Climate Change Competency Assessment: Focus on Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS)

Abstract

In light of the increasingly dire consequences of climate change, fostering environmental literacy within the educational system has become an imperative. By measuring student competency, we can ensure future generations are empowered to become responsible stewards of the environment and active participants in tackling this global challenge. Thus, this study aims to assess the science students’ competency in factors that affect climate, the effects of changing climate, and how to adapt accordingly. The subjects of this study were thirty-one (31) science students, third-year and fourth-year students, composed of 8 males and 23 females who have taken the subject Environmental Science. Results show that students have a higher level of knowledge in competencies 1 and 2, namely: (1) Relate species extinction to the failure of the populations of organisms to adapt to abrupt changes in the environment, and (2) Explain how different factors affect the climate of an area. However, the present investigation yielded no statistically significant differences in climate change competency based on sex or year level, suggesting a potentially homogenous knowledge base regarding climate change across the studied demographic.