Preaching to the choir or composing new verses? Toward a writerly climate literacy in introductory undergraduate biology

Abstract

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing society today, yet a wide range of misconceptions exist in society about whether or why climate change is happening, what its consequences are, and what can be done to address it. Large introductory biology courses present an opportunity to teach a large number of students—some of whom may never take another course focused on climate, ecology, or the environment—about climate change. However, content knowledge alone may not be enough to prepare students to transform their knowledge into action. To begin understanding how content knowledge interacts with student constructions of climate change solutions, we administered and quantitatively analyzed a survey that examined student views of climate change and how they shifted with instruction during an undergraduate introductory biology course at a large Midwestern university. Almost all participants entered the course agreeing that climate change is occurring, and their certainty about the science of climate change increased after instruction. After taking the course, more participants described climate change as having more immediate impacts, reporting that climate change is already harming people and that climate change will harm them personally. However, both at the beginning and end of the course, participants tended to think that humans would either be unable or unwilling to reduce climate change. They were also more worried about climate change at the end of the course than they were before. Increased concern might result from students becoming more certain of the science and severity of climate change, while remaining pessimistic that humans will effectively act on climate change. This pattern suggests instructors have opportunities to modify curricula in ways that leave students with a greater sense of empowerment and efficacy; we suggest questions that instructors can ask themselves in order to modify their courses with this goal in mind.

Transport disrupted – Substituting public transport by bike or car under Covid 19

“…Thus, contrary to Frater et al’s (2020) findings, the crisis might have not opened a window of opportunity for behavioral change for all. Research on climate change communication confirms that it is much easier to motivate eco-conscious people to switch their behavior to more sustainable options, whereas the real challenge lies in fostering awareness and efficacy believes in populations who are more skeptical ( Duffy et al, 2019 , Hestres, 2014 , McNeal et al, 2014 ).…”

Harnessing Data for Inclusive Ecology Education: Building Programs to Move the Discipline Toward Systemic Change

“…This is particularly important to remember as educators and program leaders shift student experiences from in-person settings to online platforms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, to reach the goal of inclusion, educators and program leaders need to consider and value the affective and psychosocial aspects of the student experience (see Duffy et al 2019).…”

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“…Some educators, who have witnessed student anxiety after engagement with the climate literature, have offered guidance to minimise these outcomes when designing and enacting instruction. 6 However, comprehensive training should be provided by institutions to equip educators and practitioners of mental health support for students. This training should include necessary tools, which have generally yet to be developed, to care for students experiencing ecoanxiety and other climate-related conditions.…”