Journal of Childhood

Introduction
The gained experiences and instructions provided in preschools are of particular importance in the growth and development of children. The pre-school period is defined as "a non-formal educational stage prior to entering elementary school, which comprises the first period (including children aged 4 years) and the second period (including children aged 5 years). The pre-school education in Iran is not compulsory. 
The experience of pioneering countries and findings of studies indicate that energy literacy can be effectively taught to children by using appropriate and creative instructional methods  such as designing interactive and flexible learning environments, playing creative games, and storytelling. Accordingly, the critical nature of forming essential life skills starting in the early educational stages and at young ages, and given with the existing educational challenges related to energy literacy and the necessity of focusing on related educations in preschools, this study aimed to understand the existing status of energy literacy education in Iranian preschools and propose strategies for designing an appropriate curriculum. Based on this, the primary objective of the present study was to explore the experiences of preschool teachers in Ivan county, Ilam, Iran, regarding energy literacy education.

Research Methods
The is a qualitative study utilizing a descriptive phenomenological approach. Participants were 22 preschool teachers selected from both urban and rural areas of Ivan County during the 2024 academic year, via purposive sampling. Data collection continued until reaching data saturation though semi-structured interviews. The main interview question was: "What is your experience of energy literacy education in preschools?" Based on the responses, more specific, detailed questions were asked to conduct a deeper exploration of the teachers’ experiences. The duration of each interview was 30-45 minutes. Data analysis was performed using Colaizzi's seven-step thematic analysis method. The inter-coder agreement was determined to be 74.5%, which is higher than the threshold of 60%; therefore, the trustworthiness of the coding process was confirmed, suggesting the appropriate reliability of the interview analysis.

Results
The results of the analysis led to the emergence of four main themes of goals, content, strategies, and evaluation. Each theme consisted of categories subcategories. The educational goals theme included one category of “neglect of energy literacy” with two subcategories of lack of official resources" and lack of a specific curriculum heading. The educational content theme involved three categories: Types of energy (with subcategories of water, gas, electricity, solar energy, and wind), saving (with three subcategories of “types of energy saving method” and “empathy with the underprivileged”), and comparison of energy sources (with one subcategory of renewability). The educational strategies theme included two categories: Teacher-oriented (with five subcategories of speech, scientific presentation, storytelling, films/cartoons, and role modeling) and learner-oriented (with four subcategories of pantomime, discussion & dialogue, drawing/coloring, and playing the role of an energy saving helper). Finally, the evaluation theme included three categories: Observation (with two subcategories of teachers/school officials and parents), competition (with two subcategories of “at school" and "at home”), and giving feedback (with two subcategories of positive and negative)

Conclusion
Several practical recommendations can be offered based on the findings. Policymakers in the field of education in Iran should incorporate the topic of energy literacy as a key objective in the preschool curriculums, ensuring that relevant topics are addressed in the course. The educational textbook authors should prepare energy literacy content that is comprehensible, simple, and tangible for preschool children. To achieve this, utilizing visuals, stories, interactive games, and hands-on activities is effective for introducing various energy types, saving methods, and the concept of renewable energies. Future research should compare the effectiveness of different instructional methods (such as play, storytelling, pantomime) in teaching energy concepts to preschool children to identify the most effective approaches. Given the vital role of the family in consolidating energy literacy teachings, subsequent studies should investigate the impact of active parental involvement in this education and propose strategies to enhance this interaction. Furthermore, a comparative study of different countries' educational systems and their methods for teaching energy concepts to preschool children can lead to the identification of superior educational models and pave the way for designing more advanced preschool educational programs in Iran. Among the limitations of the present study was the restricted generalizability of the findings to all preschool teachers in Iran.

Ethical Considerations

Compliance with ethical guidelines
Participants were assured of the confidentiality of their personal data and had the right to leave the study at any time. Informed consent was obtained from them. 

Funding
This article was extracted from the master's thesis of Kajal Esmaili at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for profit sectors.

Authors contributions
Data collection and analysis, Kajal Esmaili; Data analysis and writing: Haniyeh Kalantari Dehghi.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the managers and teachers of selected preschools in Eyvan County for their cooperation.