ERIC Number: EJ1299072
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
EISSN: N/A
Educating for Resilience: Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Children's Emotional Needs in Response to Climate Change
Baker, Cambry; Clayton, Susan; Bragg, Eshana
Environmental Education Research, v27 n5 p687-705 2021
Children are worried about climate change. Environmental education aims to increase knowledge and pro-environmental behavior but typically gives little attention to meeting children's emotional needs. This is particularly important as direct and indirect impacts of climate change, including the Australian bushfires in 2019-20, become more salient. This study explored caretaker perceptions of children's climate change emotions, and the needs and challenges around supporting children, through an online survey of Australian parents and teachers (n = 141). Parents and teachers similarly reported that children experience anxiety and express interest in talking about climate change. They described challenges that inhibit their ability to talk to the children, whilst also identifying positive experiences of doing so. We conclude that parents and teachers would benefit from resources to help them support their children's environmental learning in a way that fosters emotional wellbeing and promotes hopefulness. We suggest principles that acknowledge feelings, emphasize solutions, and encourage action.
Descriptors: Resilience (Psychology), Parent Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Psychological Needs, Emotional Response, Mental Health, Anxiety, Stress Variables, Children, Adolescents, Role Perception, School Role, Environmental Education, Sustainable Development, Climate, Natural Disasters, Foreign Countries
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A