Abstract
The lack of available curricular resources for teachers may be a factor in teachers’ reliance on outside sources for information on climate change and, consequently, on the accuracy of the information being relayed to students. However, there emerged one key enabler: the flexibility of the curriculum, which allows teachers to include climate change themes if they wish. Parental, community, school/colleague and societal attitudes to climate change are, on some level, found to influence teachers’ approaches to CCE, whether positively or negatively. Additionally, it is found that there is a tendency among teachers to focus on personal action and responsibility, which acts as a barrier to the exploration of the wider causes of climate change. May be beneficial if teachers focus less on personal responsibility and more on the contribution that larger entities make to climate change as well as structural drivers of the climate crisis.
Keywords: Climate change education (CCE) Curriculum flexibility Lack of curricular resources Teacher reliance on external sources Information accuracy Parental and community attitudes School and colleague influence Societal attitudes toward climate change Enablers and barriers Personal action focus Individual responsibility Structural drivers of climate change Role of institutions and large entities Teaching approaches and constraints
Core Idea: Resource Gaps and Sociocultural Influences Shaping Teachers’ Climate Change Education Practices
Reference: Climate Change Education in Ireland: A Crisis in Need of a Meaningful Cross-Curricular Response? by Gleeson, Emma Morrissey; Morrissey, John Journal of education for sustainable development, 03/2024, Volume 18, Issue 1 This study examines primary school teachers’ approaches to climate change education (CCE) and the factors that influence this through anal… Journal Article: Full Text Online