Climate Change Education Research Articles

An exploration of parents’ engagement with learning about climate change through science education: learnings for future practice

Climate change education is crucial to addressing the climate crisis. Studies show that parents and guardians can play an important role in transmitting knowledge, competencies, and a pro-environmental orientation to their children. Whilst climate change education can span many disciplines, it has been effective within science education. In this paper we embrace evidence-based effective approaches to science education, with parents. Climate change education research literature published to date focusses on school-based interventions and there is a dearth of literature on parental involvement. This paper describes the development of, and outcomes associated with, a programme to promote engagement with climate change education for families from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Data were gathered through post semi-structured interviews and reflections on posters and photos created and collected throughout the programme. Findings indicate that this approach engaged parents in climate change education with their children and successfully addressed various misconceptions. The programme presents a real opportunity to engage parents in their children’s formal education.

Climate change education in semiarid and coastal regions of Mexico: towards an inclusive educational program

The study addresses climate change education (CCE) in Mexico’s semiarid and coastal regions, a strategy crucial for community adaptability and resilience. Emphasis is placed on the lack of educational materials adapted to the region and the need for active learning strategies in the school context to promote climate literacy and awareness of the phenomenon. We work with research groups and universities to create a climate change program for young students in underprivileged areas. We used a mixed method to assess the impact on climate change awareness and knowledge in urban and rural schools. The findings showed that concern, pro-environmental behavior, and knowledge about climate change significantly increased after the intervention. However, compared to the group that did not receive the intervention, we observed a decrease in hope related to climate change. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of contextualized and active educational programs in raising awareness of climate change in disadvantaged contexts and highlighting the importance of adding meaningful content to these communities and balancing it with local challenges and solutions.

Analyzing the Climate Change and Deforestation Education Discourses at Social Studies Grade Eighth Sindh Textbook Board: A Content Analysis

Climate change and deforestation education play a crucial role in raising awareness of environmental issues, fostering eco-literacy, promoting environmental responsibility, and enabling young minds to take action. It has a broader scope across the globe, and many research studies have been carried out worldwide to provide awareness of environment-related consequences. Textbooks are the primary sources of information for students. How these topics are presented can significantly influence their understanding and awareness of climate change and deforestation. The discourse in textbooks can shape public opinion on these issues, impacting policy discussions and societal actions. For this purpose, the study was conducted to analyze climate change and deforestation. This research methodology was qualitative, and the content analysis method was used for this study. The data was collected through document analysis and criterion sampling and one book of social studies Sindh textbook for grade 8th has been used as a sample size for this research. Thematic analysis was used, where coded data was analyzed thematically to identify recurring themes, topics, patterns, and points related to environmental education discourses within the textbook. The findings revealed that the textbook highlights the influence of climate change and deforestation on human health, migration patterns, and economic activities. It is recommended that the state take immediate measures to protect the environment from all forms of pollution and practices that directly or indirectly impact global climate. Social studies textbooks should include Projects and activities that foster hands-on and problem-solving skills to prepare students for natural disasters.

What role for geography in justice-focused climate change education?

ABSTRACT As the effects of climate change are felt around the world, the stakes for what climate change education (CCE) is and what it can achieve have never been higher. Young people’s climate concerns are widely known, and students around the world have expressed wishes for action- and justice-oriented CCE. This article draws from research conducted with migrant-background young people and secondary educators (including geography educators) in Manchester, UK, and Melbourne, Australia, which explored intergenerational and cross-cultural responses to climate change. The article reflects on students’ and educators’ accounts of CCE and considers how geography – in conjunction with other disciplines – can sharpen students’ understandings of climate justice. It argues that geography’s key concepts and curricular foci provide a strong foundation for teaching climate justice, but that learning about distributive justice must be accompanied by greater application of recognitional and procedural justice to better support students to respond to climate change.

Designing serious games to advance climate change adaptation

The escalating impact of climate change necessitates innovative strategies to enhance public understanding and action. This research delves into the potential of serious games as transformative tools for climate change education and adaptation. Despite their rising popularity, serious games face challenges in effectively conveying complex climate science concepts and achieving desired learning outcomes. This study builds upon existing frameworks to propose tailored guidelines for designing serious games focused on climate change adaptation. We anchor our guidelines on the Design, Play, Experience (DPE) framework to scaffold strategies to create more effective serious games for climate change adaptation. We propose 11 elements that should be considered between player engagement and design when creating serious games. Through iterative playtesting and community involvement, we underscore the significance of reflecting on language, comprehension, timing, and social dynamics. This work bridges the gap between scientific knowledge and actionable insights in the development of serious games to equip decision-makers and communities with the tools to combat the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change.

Investigating associations between climate change anxiety and mental health impact on vulnerable populations: A qualitative analysis.

