Secondary Students’ Climate Change Beliefs Vary by Geographic Region Before and After Curricular Intervention

• In Event: The Diverse Pedagogies of Climate Change

Abstract

This study examined survey data in order to observe the nature and stability of middle and high school students’ climate change beliefs before and after participating in an NSF funded climate change curricular intervention. The participants included 421 total students (MS n=352 and HS n=69) from the South, Midwest, Central, and Mid-Atlantic regions in the United States. Frequencies, Pearson’s chi-squared tests, and Fisher’s exact tests were performed to analyze the data. Results indicate that students' climate change beliefs significantly changed from pre and post intervention responses. Moreover, the post beliefs were statistically significantly different by geographic region. On average, students in the South had a greater frequency of climate denial responses than students in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Authors

• Michelle Reicher Newstadt, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Nancy B. Songer, University of Michigan