Between Urgency and Uncertainty: The Challenge of Being a Human and an Educator in the Age of Climate Change
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| Title: | Between Urgency and Uncertainty: The Challenge of Being a Human and an Educator in the Age of Climate Change |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Oren Pizmony-Levy, Sarah Alice Wagner |
| Source: | Current Issues in Comparative Education. 2025 27(1):8-43. |
| Availability: | Teachers College, Columbia University. International and Transcultural Studies, P.O. Box 211, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. e-mail: info@cicejournal.org; Web site: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/cice |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 36 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | 2019625 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Climate, Environmental Education, Schools of Education, College School Cooperation, Partnerships in Education, Universities, Public Schools, College Faculty, Public School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Practices, Psychological Patterns, Sustainability, Role of Education, Knowledge Level |
| Geographic Terms: | New York (New York) |
| ISSN: | 1523-1615 |
| Abstract: | The window in which humans should act to avoid the extreme impacts of anthropogenic climate change is closing. Addressing this crisis requires collective action and political will. Climate change education (CCE) is a global movement and a long-term strategy to empower people to engage in climate action. Educators are at the heart of this movement, tasked with appropriating CCE frameworks to the reality of their context and classroom. This study uses survey data from a research-practice partnership between Teachers College, Columbia University, and New York City Public Schools to explore educators' beliefs, attitudes, and practices on climate change and education. Our findings paint a complex picture. Educators show high levels of concern and negative emotions about climate change, confusion, and underestimation of climate change causes and impacts. Educators support comprehensive CCE in schools and are aligned with international frameworks. While we find growing instructional time dedicated to climate change, the data point to sociological barriers (e.g., perception and labeling of climate change as relevant to the STEM curriculum). We discuss the implications of our findings and offer strategies to enhance CCE in New York City and beyond. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1480476 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The window in which humans should act to avoid the extreme impacts of anthropogenic climate change is closing. Addressing this crisis requires collective action and political will. Climate change education (CCE) is a global movement and a long-term strategy to empower people to engage in climate action. Educators are at the heart of this movement, tasked with appropriating CCE frameworks to the reality of their context and classroom. This study uses survey data from a research-practice partnership between Teachers College, Columbia University, and New York City Public Schools to explore educators' beliefs, attitudes, and practices on climate change and education. Our findings paint a complex picture. Educators show high levels of concern and negative emotions about climate change, confusion, and underestimation of climate change causes and impacts. Educators support comprehensive CCE in schools and are aligned with international frameworks. While we find growing instructional time dedicated to climate change, the data point to sociological barriers (e.g., perception and labeling of climate change as relevant to the STEM curriculum). We discuss the implications of our findings and offer strategies to enhance CCE in New York City and beyond. |
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| ISSN: | 1523-1615 |