Climate anxiety has a negative impact on the mental health and psychological wellbeing of the vulnerable population. The goal is to assess many factors that affect mental health and psychological wellbeing, as well as how climate change affects mental health in Pakistan's vulnerable population. This study provides evidence-based insights on the long- and medium-term impacts of extreme weather events on mental health. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of 72 students aged 10-16 years, employing an exploratory qualitative design. The resulting process identified themes and questions for future research on climate change and its psychological effects on children's mental health. As a result, positive emotions embedded in children's climate strategic actions in parent and community contexts helped to mitigate children's perceptions of negative emotions (such as climate anxiety, phobias, fear, sleep disorders, depression, sadness, and substance abuse). Climate change's effects can have a significant impact on mental health. We will be discussing effective strategies to address the expected mental health issues among children caused by climate change. The discussion paper offers a set of recommendations for addressing the mental health impacts of climate change, including improving mental health support systems, integrating climate change education into services, and developing targeted interventions for vulnerable populations.

Infusing Climate Change Education into Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) as a Resilience Strategy in South Africa: Towards a Theory of Change

Infusing Climate Change Education into Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) as a Resilience Strategy in South Africa: Towards a Theory of Change

Unlocking the Power of Emotional Connections: Strategies for Teaching Climate Change in Middle School

Unlocking the Power of Emotional Connections: Strategies for Teaching Climate Change in Middle School

Climate change education through the lens of behavioral economics: A systematic review of studies on observed behavior and social norms

We conduct a systematic review (SR) of the empirical literature on Climate Change Education (CCE) through the lens of behavioral economics. We focus on the effects of educational interventions on actual behaviors or beliefs regarding the prevalence or social acceptability of these behaviors. We identify 86 studies evaluating CCE interventions. Most of them employ pre-post evaluations, which are more susceptible to demand effects and social desirability bias. Almost all report positive effects in terms of pro-environmental outcomes. Only 19 studies look at the effects of CCE on actual behavior (mainly on recycling, trashing or energy saving) or norm-related beliefs. Most interventions involve activities aimed at engaging learners. Others focus on nudges (like stickers or posters). A minority is based on lectures, deliberative discussions, or science-based interactions. The SR reveals important gaps in the literature and potential tensions that can inform future research in behavioral ecological economics.

Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education: Conceptions of Teachers of Geography in England

Drawing upon a survey of teachers in England conducted by the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education (CCCSE), this paper reports on teachers of geography’s conceptions of climate change, sustainability, climate change education, and sustainability education. We address how teachers of geography across the primary and secondary phase appear to distinguish the concept (climate change or sustainability) from the concept within education (climate change education or sustainability education) given that research to date has not engaged with both these framings together in empirical research with teachers. Across both climate change education and sustainability education, there was recognition for (i) the importance of these concepts for young people, (ii) the ways in which education can support young people to make informed choices or take action, and (iii) the importance of addressing these concepts across subject curricula. Teachers’ descriptions indicate (i) disconnections between policy rhetoric and teaching, (ii) a lack of attention to social and environmental justice, and (iii) an over-focus on individual action.

The effect of future time perspective on behavioral intention to address climate change

As the climate crisis becomes increasingly urgent, discussions on the content and behavioral variables of climate change education are becoming more active. In environmental education, efforts are continuing to develop the ability to look far into the future with the aim of fostering ecological citizenship. However, research and educational attempts to deal with the subjective perception of future time as a major variable of behavior are insufficient. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze whether children’s future time perspective affects their behavioral intentions to address climate change. To address this issue, three studies were conducted to survey elementary school students in Korea. We found that stimuli to feel close to the future helped students expand their time horizon. Our results suggest that future time perspective is crucial in environmental education and is the key to overcoming long time lags of climate change and improving children’s futures literacy.

Becoming a Climate Change Educator: First-grade Pupils’ Action Research

This paper presents the results of the action research conducted by the research team in 2022-2023 with first-grade pupils at one Vilnius primary school in Lithuania. Primary, the action research aimed to improve the teaching practice of a primary school teacher on the topic of climate change and also develop her professional competence in climate change education; secondary, stimulate the learning process and possible actions for first-grade children on tackling climate change. The study reveals the learning process of the primary school teacher who integrated a series of 14 climate change lessons the research team created, her learning outcomes, and the main challenges she faced during the process. The results highlight specific changes that are taking place in the teacher‘s daily practice that are also undoubtedly leading to an increase in first-grade pupils‘ awareness of climate change topics. The study highlights a key aspect: becoming a climate change educator means developing her professional competence to work on climate change and developing a personal relationship with climate change phenomenon that moves beyond the classroom environment. The development of a personal relationship with climate change brings to the forefront the teacher‘s awareness of the need for climate change education at school to reduce the destructive activities of human beings in relation to the planet and mitigate the effects of human-induced climate change.

