STEAM education and environmental ethics awareness among students aged 10-14 from an international perspective: a comparative analysis of cultural and educational philosophy factors

Background: Environmental ethics awareness is a key component of sustainability education, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) is often promoted as a lever to foster values-based environmental learning. Cross-national evidence for early adolescents remains limited. Methods: We surveyed 283 students aged 10-14 in compulsory education from Portugal, Turkey, and Poland participating in the Erasmus+ "Eco-Maker" project (KA220-SCH). Environmental ethics awareness was measured with a 23-item, four-factor Likert scale (α = .95). We conducted one-sample t tests (vs. the neutral point) and MANOVA to test gender and country differences, complemented by documentary analysis of national curricula and policy frameworks. Results: Students in all three countries reported high environmental ethics awareness across the four dimensions (all p < .001; very large effects). No significant differences were found by gender. Country differences were significant: Portuguese students scored higher on Definition of Environmental Ethics, Reasons for the Emergence of Environmental Ethics, and Purpose of Environmental Ethics, while no country differences were observed for Environmental Ethics Measures. Documentary analysis indicated that Portugal embeds sustainability, citizenship, creativity, and ethical responsibility across subjects; Poland emphasizes scientific and technological competence with project-based work but a more traditional STEM orientation; and Turkey frames STEAM around technological development and national climate targets, with uneven integration of arts and ethical discourse. Conclusions: Environmental ethics awareness among 10-14-year-olds is broadly high, but its emphasis and framing vary across educational and cultural contexts. Culturally grounded, STEAM-informed sustainability education and further research on measurement equivalence and behavioral outcomes are recommended.