This annotated bibliography is compiled and customized by the Center for Positive Practices for the Positive Universe: Earth Protection Team website. Some of the authors featured on this page include Peter Tomlinson, Damian C. Adams, Deborah J. Wojcik, Chris McDonald, Karina L. Mrakovcich, Vanessa Vernaza-Hernandez, Richard R. Plate, Gerad Middendorf, Helen J. Boon, and Emily Hestness.
(2016). Anthropogenic Climate Change in Undergraduate Marine and Environmental Science Programs in the United States, Journal of College Science Teaching. To develop a context for program-level design decisions pertaining to anthropogenic climate change, the authors studied the prevalence of courses focused on human-induced climate change in undergraduate marine science and environmental science degree programs in the United States. Of the 86 institutions and 125 programs the authors examined, 37% included at least one course featuring anthropogenic climate change in its course description. The authors found that courses focusing on anthropogenic climate change were more likely to serve as free electives than as major electives or required courses. This article provides an example of how the findings were used to guide decisions about introducing the subject of anthropogenic climate change at the United States Coast Guard Academy. [More] Descriptors: Climate, College Science, Undergraduate Study, Marine Education
(2017). Florida and Puerto Rico Secondary Science Teachers' Knowledge and Teaching of Climate Change Science, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. Misconceptions about climate change science are pervasive among the US public. This study investigated the possibility that these misconceptions may be reflective of science teachers' knowledge and teaching of climate change science. Florida and Puerto Rico secondary science teachers who claim to teach extensively about climate change were surveyed in regard to their conceptions of climate change science and the climate change-related topics they teach. Results show that many teachers hold naÃØve views about climate change (e.g. that ozone layer depletion is a primary cause of climate change) and climate change science (e.g. that it must be based on controlled experiments for it to be valid). In addition, teachers in both groups neglect crucial topics such as how evidence for climate change is developed and the social, political, and economic dimensions of climate change. Our results suggest the need for teachers to understand how to teach climate change and the nature of climate change science using authentic contexts that promote effective socioscientific decision-making and climate change mitigation. [More] Descriptors: Secondary School Teachers, Mathematics Teachers, Decision Making, Climate
(2015). Climate Change Science: The Literacy of Geography Teachers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, South African Journal of Education. One of the universal responses to tackling global climate change is teaching climate change concepts at all levels of formal education. This response requires, among other things, teachers who are fully literate about climate change science, so that they can explain the concepts underlying the causes, impacts and solutions of climate change as accurately as possible to learners. The main intention of this study was to understand high school Geography teachers' levels of knowledge about climate change science. A 15-item, criterion-referenced, multiple-choice Climate Change Literacy Questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.74 using the Guttman's spit-half test was administered to 194 high school Geography teachers in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Data collected were analysed with the Pearson's Chi-square test and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the majority of the participants demonstrated significantly high literacy levels in climate science, with their literacy levels higher in climate processes and causes of climate change than climate change impacts and solutions. Misconceptions were found in all three categories of climate change science as represented in the survey instrument. These findings suggest that teacher educators and policymakers should improve professional development programmes and support interventions in teacher knowledge and understanding of climate change concepts, so as to enhance climate change education in schools. [More] Descriptors: Climate, Change, Geography Instruction, Pedagogical Content Knowledge
(2016). Singapore Students' Misconceptions of Climate Change, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. Climate change is an important theme in the investigation of human-environment interactions in geographic education. This study explored the nature of students' understanding of concepts and processes related to climate change. Through semi-structured interviews, data was collected from 27 Secondary 3 (Grade 9) students from Singapore. The data was subjected to thematic analysis using Chi and Roscoe's conceptual change framework. The results showed that the students' base knowledge of climate change is composed of incomplete and incorrect elements built within coherent and structurally sound mental models. Due to the consistency of the models in expanding the logic, albeit erroneous, of explaining the climate change conundrum, it is posited that students are unaware of mistakes inherent in their judgements. Transformation of these mental models through multiple and deliberate refutations should be foremost in a geography teacher's pedagogical approach. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Climate, Secondary School Students, Grade 9
(2016). Can Climate Change Enhance Biology Lessons? A Quasi-Experiment, Applied Environmental Education and Communication. Climate change is a highly charged topic that some adults prefer to ignore. If the same holds true for secondary students, teachers could be challenged to teach about climate change. We structured one activity about the biological concepts of carbon cycle and carbon sequestration in two ways: with and without mention of climate change. Results suggested that students (n = 22) who learned about carbon in the context of climate change made significant improvements in their knowledge of the carbon cycle and sequestration over those (n = 24) who learned about carbon without mention of climate change. Interest in climate change may increase learning. [More] Descriptors: Biology, Climate, Environment, Secondary School Students