Improving Understanding of Climate Change Through "Climate Change Training" for Junior High School Students

Climate change is an important educational issue that contributes to sustainable development. Students in urban areas play an important role as key contributors in mitigating the worsening climate change. This activity aims to increase the understanding of climate change among junior high school students in urban areas. The method used is a classical face-to-face approach with socialization and games using climate flashcards to convey information related to climate change. The evaluation results showed that the students' average knowledge of climate change reached 74.3%, but there was a lower understanding, namely 34.6%, related to adaptation and mitigation efforts. This finding shows that although the students' knowledge level is quite high, a comprehensive understanding of climate change is still lacking. Through this training, an increase in students' understanding of 93% was recorded, indicating that the socialization and game method using climate flashcards was effective in improving students' comprehensive knowledge of climate change. Therefore, this "understanding of climate change" training can be an effective model for climate change education for students

Climate Change Education in Taiwan-Exploring Key Elements of Climate Change Education

Climate Change Education in Taiwan-Exploring Key Elements of Climate Change Education

Progress of the Climate Change Education Research Group

Progress of the Climate Change Education Research Group

The Materiality of Children’s Imaginative Sense-making in Climate Change Education

AbstractIn this article, we discuss our investigation of children’s imaginative sense-making and its materiality in climate change education. Drawing on a new materialist approach, our research contributes to knowledge about the material significance in children’s sense-making related to climate change. During a project called Riddle of the Spirit in a Finnish primary school, we invited children to explore the concepts of global warming and carbon dioxide through narrative, playful and multimodal activities. Inspired by postqualitative methods, our relational analysis, based on video materials, maps and examines two episodes of children’s small group inquiry. Our findings unfold the material–discursive intra-actions, through which a prop turned into a whale’s head, the Titanic film appeared, and water and carbon dioxide became important to children’s bodies. With these specific events, the study illustrates how various materials conjoined and came to matter in the children’s sense-making of the concepts.

Climate action to enable quality education: exploring the potential of Eco-Schools to reverse the triple education crises in Rwanda

This article presents the results of research conducted between 2021 and 2023 by the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) with 240 partners including teachers, learners and parents in six Rwandan schools. A relational knowledge co-creation methodology was used to gain a shared understanding of education and climate change challenges in the schools and co-create solutions using the Eco-Schools problem-based learning pedagogy. The knowledge co-creation processes revealed a negative relationship at the intersection between climate change and quality education which is interrupting successful implementation of both the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC), and the School Feeding Programme policies of the Government of Rwanda, affecting national progress towards SDG 4 and SDG 13. However, by integrating climate action projects in the CBC, with practical skills and knowledge from parents and wider community members, education barriers caused by poor school conditions, and poor nutrition, health and comfort of learners are being removed, while the quality and relevance of teaching and learning in schools is being improved. The article therefore proposes the Eco-Schools programme as a potential means of simultaneously addressing the UN’s ‘triple crisis’ of inclusion, quality and relevance. Ultimately, by showing that it is possible to transform education in even the most challenged schools, at a relatively low cost, within a very short space of time (one school year) and without large-scale curriculum reform or infrastructure, the findings of this research promote wider, faster and more optimistic progression toward the UNESCO’s ‘Reimagining Education’ vision and the Greening Education Partnership targets.

Young people at a crossroads: Climate solidarity through intergenerational storytelling

AbstractSchool‐based teaching on climate change rarely draws on diverse experiences and knowledge about climate change that circulate in migrant homes and communities. We set out to consider experiences of climate change education (CCE) in schools in Manchester, UK, and Melbourne, Australia, among migrant‐background students. We interviewed young people aged 14 to 18 and educators in multicultural secondary schools about climate change education. We then trained and supported young people to interview their parents. Here, we show how those interviews built young researchers’ appreciation of family stories. Those accounts revealed aspects of parents’ lives growing up that provided a platform from which families could discuss the changing relevance of climate change in their countries of origin and present locations. From those shared insights emerged critical, contextually informed understandings of climate change. Given those outcomes, we argue that intergenerational and cross‐cultural storytelling, when brought into dialogue with scientific knowledge, can support climate change educators. They can then draw upon a range of knowledges and responses to climate change wider than that, which currently exists in most classrooms. We conclude by suggesting that among diverse learner cohorts, what then becomes possible is work to build a greater sense of agency and capacity for empathy with respect to climate change.

Climate Change Education: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Mitigation Actions for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-13

Climate Change Education: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Mitigation Actions for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-13

Addressing the climate emergency with educational approaches: a bibliometric analysis of climate change education scholarship

This study uses bibliometric techniques to explore the international knowledge base on climate change education (CCE), which considers education as crucial for addressing the climate emergency through fostering climate-literate citizens. Analyzing two decades of scientific literature on CCE, we identify evolving considerations, foci, trends, and recommendations, examining a total of 1,264 articles published between 2000 and 2022 in educational-related fields in Web of Science. Using bibliometric techniques, we assessed research trends, author co-citations and journal citations to reveal an evolving publication landscape, including shifts in locations of productive researchers, influential articles, and leading journals publishing CCE studies. Bibliometric techniques help to identify the intellectual knowledge structure and inter-journal referencing, encompassing Theoretical Basis of CCE, Psychology of CCE and Communication, Climate Change within Socioscientific Issues, Conceptions of Climate Change, and Epistemology in CCE. Based on the trends, association networks, limitations and gaps revealed by this analysis, we conclude with suggestions for future research.