Pre-service chemistry teachers’ understanding of knowledge related to climate change

Abstract

Climate change presents a global human challenge, and many countries are paying increased attention to climate change issues. Chemistry plays a critical role in addressing climate change. The dual nature of pre-service chemistry teachers’ identity determines the importance of their understanding of climate change. This study employed a phenomenography methodological framework and semi-structured interviews to explore 16 pre-service chemistry teachers’ understanding of climate change's manifestations, causes, impacts, and ways to cope with climate change. The results showed that although pre-service chemistry teachers had a certain knowledge of climate change, their understanding of the concepts of climate change, global climate warming, and greenhouse effects and their interrelatedness was ambiguous or false. Their explanations of the harm caused by acid rain, the mechanism of ozone layer destruction, and the greenhouse effect were inadequate. Factors that influenced pre-service chemistry teachers’ understanding of climate change included school curriculum, particularly chemistry courses, science popularisation aided by information technology, and their informal education through social life experiences. These findings provide insights into pre-service chemistry teachers’ professional development and higher education's approach to teaching about climate change.