Inquiry-based learning on climate change
Effects of a science-propaedeutic upper secondary school seminar
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22419804 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Johannes Schulz (0000-0002-0094-4883, University of Augsburg, corresponding author), Jan Christoph Schubert (0000-0002-5877-1911, Department of Subject Didactics, Chair of Geography Education, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg), Steffen Höhnle (0000-0002-1423-134X, Department of Subject Didactics, Chair of Geography Education, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg), Ulrike Ohl (0000-0001-6012-5479, University of Augsburg) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-21 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1038-2046 • E-ISSN: 1747-7611 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10382046.2026.2656158 |
| OpenAlex | W7155096856 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 78 |
Geography education integrates perspectives from the natural and social sciences and is therefore particularly promising for Climate Change Education. Against this background, and in view of the encouraging potential of Inquiry-based Learning in climate education, a geographical-scientific propaedeutic seminar on climate change in upper secondary schools in Germany (Bavaria) was developed. This 18-month intervention was aimed at facilitating integration of scientific inquiry with local climate challenges. For the present study, the effects of the seminar on students’ self-assessed certainty, risk perception, and interests, each regarding anthropogenic climate change, were investigated in a quasi-experimental pre-post-test design with an experimental group (N = 89) and a control group (N = 71). Mixed-design ANOVAs and ANCOVAs with repeated measures revealed positive effects of the treatment group compared to the control group, with moderate effect sizes for certainty and interest and a small effect size for risk perception. These results indicate that integrating locally anchored, long-term, inquiry-based approaches into geography education can effectively foster components of climate science literacy to address the educational and societal challenges of climate change.
Climate change · School climate · Secondary education · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Science and Climate Studies · Science Education and Pedagogy
The Power of Interest for Motivation and Engagement
What Is Climate Change Education?
Problem-Based Learning
Motivating Action through Fostering Climate Change Hope and Concern and Avoiding Despair among Adolescents
Climate Change Education for Mitigation and Adaptation
Communicating climate change risks in a skeptical world
Epistemologically authentic inquiry in schools
Overcoming skepticism with education
Statistical Practices of Educational Researchers
Is It Really Robust?
Meta-Analysis of Inquiry-Based Learning
Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1
Rethinking Quality Science Education for Climate Action
Scientific Literacies for Change Making
Climate change concern among youth
Finding a research question and developing a research plan in upper secondary school inquiry-based learning
The role of interest in climate change instruction
Global Warming's Five Germanys – Revisited and Framed in an International Context
The relationship between personal experience and belief in the reality of global warming
Perceptions of climate change and willingness to save energy related to flood experience
Climate Change Conceptual Change
The Role of Emotion in Global Warming Policy Support and Opposition
The social-psychological determinants of climate change risk perceptions
Identifying effective climate change education strategies
Perceptions and communication strategies for the many uncertainties relevant for climate policy
Enhancing learning, communication and public engagement about climate change – some lessons from recent literature
Climate change education for transformation
Textbooks of doubt, tested
Knowledge and (un)certainty in climate change education in India
Phases of inquiry-based learning
Exploring the Challenges of Climate Science Literacy
Episodic Narrative Interview
| Highly cited | No |
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