“A Different Kind of Middleman”: Preservice Science Teachers’ Agency for Climate Change Education
Published: 2022
Publication Name: Justice and Equity in Climate Change Education
Abstract:
Chapter Abstract
The most recent scientific reports emphasize the need to take urgent action to solve the climate change problem. Educational settings such as schools can create equitable learning experiences where the youth can learn effective approaches to mitigation and adaptation based on scientific evidence. This chapter sees teachers’ agency in solving climate change problems as critical for designing meaningful learning experiences. The authors explore how a preservice teacher, Ms. Crawford, conceptualizes her sense of agency as she teaches climate change in: multiple contexts across time, middle school classrooms, professional learning environments, family gatherings, and research meetings. In this single case study of Ms. Crawford, we use an ethnographic perspective where we conduct participant observations and iterative cycles of interviews to make sense of the reason for the change in the conceptualization of agency. This study’s findings shed light on how preservice teachers’ agency is shaped through interaction with stakeholders, considerations of ethics of care, and attention to intergenerational equity.
Book Abstract
This volume looks at the ways in which climate change education relates to broader ideas of justice, equity, and social transformation, and ultimately calls for a rapid response to the need for climate education reform.
Highlighting the role of climate change in exacerbating existing societal injustices, this text explores the ethical and social dimensions of climate change education, including identity, agency, and societal structure, and in doing so problematizes climate change education as an equity concern. Chapters present empirical analysis, underpinned by a theoretical framework, and case studies which provide critical insights for the design of learning environments, curricula, and everyday climate change-related learning in schools.
This text will benefit researchers, academics, educators, and policymakers with an interest in science education, social justice studies, and environmental sociology more broadly. Those specifically interested in climate education, curriculum studies, and climate adaption will also benefit from this book.
Sezen-Barrie, A., & Avraamidou, L. (2022). “A Different Kind of Middleman”: Preservice Science Teachers’ Agency for Climate Change Education. In Justice and Equity in Climate Change Education (pp. 174-197). Routledge.