How Much Do Elementary School Students Know About Climate Change? A Report from Java's Primary School Students

Abstract

Climate change is a global issue that must be immediately responded to by the community. Responding to climate change requires awareness of climate change issues, from symptoms to impacts. Due to its complexity, the issue of climate change needs to be realized and understood by all levels of society, including elementary school students. This study aimed to describe the knowledge of elementary school students related to climate change. The method used was descriptive quantitative. The instrument used was a questionnaire using a Likert scale (1-4). A total of 1,410 elementary school students in grades 4-6 from several regions on the Island of Java participated in filling out a questionnaire distributed online. Knowledge data related to climate change were analyzed descriptively. The findings showed that, on average, students had limited knowledge and misconceptions about climate change. Minimal knowledge was shown about the causes, symptoms, effects, and efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The implications of the research findings suggest the importance of explicit learning related to climate change starting at the elementary school level. Keywords: Climate Change, Elementary School Students, Java’s