Investigating Preservice Science Teachers’ Perceived Values of an Interdisciplinary Climate Change Laboratory Project

Abstract

Authentic learning involves activities situated within real-world contexts or possessing significant relevance and applicability to real-life situations. In the educational context, perceived value refers to a student’s subjective assessment of the worth of an educational service, encompassing both tangible and intangible benefits. This study investigates the preservice science teachers’ (PSTs’) perceived value of an interdisciplinary climate change laboratory project in a chemistry course for non-STEM majors. The PSTs’ written responses underwent qualitative analysis to uncover themes related to the perceived value of the climate change project. The analysis revealed three key themes: enhanced conceptual understanding of climate change knowledge, empowerment to adopt mitigation methods, and preparation for future science education careers. The results of the climate change knowledge survey revealed that PSTs in the experimental group who responded to the writing prompt on perceived value demonstrated significantly higher performance compared to those who did not respond to the writing prompt in the control group after the Climate Change Project, while PSTs in the control and experimental groups demonstrated similar level of knowledge before the Climate Change Project. This qualitative study addresses a critical gap in climate change education research by exploring the impact on affective variables (perceived values). The findings underscore the importance of employing authentic learning experience that not only engage students in the learning process but also enhance the relevance of science within real-world contexts.