Integrating Climate Change into English Language Teaching: A Survey of Indonesian Teachers' Preparedness and Perspectives.

Authors

  • Sary Silvhiany Universitas Sriwijaya
  • Sakilah Rahmadhani Universitas Sriwijaya
  • Rita Inderawati Universitas Sriwijaya
  • Meilinda Meilinda Universitas Sriwijaya
  • Kuntum Trilestari Universitas Taman Siswa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i3.24232

Keywords:

Climate change education, ELT, sustainable education, preparedness and perspectives

Abstract

Climate change is one of the most critical issues we are currently facing. Considering the devastating impact of climate change to many people in the world, an interdisciplinary approach to climate change mitigation is highly essential. Teachers have a crucial responsibility in transferring knowledge, persuading students, and setting an example for critical thinking and environmental advocacy in order to prepare students for the challenges posed by climate change. The issue of climate change is one of the topics and goals of EFL teachers in preparing students to face climate change. The aim of this research is to explore teachers' knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and preparedness in integrating climate change issues in ELT. This study employed a survey method, which involved 214 Indonesian EFL teachers from various levels of education, from elementary to high school. Data were analyzed through questionnaires, consisting of four parts: teachers’ knowledge, belief, attitude and preparedness in integrating climate change issues in ELT. The results show that there is a correlation between knowledge, belief and attitude towards preparedness in incorporating climate change education in EFL learning. Moreover, most teachers expressed their willingness to teach climate change issues in ELT, despite the score of their knowledge, belief, and attitude regarding climate change. These results shed light on teachers’ understanding of climate change, belief about, and attitude toward climate change issues. Implications of the study include the possibility of incorporating climate change education in EFL learning and EFL sustainable teacher education.

Author Biography

Sary Silvhiany, Universitas Sriwijaya

Dr. Sary Silvhiany is a lecturer at English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Sriwijaya University. She earned her PhD from the department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington, USA and her master’s degree from the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA and Master of Education from Sriwijaya University, Palembang. Her research focuses on literacy/biliteracy as social and critical practices, multiliteracies and multilingual inquiry pedagogy, & Teacher Education.

References

Ahove, M. A., & Bankole, S. I. (2018). Petroleum industry activities and climate change.

The Political Ecology of Oil and Gas Activities in the Nigerian Aquatic (pp. 277–292). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-809399-3.00018-5

Beach, R. W. & Smith, B. E. (2020). Using Digital Tools for Studying About and Addressing Climate Change. In P. Sullivan, J. Lantz, & B. Sullivan (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Integrating Digital Technology with Literacy Pedagogies (pp. 346-370). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0246-4.ch015

Borgerding, L. A., & Dağistan, M. (2018). Preservice science teachers’ concerns and approaches for teaching socioscientific and controversial issues. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 29(4), 283–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560x.2018.1440860

Calvin, K., Dasgupta, D., Krinner, G., Mukherji, A., Thorne, P., Trisos, C. H., Romero, J., Aldunce, P., Barrett, K., Blanco, G., Cheung, W. W. L., Connors, S., Denton, F., Diongue-Niang, A., Dodman, D., Garschagen, M., Geden, O., Hayward, B., Jones, C. D., . . . Ha, M. (2023). IPCC, 2023: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.59327/ipcc/ar6-9789291691647

Clark, H., Sandoval, W. A., & Kawasaki, J. (2020). Teachers’ uptake of problematic assumptions of climate change in the NGSS. Environmental Education Research, 26(8), 1177–1192. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1748175

Darkwah, W. K., Odum, B., Addae, M., Koomson, D. A., Danso, K. B., Oti-Mensah, E. A., Quachie, A. T., & Adormaa, B. B. (2018). Greenhouse Effect: Greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 17(6), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.9734/jsrr/2017/39630

Drewes, A., Henderson, J. A., & Mouza, C. (2017). Professional development design considerations in climate change education: teacher enactment and student learning. International Journal of Science Education, 40(1), 67–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2017.1397798

Goulah, J. (2015). Climate change and TESOL: Language, Literacies, and the Creation of Eco-Ethical Consciousness. TESOL Quarterly, 51(1), 90–114. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.277

Hess, D. J., & Maki, A. (2019). Climate change belief, sustainability education, and political values: Assessing the need for higher-education curriculum reform. Journal of Cleaner Production, 228, 1157–1166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.291

Hiğde, E., Öztekin, C., & Şahin, E. (2017). Turkish pre-service science teachers’ awareness, beliefs, values, and behaviours pertinent to climate change. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 26(3), 253–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2017.1330040

Hinton, P., Brownlow, C., & McMurray, I. (2004). SPSS explained. Routledge

Jorgenson, S., Stephens, J. C., & White, B. (2019). Environmental education in transition: A critical review of recent research on climate change and energy education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 50(3), 160–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2019.1604478

Lawson, M. J., Vosniadou, S., Van Deur, P., Wyra, M., & Jeffries, D. (2018). Teachers’ and students’ belief systems about the Self-Regulation of learning. Educational Psychology Review, 31(1), 223–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-018-9453-7

