Exploring the effects of an environmental education course on the awareness and perceptions of climate change risks among seventh and eighth grade learners in South Africa.
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| Title: | Exploring the effects of an environmental education course on the awareness and perceptions of climate change risks among seventh and eighth grade learners in South Africa. |
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| Authors: | Nkoana, Elvis Modikela1,2 nkoanem@unisa.ac.za |
| Source: | International Research in Geographical & Environmental Education. Feb2020, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p7-22. 16p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Environmental education, Climate change, Greenhouse gas mitigation, Droughts, Sustainable development |
| Abstract: | Anthropogenic climate change caused by the release of excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere is the biggest challenge of the 21st century. Man-made climate change threatens the biosphere on which all forms of life depend. Climate change requires human effort to manage the impact of extreme events such as droughts, flooding, and heatwaves. As such, human decision-making processes are crucial for the successful management of climate change impacts. The decision-making process include awareness and perception of climate change risks. Awareness and perceptions of (natural) hazard risk are determinants of human response (adaptation) to environmental shocks (climate change and variability). To this end, this study explores the effects of an environmental education course on the awareness and perception of climate change risks among seventh and eighth grade learners in South Africa. This exploratory study collected primary data through the implementation of emergent participation tools in focus group discussions with learners (n = 23). These emergent participation tools are the Problem tree and the Hazard, Impact and Vulnerability matrix. Responses from a comparison group were juxtaposed with those of environmental education beneficiaries through a qualitative content analysis technique. Findings reveal that environmental awareness has an effect on perceptions of current and future climate change risks. Learners are concerned about short-term risks more than long-term risks. Short-term risks such as meeting basic needs and dealing with criminality are priorities over long-term risks such as climate change. A daily struggle to meet these basic needs represent the local context and discourse within which learners view and experience their world. Learners do perceive the causal linkages between different climatic and non-climatic risks. Drawing such causal linkages raises awareness and perception and this cause-effect relationship is necessary for behavioural change. Environmental education is necessary to raise the awareness and perceptions of learners to environmental risks such as climate change. More studies are required to explore the topic of environmental education on raising awareness and perceptions of environmental risks such as climate change with head of households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of International Research in Geographical & Environmental Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Exploring the effects of an environmental education course on the awareness and perceptions of climate change risks among seventh and eighth grade learners in South Africa. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nkoana%2C+Elvis+Modikela%22">Nkoana, Elvis Modikela</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo><i> nkoanem@unisa.ac.za</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Research+in+Geographical+%26+Environmental+Education%22">International Research in Geographical & Environmental Education</searchLink>. Feb2020, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p7-22. 16p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Environmental+education%22">Environmental education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Climate+change%22">Climate change</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Greenhouse+gas+mitigation%22">Greenhouse gas mitigation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Droughts%22">Droughts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sustainable+development%22">Sustainable development</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Anthropogenic climate change caused by the release of excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere is the biggest challenge of the 21st century. Man-made climate change threatens the biosphere on which all forms of life depend. Climate change requires human effort to manage the impact of extreme events such as droughts, flooding, and heatwaves. As such, human decision-making processes are crucial for the successful management of climate change impacts. The decision-making process include awareness and perception of climate change risks. Awareness and perceptions of (natural) hazard risk are determinants of human response (adaptation) to environmental shocks (climate change and variability). To this end, this study explores the effects of an environmental education course on the awareness and perception of climate change risks among seventh and eighth grade learners in South Africa. This exploratory study collected primary data through the implementation of emergent participation tools in focus group discussions with learners (n = 23). These emergent participation tools are the Problem tree and the Hazard, Impact and Vulnerability matrix. Responses from a comparison group were juxtaposed with those of environmental education beneficiaries through a qualitative content analysis technique. Findings reveal that environmental awareness has an effect on perceptions of current and future climate change risks. Learners are concerned about short-term risks more than long-term risks. Short-term risks such as meeting basic needs and dealing with criminality are priorities over long-term risks such as climate change. A daily struggle to meet these basic needs represent the local context and discourse within which learners view and experience their world. Learners do perceive the causal linkages between different climatic and non-climatic risks. Drawing such causal linkages raises awareness and perception and this cause-effect relationship is necessary for behavioural change. Environmental education is necessary to raise the awareness and perceptions of learners to environmental risks such as climate change. More studies are required to explore the topic of environmental education on raising awareness and perceptions of environmental risks such as climate change with head of households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of International Research in Geographical & Environmental Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1080/10382046.2019.1661126 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 16 StartPage: 7 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Environmental education Type: general – SubjectFull: Climate change Type: general – SubjectFull: Greenhouse gas mitigation Type: general – SubjectFull: Droughts Type: general – SubjectFull: Sustainable development Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Exploring the effects of an environmental education course on the awareness and perceptions of climate change risks among seventh and eighth grade learners in South Africa. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Nkoana, Elvis Modikela IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 02 Text: Feb2020 Type: published Y: 2020 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 10382046 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 29 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: International Research in Geographical & Environmental Education Type: main |
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