Dialogic action in climate change discussions: An international study of high school students in China, New Zealand, Norway and the United States

Abstract

Global efforts to prepare young developing minds for solving current and future challenges of climate change have advocated interdisciplinary, issues-based instructional approaches in order to transform traditional models of science education as delivering conceptual facts (UNESCO, 2014). This study is an exploration of the online interactions in an international social network of high school students residing in Norway, China, New Zealand and the United States (N=141). Students participated in classroom-based and asynchronous online discussions about adapted versions of seminal scientific studies with facilitative support from seven scientists across various fields. Grounded in a language-in-use frame for investigating facilitation and demonstrations of problem-based and evidence-based reasoning (Kelly & Chen, 1999)  IntroductionAt this potentially critical moment for human civilization, it is imperative that people, organizations, and governments be given the resources they need to participate in constructive civic, commercial, and personal decision-making about climate change risks and solutions. (Bowman et al., 2010) ISSN: 2325-3290 (online) A132Dialogue with the people is radically necessary to every authentic revolution. (Freire, 1970, p. 128.) The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has claimed the past ten years as the "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" (DESD) in efforts to elevate the issues of long-term, environmental sustainability in learning communities all around the world (Buckler & Creech, 2014;Wals, 2012). Moving beyond notions of education as teaching knowledge and principles, the DESD framework for classroom learning emphasizes the need for teachers to foster student engagement in "the complexities, controversies and inequities rising out of issues relevant to environment, natural heritage, culture, society and economy" (Wals, p.12). This framework aligns with the "excerpted messages" above; real changes in the ways that people think about and act on the Earth's changing climate and available natural resources requires an open dialogue that is inclusive of varying sources of knowledge and experience. Climate change scientists like Bowman et al. (2010) demand that citizens consider the evidence for and life-threatening consequences of the Earth's changing climate in order to take an active, decision-making role in discussions about climate change mitigation policies and practices. Freire's (1970) words complement this sentiment about what should be considered with the how; any major changes in the ways that communities, organizations and institutions operate are impossible without open and honest dialogue. Similarly, UNESCO is calling for educational practices that foster the engagement in sustainability issues that is more than understanding conceptual information and processes. As such, traditional models of science instruction in the form of delivering conceptual facts are insufficient for fostering engagement with issues a...

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How Big is My Carbon Footprint? Understanding Young People's Engagement with Climate Change Education

“…This paper offers insights as to how young people engage with climate change education (CCE), based on qualitative analysis of student-created interactive digital narratives (IDNs) centring on climate change as part of the You and CO2 programme [5]. As noted by Arya and Parker [6], to change how individuals understand their self-efficacy in relation to climate change requires open discussion and opportunities to engage with diverse types of knowledge. You and CO2 aims to create a space for such discussions to take place.…”