(2016). Climate Change Challenges for Extension Educators: Technical Capacity and Cultural Attitudes, Journal of Extension. We surveyed Extension educators in the southern Great Plains about their attitudes and beliefs regarding climate change, their interactions with constituents surrounding climate change, and challenges they face in engaging constituents on the topic of climate change. Production-oriented and sociocultural challenges in meeting constituents' information needs exist. Educators reported (a) lacking capacity for addressing climate change issues and (b) needing information, especially regarding drought and extreme or unseasonable weather events and related management practices. Educators also identified a need for more educational resources, including print materials and online decision aids. Implications are relevant to educators working beyond the study area and in any agricultural production system. [More] Descriptors: Climate, Extension Education, Teacher Attitudes, Beliefs
(2016). Pre-Service Teachers and Climate Change: A Stalemate?, Australian Journal of Teacher Education. Findings from the second phase of a study of pre-service teachers' attitudes to environmental education and knowledge of climate change are reported in this paper. A sample of 87 pre-service teachers participated in a survey study in the last year of their Bachelor of Education degree to examine developments to their attitudes to environmental education and their knowledge of climate change as a result of training. Results showed their attitudes towards environmental education were consistently favourable, but their climate change science knowledge had not changed as a result of their participation in their degree. Data on preservice teachers' sources of knowledge for climate change, their views on important substantive climate change knowledge for their future students and their perceptions of gaps in their own training in relation to climate change were also investigated in order to triangulate the survey data. Implications for preservice teacher education are discussed. [More] Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Student Attitudes, Climate, Environmental Education
(2015). Harnessing Homophily to Improve Climate Change Education, Environmental Education Research. The Cooperative Extension Service (Extension) in the United States is well positioned to educate the public, particularly farmers and foresters, about climate change and to encourage responsible adoption of adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, the climate change attitudes and perceptions of Extension professionals have limited Extension's involvement. A survey of Extension professionals (n?=?2758) in eight southern states found several statistically significant factors correlating to different attitudes and perceptions about climate change, such as demographics and program area. Willingness to engage with climate change-related programs varies with climate change perceptions, program area, and perceptions of institutional support. This assessment explores the extent to which the climate change issue suggests different needs among Extension professionals–needs that could be addressed by diverse professional development programs. We discuss these results in the context of homophily and provide recommendations to improve climate change education. [More] Descriptors: Environmental Education, Climate, Teaching Methods, Extension Agents
(2015). A Model for Pre-Service Teachers' Climate Change Awareness and Willingness to Act for Pro-Climate Change Friendly Behavior: Adaptation of Awareness to Climate Change Questionnaire, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. Public awareness of the negative effects of climate change is vital since it leads to collective action for prevention and adaptation. However, investigations on to what extent people are aware of the climate change issue are rare in the literature. The present study reported the adaptation process of awareness to climate change questionnaire into Turkish, and tested the conceptual model of willingness to act for pro-climate change friendly behavior in Turkish context. For these purposes, the questionnaire was administered to 603 pre-service teachers. The study also provided an insight through the analysis of the questionnaire for pre-service teachers' ideas about climate change and the terms related to climate change with an aim to provide information that can be useful for the international and national audiences. Therefore, the findings of the project shed light on to pre-service teachers' awareness regarding impacts of climate change, individual and industry initiative friendly behavior through a conceptual model. [More] Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Climate, Questionnaires, Foreign Countries
(2015). Climate Change Ignorance: An Unacceptable Legacy, Australian Educational Researcher. Climate change effects will be most acutely felt by future generations. Recent prior research has shown that school students' knowledge of climate change science is very limited in rural Australia. The purpose of this study was to assess the capacity of preservice teachers and parents to transmit climate change information and understanding to school students in a rural tropical part of Australia using Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory as a guiding theoretical framework. Samples consisted of parents of school-age children in northern Queensland (n¬ =¬ 267) and first year pre-service teachers (n¬ =¬ 199) attending a local university serving the same geographic region of Australia. Survey results gathered in the aftermath of cyclone Yasi highlighted gaps in pre-service teachers' knowledge of climate change science and parental concerns about climate change impacts and a mistrust of climate change communication. Findings suggested that home and school influences upon school aged students were unlikely to support students' understanding of climate change or to be able to empower them to adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts. Implications of these findings, which are potentially applicable to other rural and remote parts of the world, are discussed within the context of teacher training and climate science communication. [More] Descriptors: Climate, Preservice Teachers, Parents, Rural Areas
(2015). Tertiary Institutions in Ghana Curriculum Coverage on Climate Change: Implications for Climate Change Awareness, Journal of Education and Practice. Global problems such as climate change, which have deeper implications for survival of mankind on this planet, needs to be given wider attention in the quest for knowledge. It is expected that, improved knowledge derived from curriculum coverage may promote greater public awareness of such important global issue. This research aims at examining the extent to which tertiary institutions cover issues related to climate change in their curriculum and to determine the implications of such coverage on climate change awareness in the public domain. The findings revealed that out of a total of 1,478 courses offered in the Sciences in the University of Ghana, only 14 of them treat topics related to climate change. Due to the limited coverage of climate change issues in the curriculum of the institutions, graduates from such institutions may not be knowledgeable in climate change issues. They and members of their communities may, therefore, not be aware of most climate change issues including lifestyle and its influence on climate change, climate change measurements, climate change and its implication on health, and packaging and dissemination of climate change information. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Climate, Universities, College Curriculum
