Climate Change and Political Controversy in the Science Classroom How Teachers’ Beliefs Influence Instruction

Climate change science is complex and perceived to be controversial in nature by some stakeholders. Yet from the perspective of educators and policy makers, climate change science is an important topic to be taught in secondary science education. The presence of controversy can influence teachers’ i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScience & education Vol. 31; no. 6; pp. 1567 - 1583
Main Authors Nation, Molly Trendell, Feldman, Allan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 2022
Springer
Subjects
Climate
Controversial Issues (Course Content)
Correlation
Education
History
Philosophy of Science
Political Attitudes
Science Curriculum
Science Education
Science Instruction
Science Teachers
Secondary School Science
SI: Why Trust Science and Science Education
Teacher Attitudes
Teaching Methods
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Summary:Climate change science is complex and perceived to be controversial in nature by some stakeholders. Yet from the perspective of educators and policy makers, climate change science is an important topic to be taught in secondary science education. The presence of controversy can influence teachers’ instructional decisions and cause confusion about the science of climate change. This study examines the complex nature between science teacher beliefs and the impact on their instructional practices of climate change–centered curriculum. Findings from the study suggest teachers have strong beliefs about the causes and implications of climate change. However, due to the controversial nature of the topic, the current US political climate, and fear of resistance from stakeholders, teachers did not espouse these beliefs within their instruction of the curriculum and instead remained “neutral” when teaching about climate change.
ISSN:0926-7220
1573-1901
DOI:10.1007/s11191-022-00330-6