sustainability Article Holistic or Traditional Conceptions of Heritage among Early-Childhood and Primary Trainee Teachers Juan Ramón Moreno-Vera 1,2 , Santiago Ponsoda-López de Atalaya 3,* , José Antonio López-Fernández 4 and Rubén Blanes-Mora 3 1 Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Matemáticas y Sociales, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain;
[email protected] 2 Facultad de Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Temuco 4810101, Chile 3 Departamento de Didáctica General y Didácticas Específicas, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain;
[email protected] 4 Departamento de Didácticas Específicas, Universidad de Córdoba, 14004 Córdoba, Spain;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +34-96-5903400 Received: 25 September 2020; Accepted: 23 October 2020; Published: 27 October 2020 Abstract: This study examines the conception of heritage—holistic or traditional—among future early-childhood and primary teachers. In order to do this, our objective was to analyze trainee teachers’ perceptions surrounding the conception of heritage. To carry out the analysis, we designed and validated a questionnaire with closed-ended questions (Likert scale 1–5) and one open-ended question about the elements that respondents considered to be part of what we define as heritage. The participants (n = 602) study at the universities of Alicante, Murcia, and Córdoba, and the investigation took place during 2018/19 and 2019/20 academic years. The results show a traditional conception that is still attached to immovable monumental heritage, with lower scores for intangible and natural heritage. However, there were some high scores for traditions and popular festivals, which are a frequent educational resource in early-childhood and primary classrooms.