(2015). International Peer Collaboration to Learn about Global Climate Changes, International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. Climate change is not local; it is global. This means that many environmental issues related to climate change are not geographically limited and hence concern humans in more than one location. There is a growing body of research indicating that today's increased climate change is caused by human activities and our modern lifestyle. Consequently, climate change awareness and attention from the entire world's population needs to be a global priority and we need to work collaboratively to attain a sustainable future. A powerful tool in this process is to develop an understanding of climate change through education. Recognizing this, climate change has been included in many science curricula as a part of science education in schools. However, teaching such a complex and global topic as climate change is not easy. The research in this paper has been driven by this challenge. In this paper, we will present our online science module called Global Climate Exchange, designed with inquiry activities for international peer collaboration to teach climate change. In this study, we engaged 157 students from four countries (Canada, China, Sweden, and Norway) to collaborate in Global Climate Exchange. To explore the opportunities that international peer collaboration in Global Climate Exchange gives, we have analyzed how students develop their explanations about climate change issues over time. Our analysis showed that the students increased the proportion of relevant scientific concepts in relation to the total number of words in their explanations and that they improved the quality of links between concepts over a six-week period. The analysis also revealed that the students explained more perspectives relating to climate change issues over time. The outcomes indicate that international peer collaboration, if successfully supported, can be an effective approach to climate change education. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Climate, Environmental Education, Science Education
(2017). Argumentation as a Strategy for Increasing Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Climate Change, a Key Global Socioscientific Issue, International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology. Findings of this study suggest that scientific argumentation can play an effective role in addressing complex socioscientific issues (i.e. global climate change). This research examined changes in preservice teachers' knowledge and perceptions about climate change in an innovative undergraduate-level elementary science methods course. The preservice teachers' understanding of fundamental concepts (e.g., the difference between weather and climate, causes of recent global warming, etc.) increased significantly. Their perceptions about climate change became more aligned to those of climate scientists. A key assignment was to develop and present an evidence-based scientific argument based on an adaptation of Toulmin's argumentation model (1958). The participants were assigned a typical question and claim of climate skeptics and asked to conduct research on the scientific findings to prepare a counterargument (rebuttal). The preservice teachers indicated that the integration of scientific argumentation was an effective strategy for increasing their understanding and perceptions about climate change as a socioscientfic issue. [More] Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Climate, Persuasive Discourse, Science Education
(2016). An Investigation of Science Educators' View of Roles and Responsibilities for Climate Change Education, Science Education International. This exploratory study investigates what science educators from differing groups (outside of higher education–informal and formal (K-12) and inside of higher education–content and pedagogy experts) believe are the roles and responsibilities (and what actions these might involve) in climate change education for: 1) their group of educators, and 2) other groups of educators, for climate change. A hybrid theoretical perspective (interactionism and social constructivism) was used. Written data were analyzed using a delimited discourse methodology to make sense of the participants' thinking of roles and responsibilities for climate change education. The psychosociological construct "diffusion of responsibility" provided a useful interpretative lens. Findings suggest that science educators from different groups hold differing views of roles and responsibilities for climate change education, which may lead to a damaging diffusion of responsibility for effective climate change education. Recommendations for effective professional development in climate change education are suggested to ameliorate the potential for a diffusion of responsibility. [More] Descriptors: Science Teachers, Teacher Role, Teacher Responsibility, Climate
(2015). Climate Change Education in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development: Rationale and Principles, Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. Although the role of education in addressing the challenges of climate change is increasingly recognized, the education sector remains underutilized as a strategic resource to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Education stakeholders in many countries have yet to develop a coherent framework for climate change education (CCE). This article underscores the critical role that education can and should play in addressing and responding to climate change in all of its complexity. It provides rationales as to why CCE should be addressed in the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Advancing CCE in the context of ESD, or Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development (CCESD), requires enhancement of learners' understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and their readiness to take actions to address it. The article presents key organizing principles of CCESD and outlines key knowledge, skills, attitudes, dispositions and competences to be fostered through it. [More] Descriptors: Climate, Sustainable Development, Educational Principles, Role of Education