(Un-)certain knowledge of pre-service geography teachers about climate change

Abstract

Climate change education is a challenge for teachers, as they must have appropriate content knowledge to teach the topic adequately. Every teacher is confronted with both their own knowledge and non-knowledge, as well as with scientific knowledge and non-knowledge. The uncertainty about this knowledge depends on individual perception and can have an impact on teaching. In this study, the climate change knowledge and uncertainty about this knowledge of 226 pre-service geography teachers at four German universities were investigated using a questionnaire. Five different domains of knowledge about climate change are discussed, namely, knowledge about the (1) causes, (2) basics and (3) effects of climate change as well as (4) climate-friendly behavior and (5) the procedures of the climate sciences. The pre-service teachers answered most of the questions correctly (72.4%), and the anthropogenic nature of climate change is mostly recognized (91%). However, there are also gaps in knowledge, especially regarding action-related knowledge. Typical misconceptions about the greenhouse effect and ozone holes were identified. On average, 32.6% of all answers to all items were rated as “uncertain” by the participants. Male students scored significantly higher than female students. The results indicate a significant difference between the respondents’ university degrees in terms of knowledge. These results lay out the path for the possible improvement of university courses in the context of teachers’ knowledge about climate change.