Applying the Global Change App in Different Instruction Settings to Foster Climate Change Knowledge among Student Teachers

Roman Asshoff,Christiane Konnemann,Werner Rieß,Nadine Tramowsky

doi:10.3390/su13169208

Roman Asshoff, Christiane Konnemann + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169208

Copy DOI

Abstract

This study focuses on learning with the Global Change app, an interactive tool for fostering climate change knowledge. Numerous studies have contributed to the question on what type of instruction is best to achieve learning gains. The findings are mixed. We applied the app in university courses and investigated which instructional setting a discovery learning approach (no supplementary guidance) or an approach that leans more toward direct instruction is more effective (+ supplementary guidance). Thus, we distinguished between conceptual and procedural guidance within our direct instruction approach. Our study was implemented in a digital learning environment with 110 students participating in the study. We applied a 2 × 2 experimental design with different types of guidance as treatment (conceptual and procedural). An online questionnaire was administered in pretest and posttest to measure climate change knowledge as well as different variables. Our results show that the app provided gains in climate change knowledge in a short period of time regardless of treatment. Further, students who received no supplementary guidance acquired more knowledge about climate change than the groups that received supplemental guidance (either conceptual, procedural, or both). Learning gain correlated significantly negatively with cognitive load across the whole sample, but there were no significant differences between groups. This finding might be interpreted in terms of the renowned expertise reversal effect.

Highlights

Climate change is clearly one of the most important issues of the twenty-first century (e.g., [1,2])
The aim of this study is to investigate the role of instructional guidance in the acquisition of climate change knowledge using the Global Change app, as an example for gaining complex, interconnected subject content via an interactive digital tool
We investigated knowledge gains applying the Global Change app in a university setting (RQ 1) and questioned which type of instructional guidance is most effective when working with an app that addresses a complex biological topic, namely climate change (RQ 2), and in how far applying the Global Change app in a more open-ended instructional setting or a more directive instructional setting is more beneficial to learning for biology students (RQ 3)

Summary

Introduction

Climate change is clearly one of the most important issues of the twenty-first century (e.g., [1,2]). Development ([3], e.g., SDG 13) as well as within the scope of discussing socio-scientific issues within the classroom (e.g., [4,5]). Both the consideration of climate change in the context of sustainability and in the context of socio-scientific issues are important because there is still not a general consensus that man-made climate change is currently occurring. There is a clear scientific consensus that anthropogenic causes are the main drivers of climate change and that both aspects are not important

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion