ERIC Number: EJ1224806
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
EISSN: N/A
Cultural Cognition and Climate Change Education in the U.S.: Why Consensus Is Not Enough
Environmental Education Research, v25 n5 p633-655 2019
Integrating climate change into environmental education programs and formal science classrooms can be difficult, as the issue remains controversial and highly politicized among the American public. This study proposes that the same cultural values that shape worldview differences and divide public opinion on anthropogenic climate change will influence if and how science educators support education on the topic. An online survey with quantitative and qualitative measures was distributed among science educators in the southeastern United States to test what, if any, impact cultural cognition has on their opinions about climate change education. The results suggest that respondents' cultural values have a significant influence on their intentions to support climate change education and preferences for curricula content. The findings also suggest potential avenues for the field of environmental education to develop climate change materials that may help decrease unintentional biases among science educators and more effectively engage their support in teaching its causes and potential solutions regardless of worldview differences.
Descriptors: Climate, Environmental Education, Public Opinion, World Views, Science Teachers, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Cultural Influences, Teacher Attitudes, Intention, Curriculum Development, Bias, Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers
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: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Florida; Virginia; Pennsylvania; Arkansas; North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: 20116800230185