Assessing Early Childhood Sustainability Apps: A Dual-Framework Evaluation

Abstract

(1) Background: using an artefact-based secondary analysis approach, this paper critically reviews eleven mobile applications designed for early childhood sustainability education. (2) Methods: the study employs a dual-framework evaluation rubric, based on Parsons and Ryu and on Ozdamli, which assesses ten criteria, including pedagogical approach, accessibility, and interdisciplinary integration. Two independent reviewers scored each app, with inter-rater reliability confirmed via Cohen’s kappa (0.74–1.00). (3) Results: results reveal a strong bias towards environmental SDGs, limited accessibility features, and minimal teacher-facing tools. Only one app addressed all three sustainability pillars: environmental, social, and economic. (4) Conclusions: the paper proposes AI-enhanced design strategies and culturally responsive workflows to improve app effectiveness. Recommendations include embedding interdisciplinary task flows, multilingual scaffolds, and community-linked challenges to support transformative sustainability learning in early childhood education.