Examining Taiwanese students’ views on climate change and the teaching of climate change in the context of higher education

ABSTRACT Background Although higher education continues to pay great attention to teaching climate change, relatively little is known about how university students understand and perceive climate change and its teaching and learning, and how their understanding and perceptions may change over the course of climate change instruction. Purpose The study was embedded in the context of a Taiwanese public university which has been actively integrating a climate change agenda into the curriculum. The purpose of the study was to examine students’ knowledge of and views on climate change and its teaching, and the influence of climate-related instruction on their knowledge and views. Sample A total of 146 university students were solicited through four semester-long general environmental studies courses, all of which included some climate change instruction. Design and methods Participating students completed both pre- and post-course surveys including Likert-type, multiple choice and open-ended questions for the purpose of examining their views about climate change and the teaching of this issue. Results The vast majority of students demonstrated a high level of certainty about the reality of the happening of global warming as well as concern about this issue. However, their actual knowledge about its causes was alarmingly poor, and action-related perceptions were rather negative. Participating in an environmental course had only a limited impact on their views; significant improvement was only observed in their subjective knowledge and concern about the issue. Nevertheless, students’ responses regarding university teaching about climate change exhibited a strong interest in and support for their university to take an active role in combating the problem. Conclusion These findings raise questions about the focus of, and approaches to, climate education in higher education, and serve as important basis for promoting curricular and instructional innovation in the field of climate change education.