants continued routine textbook-based classroom instruction addressing environmental objectives in the existing curriculum. No additional educational programme was provided as part of the study. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 7 to 8 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Enrolled in one of the two participating second-grade classes at the study school in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Parent or legal guardian consent for participation.
- Child assent to participate.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- No additional exclusion criteria were applied.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Eco-STEAM Educational ProgrammeAn ecology-based educational programme integrating science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics through nature observation, inquiry, tool making, modelling and artistic expression. Activities included exploring the water cycle, constructing windsors, creating miniature ecosystem models and working with natural materials. The researcher delivered the programme with the classroom teacher assisting and observing. Sessions used classroom, school-garden and nearby-park settings and included brief reflective discussions. | Behavioural | Eco-STEAM Educational Programme |
Primary outcome
Change in Children's Eco-Anxiety Scale (CEAS-9) Total Score From Baseline to Post-intervention
Time frame: Baseline (before the programme) and post-intervention (after the eight-week programme).
Eco-anxiety was assessed using the nine-item Children's Eco-Anxiety Scale (CEAS-9), developed in Turkish for this study. Each item is scored from 1 (never) to 3 (always). Total scores range from 9 to 27, with higher scores indicating more frequently reported environmental worry, fear, sadness and related negative feelings. No items are reverse-scored. The scale has no validated diagnostic cut-off. Total scores were assessed before and after the programme in both groups. A decrease in total score indicates a reduction in self-reported eco-anxiety.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Nov 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Lütfullah Çelikten, Dr. principal investigator
İstanbul 29 Mayıs Üniversitesi
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Eco-STEAM Educational Programme in people with Eco-anxiety, run by İSTANBUL 29 MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİ at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Nov 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Children's Eco-Anxiety Scale (CEAS-9) Total Score From Baseline to Post-intervention (time frame: Baseline (before the programme) and post-intervention (after the eight-week programme).). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Nov 2026.