“We would like for students to become more environmentally aware”

As the effects of climate change become increasingly clear, it also becomes more and more evident that the younger generations will have to live with the consequences and make the right decisions to improve our climate. And yet, while climate education is increasingly getting more attention nowadays, the effective tools and guidelines for this type of education are still largely non-existent. In a new M20 study, an interdisciplinary team of researchers will try to solve this problem by providing schools with a practical example of climate education.

Tim Huijgen, assistant professor of Social Studies Education initiated the new project together with Mohammad Gharesifard, assistant professor of Citizen Science, Joana Duarte professor of Educational Sciences, and Lucy Avraamidou, professor of Science Education. In the new M20 study, the team wants to use virtual reality technology to develop a concrete way for schools to teach their students about environmental citizenship.

Environmental citizenship

To counteract climate change, environmental citizenship education is incredibly important according to the researchers. Environmental citizenship is the pro-environmental behavior of citizens who act and participate in society as agents of change through individual and collective actions to understand, solve and prevent environmental problems and develop a healthy relationship with nature. Gharesifard, explains the concept as follows: “For me, environmental citizenship is about having agency when it comes to environmental matters. As a person who lives in society you would like to understand, form opinions on, and react to environmental issues that are of concern to you and your friends and family. But before you can act, you need to understand these issues. That’s where education and our project are important.” 

They will not be starting from scratch. The project builds on the education materials developed as part of the Horizon 2020 project OTTER coordinated by professor Avraamidou. OTTER aimed to examine the ways in which places outside of school might serve as spaces for learning, resistance, and hope in relation to climate justice in secondary education. “A solid foundation to build upon for the new project”, according to the researchers.

The ultimate empathy machine

To promote environmental citizenship, it is very important to have students’ place themselves in the shoes of someone else and understand their viewpoint. This is called ‘perspective taking’ which is a key topic in the research line of Huijgen. According to previous research, younger students have a hard time viewing, understanding, and explaining perspectives different from their own. “That is where virtual reality can play an important role,” says Gharesifard.

Virtual reality is also referred to as the ‘ultimate empathy machine’ because it enables the user to view all kinds of perspectives through their own eyes. “Students here might not notice the effects of climate change personally. But through virtual reality teachers can take students to places they cannot easily travel to and offer students unique perspectives, for example of someone living on a small island”, Huijgen explains.

New research

The project will be split into three separate studies. In the first study the researchers will look into the students’ prior knowledge on important climate topics, their behavior and what kinds of misconceptions they have. “The students are very central in the first study”, Huijgen explains. Gharesifard adds to that. “Yes, they provide us with the data and information we need to create our intervention.”

In the second study the framework that will be created using the data from the first study will be put to the test in the classroom. Diversity also plays an important role in that testing; students from different backgrounds might interact with the virtual reality intervention in different ways. “That’s very interesting to look at because secondary school classrooms are becoming more and more diverse”, Huijgen states.

In the third and final study the focus shifts from students to teachers. That is also important according to Huijgen “We also need to train the teachers who want to work with the materials we create. You can have a shiny new lesson plan, but if the teachers do not know how to use it, it is not very effective. After all, they are the ones who have to teach the lessons.”

At the end of it all, the researchers hope to have an effective and practical framework comprising different components, like the virtual reality intervention, and guidelines for teachers. Gharesifard thinks it does not hurt to dream a little further. “Ideally, we would like for students to become more environmentally aware as a result of our project. They can then act as agents of change within society.”

Interdisciplinary work

The project was funded by The Ubbo Emmius Foundation as part of the 2024 M20 scholarships through the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health. The M20 scholarships were created to support interdisciplinary projects and give researchers the finances needed to appoint a PhD student.

The project has not quite started yet; the researchers are still looking for a PhD to take on the project. “Once we have found a PhD candidate we are hoping to start the project around November”, explains Huijgen.

The new research is an interdisciplinary project in which both social studies and STEM education play an important role. Huijgen elaborates on the importance of that interdisciplinarity. “When it comes to climate education you need interdisciplinary work and perspectives. I was a history teacher for a long time, I can provide the historical background for climate change discussions. But that is not enough, we need insights from all kinds of subjects and fields.”

Both Huijgen and Gharesifard are excited to share the interesting story of how they created the project proposal. “The two of us met during a three-session academic leadership course at the university. We first started talking and discussing possible collaborations during the first session and then started with developing the proposal idea before we even had the second session of the course,” both explain. “Of course, when we heard it got funded, it was the cherry on top. We were jumping up and down.”