Ecological Culture and Critical Thinking: Building of a Sustainable Future

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

see attached file

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your valuable comments that allowed me to take a fresh look at my text, which provided me with invaluable help in finalizing the article.

Comment:
Line 60-64: This perception of the role of the media is extremely positive. It should be briefly discussed that, in particular, a lot of misinformation and fake news is being spread on some social networks, which are counterproductive for promoting sustainable behavior and consumption. (see also the sentence in lines 495-496).
Answer: This remark is taken into account. The discussion of Fake News is included in the text.

Comment:
In lines 75-82, the author discusses the need to include non-traditional aspects, such as ethics, culture and empathy, in environmental and sustainable education. Unfortunately,
these criteria are not included in the Cultural Ecological Model in the future. It is recommended to discuss this in the discussion section.

Answer: In the Discashn section, a semantic block about the ethical aspects of sustainable development is briefly introduced. The necessary links have been made.

Comment:
Lines 210-216 explain that 250 residents of Yekaterinburg were selected and divided into three groups depending on their age. How are these people found? What is their social status? Only scientists and students?
Answer: Additional information has been added to the Methodology section.

Comment:
The third chapter (results) may be shortened because it is too detailed.
Answer: This section in its original form was even longer. I left only the most necessary information regarding the research before submitting the article.

Comment: Respondents' awareness is amazing. Even level 1 people are well aware of environmental issues. Are there really no people who ignore environmental problems? In Western societies, at least 10-20% deny that climate change can be a problem, and there is no reason to change the way of life. This can be a serious limitation in the fact that respondents report themselves and can give the answers that those who ask questions want (see the section "Conclusion").
There didn't seem to be any control questions indicating how straightforwardly the respondents answered.

Answer: I recognize that using Google forms is a kind of risk that citizens familiar with the topic will take part in the study. Practice shows that if a person does not have an internal interest in the topic, he does not take part if it is optional. I have registered these circumstances in the Methodology section. These results lead me to the idea that I will conduct research using printed forms, for example, in student classrooms, since I am a teacher. These forms of research give a more complete picture and the sampling procedure itself is more valid.

Minor comments:
- Line 26: Delete “The”
Completed
- Line 403: Level 4 (not 3) Completed

- Line 447: Level 5 (not 3) Completed

Comment:
- Lines 635-638: Why do eco-friendly products get only 1 point?
Answer:
The scores assigned to the answers reflect a subjective assessment of the level of resilience associated with each lifestyle choice. Here is an explanation of why each answer received certain points:

a) Saving of energy and water resources: high level (3 points)
Conservation of energy and water resources is considered a high-level choice of a sustainable lifestyle, since it directly affects two important aspects of sustainability: the use of energy and water. By reducing energy consumption and minimizing water losses, people contribute to environmental sustainability and resource conservation. Such lifestyle choices have a significant positive impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources and promoting sustainable development. Hence, he received the highest level of points.

b) Waste reduction and recycling: average level (2 points)
Waste reduction and recycling are important components of a sustainable lifestyle, but may not have as broad an impact as saving energy and water resources. While waste reduction and recycling help minimize resource consumption, reduce environmental pollution, and redirect materials from landfills, they may not directly address energy or water savings. Although recycling is beneficial, it still requires energy and resources for recycling and may not be available or economically feasible in all places. Thus, although this lifestyle choice is considered important from the point of view of sustainability, it is assigned an average level of points.

c) Use of environmentally friendly products: low level (1 point)
The use of environmentally friendly products is an important aspect of sustainable development, but its impact may be relatively limited compared to other options. While choosing eco-friendly products can reduce environmental pollution, minimize toxic waste and promote responsible consumption, this is not directly about saving energy or water or reducing waste. The environmental benefits of using environmentally friendly products largely depend on the specific product and its production processes. Thus, this lifestyle choice is assigned a lower level of points compared to other options.