Li, C. J., Monroe, M. C., Oxarart, A., & Ritchie, T. (2019). Building teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching about climate change through educative curriculum and professional development. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 20(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015x.2019.1617806

Liu, L. B. (2019). Cultivating ecological generosity and sustainability in elementary youth and student teachers via children’s books. Handbook of Research on Assessment Practices and Pedagogical Models for Immigrant Students (pp. 284–300). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9348-5.ch015

Liu, L. B., & Li, Q. (2019). Culturally and ecologically sustaining pedagogies: cultivating glocally generous classrooms and societies. American Behavioral Scientist, 63(14), 1983–2006. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219850865

Malhi, G. S., Kaur, M., & Kaushik, P. (2021). Impact of climate change on agriculture and its mitigation Strategies: A review. Sustainability, 13(3), 1318. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031318

McNeal, K. S., Walker, S., & Rutherford, D. J. (2014). Assessment of 6- to 20-Grade Educators’ climate Knowledge and Perceptions: Results from the Climate Stewardship Survey. Journal of Geoscience Education, 62(4), 645–654. https://doi.org/10.5408/13-098.1

McNeal, P., Petcovic, H. L., & Reeves, P. (2017). What is motivating middle-school science teachers to teach climate change? International Journal of Science Education, 39(8), 1069–1088. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2017.1315466

Meehan, C. R., Levy, B. L. M., & Collet-Gildard, L. (2018). Global climate change in U.S. high school curricula: Portrayals of the causes, consequences, and potential responses. Science Education, 102(3), 498–528. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21338

Meilinda, M., Rustaman, N. Y., & Tjasyono, B. (2017). The Perceptions of Pre-Service Science Teachers and Science Teachers about Climate Change. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 6(2), 292. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v6i2.9490

Monroe, M. C., Oxarart, A., & Plate, R. (2013). A role for environmental education in climate change for secondary science educators. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 12(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015x.2013.795827

Monroe, M. C., Plate, R., Oxarart, A., Bowers, A. W., & Chaves, W. A. (2017). Identifying effective climate change education strategies: a systematic review of the research. Environmental Education Research, 25(6), 791–812. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1360842

Moshou, H., & Drinia, H. (2023). Climate change education and preparedness of future teachers—A review: The case of Greece. Sustainability, 15(2), 1177. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021177

Mutmainnah, M. L., Silvhiany, S., & Eryansyah, E. (2022). Probing Indonesian teachers’ learning investment in response to educational disruption: A narrative inquiry. VELES (Voices of English Language Education Society), 6(2), 340–353. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i2.6242

Panos, A., & Damico, J. (2021). Less than one percent is not enough: How leading literacy organizations engaged with climate change from 2008 to 2019. Journal of Language & Literacy Education, 17(1), 1–21.

Rousell, D., & Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, A. (2019). A systematic review of climate change education: giving children and young people a ‘voice’ and a ‘hand’ in redressing climate change. Children’s Geographies, 18(2), 191–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2019.1614532

Seow, T., & Ho, L. (2016). Singapore teachers’ beliefs about the purpose of climate change education and student readiness to handle controversy. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 25(4), 358–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2016.1207993

Seroussi, D., Rothschild, N., Kurzbaum, E., Yaffe, Y., & Hemo, T. (2019). Teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about climate change. International Education Studies, 12(8), 33. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v12n8p33

Sezen-Barrie, A., Shea, N., & Borman, J. H. (2017). Probing into the sources of ignorance: science teachers’ practices of constructing arguments or rebuttals to denialism of climate change. Environmental Education Research, 25(6), 846–866. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1330949

Shivanna, K. R. (2022). Climate change and its impact on biodiversity and human welfare. Proc. Indian Natl. Sci. Acad, 88(2), 160–171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43538-022-00073-6

Silvhiany, S. (2022). Indonesian teachers’ professional development Practices and needs in post Pandemic education. VELES (Voices of English Language Education Society), 6(1), 215–232. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i1.5265

Silvhiany, S., Kurniawan, D., & Safrina, S. (2023). Climate change awareness in ELT: Ethnography in connected learning and ecojustice pedagogy. Journal of English Language Teaching Innovations and Materials (Jeltim), 5(2), 91. https://doi.org/10.26418/jeltim.v5i2.63548

Skiera, B., Reiner, J., & Albers, S. (2021). Regression analysis. Handbook of Market Research (pp. 299–327). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57413-4_17

Sofiyan, S., Aksa, F. I., & Saiman, S. (2019). An analysis climate change of the curriculum in Indonesia. Journal of Physics, 1321(2), 022121. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1321/2/022121

Sugiyono. (2017). Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif dan R&D(25thed.). Alfabeta

UNESCO. (2020). Education for sustainable development: a roadmap. UNESCO.

https://doi.org/10.54675/YFRE1448

Winter, V., Kranz, J., & Möller, A. (2022). Climate change education challenges from two different perspectives of change agents: Perceptions of school students and pre-service teachers. Sustainability, 14(10), 6081. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106081

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2023-12-29

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 3 (2023): VELES (Voices of English Language Education Society)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with the VELES Journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Creative Commons License

VELES Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.