A Structural Model of Future-Oriented Climate Change Optimism in Science Education: PISA Evidence from Countries with Top Environmental Protection Index

IF 2.2 3区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Research in Science Education Pub Date : 2024-04-02 DOI:10.1007/s11165-024-10164-7

Kason Ka Ching Cheung

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the predictive effects of epistemological beliefs about science and informal reading of scientific texts on students’ future-oriented optimism on the issue of climate change. Future-oriented climate change optimism is defined as encompassing hope and anticipation about the climate future. To identify the relationships among variables, structural equation modelling was conducted on the PISA dataset on 15-year-old students from Denmark, the UK and Finland which have the top three Environmental Protection Index. Students of all three countries demonstrated a consistently low optimism about the future of climate change. Also, the findings indicated that students’ epistemological beliefs about science had a significantly negative predicting effect on their future-oriented climate change optimism across all three countries, while their informal reading of scientific texts had a significantly positive predictive effect on their future-oriented climate change optimism in Denmark and the UK. Across all three countries, 15-year-old students’ awareness of the issue of climate change plays a significantly negative mediating role between their epistemological beliefs about science and their optimism in the future climate, as well as their informal reading of scientific texts and their optimism in the future climate. This calls for a new curricular environmental-science education model that addresses how students’ informal science reading and epistemological beliefs about science can address future-oriented climate change optimism which might in turn impact young people’s action competence to address the issues of climate change.

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科学教育中面向未来的气候变化乐观主义结构模型：来自环境保护指数最高国家的国际学生评估项目（PISA）证据

本研究旨在探讨科学认识论信念和科学文本非正式阅读对学生在气候变化问题上的未来导向型乐观主义的预测作用。面向未来的气候变化乐观主义被定义为包含对气候未来的希望和预期。为了确定各变量之间的关系，我们对丹麦、英国和芬兰这三个环境保护指数排名前三的国家的 15 岁学生的国际学生评估项目（PISA）数据集进行了结构方程建模。这三个国家的学生都对气候变化的未来表现出一贯的低乐观态度。此外，研究结果表明，在所有三个国家中，学生对科学的认识论信念对其面向未来的气候变化乐观态度具有显著的负向预测作用，而在丹麦和英国，学生对科学文本的非正式阅读对其面向未来的气候变化乐观态度具有显著的正向预测作用。在所有三个国家中，15 岁学生对气候变化问题的认识在他们对科学的认识论信念与他们对未来气候的乐观态度之间，以及在他们对科学文本的非正式阅读与他们对未来气候的乐观态度之间，都起着明显的负向中介作用。这就需要一种新的课程环境科学教育模式，解决学生的非正式科学阅读和对科学的认识论信念如何影响面向未来的气候变化乐观主义的问题，进而影响青少年应对气候变化问题的行动能力。

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来源期刊

Research in Science Education EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

8.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： 2020 Five-Year Impact Factor: 4.021 2020 Impact Factor: 5.439 Ranking: 107/1319 (Education) – Scopus 2020 CiteScore 34.7 – Scopus Research in Science Education (RISE ) is highly regarded and widely recognised as a leading international journal for the promotion of scholarly science education research that is of interest to a wide readership. RISE publishes scholarly work that promotes science education research in all contexts and at all levels of education. This intention is aligned with the goals of Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA), the association connected with the journal. You should consider submitting your manscript to RISE if your research: Examines contexts such as early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary, workplace, and informal learning as they relate to science education; and Advances our knowledge in science education research rather than reproducing what we already know. RISE will consider scholarly works that explore areas such as STEM, health, environment, cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology and higher education where science education is forefronted. The scholarly works of interest published within RISE reflect and speak to a diversity of opinions, approaches and contexts. Additionally, the journal’s editorial team welcomes a diversity of form in relation to science education-focused submissions. With this in mind, RISE seeks to publish empirical research papers. Empircal contributions are: Theoretically or conceptually grounded; Relevant to science education theory and practice; Highlight limitations of the study; and Identify possible future research opportunities. From time to time, we commission independent reviewers to undertake book reviews of recent monographs, edited collections and/or textbooks. Before you submit your manuscript to RISE, please consider the following checklist. Your paper is: No longer than 6000 words, including references. Sufficiently proof read to ensure strong grammar, syntax, coherence and good readability; Explicitly stating the significant and/or innovative contribution to the body of knowledge in your field in science education; Internationalised in the sense that your work has relevance beyond your context to a broader audience; and Making a contribution to the ongoing conversation by engaging substantively with prior research published in RISE. While we encourage authors to submit papers to a maximum length of 6000 words, in rare cases where the authors make a persuasive case that a work makes a highly significant original contribution to knowledge in science education, the editors may choose to publish longer works.