Comment:
- Line 730: 2 points
Done

 

Reviewer 2 Report

The main content of this article is to explore the importance of critical thinking in environmental education and how to cultivate an ecological culture through an educational framework to build a sustainable future. The article also presents the main findings of a sociological survey conducted in the city of Yekaterinburg and how these findings are linked to the development of environmental cultural competence. Articles provide important information on environmental education and sustainable development, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking in solving environmental problems. This information is very helpful for us to understand and respond to the environmental challenges facing the world today.（1）However, the article lacks a mechanistic summary, such as using a mechanism diagram to explain it may be easier for others to understand；（2）The method of the article is too simple, making people feel that many conclusions are unreliable

The English reading of this article is relatively smooth

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your comments, as they helped me to think of a way to finalize the article.

Substantial additions to the Introduction section have been introduced, which allow updating the topic of this article. The Methodology section has been finalized in the direction of presenting the research methodology more clearly. The Discussion section has been finalized to maintain the topic of the ethical aspect of sustainable development. Meaningful additions are supported by sources.

Additions are highlighted in blue.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

good work

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your positive assessment of this study.

However, I would like to note that some changes have been made to the article that do not relate to the study itself, but they allow for updating this research and make the methodological aspect of this research more explicit. All changes are highlighted in blue.

Reviewer 4 Report

The article's focus on integrating critical thinking into environmental education is commendable, highlighting its importance in addressing complex environmental challenges and cultivating an ecological culture. However, the introduction should provide a clearer context for why critical thinking is specifically important in the context of sustainable practices and ecological culture, possibly referencing relevant literature on the subject. Elaborate on the rationale for selecting Yekaterinburg City as the study area and the significance of its residents' perspectives in the broader discourse on sustainable development. In the methodology section, provide more details on the sociological survey design, such as the sampling method, questionnaire design process, and potential biases. Explain the choice of the Vortex program for statistical analysis and how it aligns with the study's goals. When discussing the survey findings, offer a more nuanced analysis of the results, including potential variations or correlations among different demographic groups. The proposed Model of Ecological Culture in Academic Disciplines should be elaborated with clear steps and strategies for integrating critical thinking into various academic disciplines, potentially providing examples of successful implementations. Concluding remarks should succinctly emphasize the implications of the findings for practical education and propose potential directions for future research, policy implementation, or community engagement based on the study's insights. Enhancing the introduction's context, providing methodological transparency, and offering a more comprehensive analysis of the survey results will strengthen the article's contribution to the integration of critical thinking in environmental education and its role in fostering a sustainable society.

The sentences should be short and clear. 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your attention and valuable comments on my work.

In the Introduction, a meaningful block about Fake news is introduced, which actualizes the presented research. These ideas are supported by citations. Of course, I have given only examples of works, since a deep analysis of this problem is a self-sufficient study.

The Methodology section includes a justification for choosing Yekaterinburg as a research area and the importance of the opinions of its residents in a broader discourse on sustainable development.

The section "Methodology" provides more detailed information about the structure of the sociological survey.

The choice of the Vortex program for statistical analysis is explained.

An example of a strategy for implementing the model of ecological culture in academic disciplines is given by the example of the discipline Logic.

The results section is quite voluminous. The introduction of additional information analysis, which I tried to show transparently, may be redundant. The reason is that it is necessary to make additions to all five points, and this will greatly increase the volume of the article and make it too cumbersome.

I note that these strategies are the subject of independent research. At the moment, my colleagues and I are developing cases on this topic, which, we hope, will be embodied in the next article.

In conclusion, the importance of the obtained results for practical education is briefly emphasized and potential directions for future research are proposed.

Reviewer 5 Report

Dear authors,

your work represents an interesting scientific overview of the key factors of ecological culture and critical thinking, but it is necessary to:

1. Describe in more detail the connection between your work and the results obtained with environmental protection education, specifically in lines 188 - 194,
2. explain in more detail the phases of the research, as well as methodology,
3. improve the graphic illustrations of the results of the work, which are certainly significant but insufficiently noticeable in the existing form,
4. define the directions of future research, which are given in a very limited scope in the present paper.

Kind regards

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your attention to my work and your comments.

1. The relationship between the work and the results obtained in the framework of environmental protection training is described in more detail, in particular, in lines 188 - 194,
2. The Methodology section has been improved in terms of its greater clarity and avoiding unclear understanding.
3. There is one table in the work, which is colored.
4. Future directions of research are shown.
All changes are highlighted in blue.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

After careful revision by the author, I think the article can be published