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2 Student Understanding of Climate Change
Pages 11-22

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From page 11...
... discussed the nature and quality of available teaching materials. Mental Models of global warming and climate change Climate change is a complex topic, noted Boyes: "Black body radiation, preferential absorption by the atmosphere at certain frequencies, the science of atmosphere and weather patterns, not to mention the stochastic nature of any predictions of climate fluctuations [based on evidence of]
From page 12...
... Many students also do not understand how global warming translates into climate fluctuations or why it does not simply make every place a bit warmer. Boyes and his colleagues are currently conducting a study in 11 countries of people's beliefs and attitudes regarding climate change and possible actions that could be taken to mitigate it.2 The researchers have sampled 12,627 students in grades 6 through 10 using a 32-item questionnaire that covers 16 issues, such as transport use, transport type, power generation, and selection of consumer durables.
From page 13...
... These effects vary by question. For example, people are very willing to switch off unused appliances in their homes, but very unwilling to support nuclear power, even if they believe strongly in its usefulness to combat climate change.
From page 14...
... Climate literacy and climate pedagogy Researchers have also explored the climate literacy of K-14 students, and Marcinkowski described the results of a secondary analysis of four national-level assessments of environmental literacy that have been conducted in Israel, Korea, Turkey, and the United States (Chu, Shin, and Lee, 2005; Shin et al., 2005; McBeth et al., 2008, 2010; Negev et al., 2008; Tal et
From page 15...
... . According to that definition, a climate-literate person · understands the essential principles of Earth's climate system; · knows how to assess scientifically credible information about climate; · communicates about climate and climate change in a meaningful way; and · can make informed and responsible decisions with regard to actions that may affect climate change.
From page 16...
... . TABLE 2-2 Grade Levels and Content Covered in Four Assessments United Israel Korea Turkey States Grade levels 6, 12 3, 7, 11 5 6, 8 Knowledge Ecological knowledge X X X X Environmental knowledge X X X Affective dispositions Environmental sensitivity X X X X Environmental feelings X X Environmental attitudes X X X Personal responsibility X X Locus of control/efficacy X X Verbal commitment/willingness X X X X Cognitive skills/competencies X X X Behavior X X X X SOURCE: Marcinkowski (2011)
From page 17...
... The researchers also found differences across both countries and grade levels, such as with the level of students' knowledge about different aspects of climate change, which suggest the need to take sociocultural and developmental factors into consideration when teaching about climate change (see Marcinkowski et al., 2011, for detailed analyses)
From page 18...
... 4 is a collaboration among science and academic organizations5 that was developed to identify and review online resources for teaching about climate science, climate change, and energy awareness, primarily those used in grades 6 through 16 and in informal science education. The resources are reviewed for scientific and pedagogical quality and are annotated by the reviewers.
From page 19...
... Some important areas, such as adaptation to climate change, are missing or thinly covered, and for others the resources lack interactive features likely to engage learners. Excellent resources can be difficult and time-consuming to locate on the Internet.
From page 20...
... Martin Storksdieck (National Research Council) asked Boyes if he has observed changes in students' understanding of climate change and global warming during his research over the past 20 years, wondering whether it has become more sophisticated, or whether people still struggle with the same issues.
From page 21...
... "Children live both in and outside of school" and are influenced by their families and their communities, as well as by their schools. That point leads to questions about the proper scope of the school curriculum and how to establish priorities among the knowledge, dispositions, skills, and behaviors that come under the heading of climate literacy.


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