Developing Elementary Teachers' Self-efficacy to Teach About Climate Change Teaching Using Community-based Practices

climate change; elementary teachers; climate action; community-based phenomena; learning technologies

Research Mentor: aibourk@fsu.edu Amal Ibourk, She/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida State University, Education
Contact Email: aibourk@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 4
Relevant Majors: Environmental Science; Life Science; Meteorology; Oceanography; Education;

but also open to other majors too.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, Sept. 5th from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm.; https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85489343732?pwd=bmRCUlJjWEhrUUN6N1l0NGJWMW9ldz09
Wednesday, Sept. 6th from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm.; https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86471266738?pwd=cDJNakdsekZoTnAvWnhMRFZDVHE0dz09
Friday, Sept. 8th from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm ;https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89711004655?pwd=QmtVaFRIL1JNdmlSR1AwL3B3TFZvZz09

Project Description

This project will support pre-service and in-service teachers in professional development that will prepare them to teach about climate change in community-specific ways. This project aims to advance elementary teachers’ development in three high-impact areas: (a) their self-efficacy toward teaching climate change science or beliefs and attitudes about teaching climate change science; (b) their science content knowledge around climate change; and (c) their climate change identity, or how they view their agency and role in climate change.

Full Description
Climate change is a critical 21st-century issue. This project will support pre-service and in-service teachers in professional development that will prepare them to teach about climate change in community-specific ways. This project aims to advance elementary teachers’ development in three high-impact areas: (a) their self-efficacy toward teaching climate change science or beliefs and attitudes about teaching climate change science; (b) their science content knowledge around climate change; and (c) their climate change identity, or how they view their agency and role in climate change. Participating in-service teachers will co-design a justice-centered climate change instructional model by adding activities to the Global Climate Change and Urban Heat Island WISE unit. The newly designed lessons will focus on issues related to the local context, such as how climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable communities in Florida. Further, the lessons will address local and state policies that impact climate change.

This project will implement a community-based science instructional model using the web-based inquiry science environment (WISE) as a tool to support pre-service and in-service teachers’ self-efficacy, climate change identity, and science content knowledge and examine the effect of participation across the three high-impact areas. Data collected include pre- and post-test of teachers’ climate change knowledge, interview data, and survey data from a survey to be developed that measures teachers’ climate change identity. Results from this project will contribute developmentally appropriate foundational knowledge around climate change education in elementary science education programs by introducing pre-service teachers to climate change education and building their self-efficacy for teaching it. It will also provide in-service elementary teachers with professional activities to increase their climate change self-efficacy. Key contributions include the development, refinement, and dissemination of climate change instructional models (e.g., instructional materials, website materials, teacher workshops) to understand and enhance pre-service and in-service elementary teachers’ self-efficacy toward climate change education as a part of the project’s educational activities.

Research Tasks: Tasks:
1) Data collection in the field with elementary teachers
2) Data analysis of survey data
3) Reading articles to conduct a literature review
4) Co-writing a literature review
5) Being part of conference proposals
6) Being part of publication journals
7) Developing and cultivating community gardens in elementary schools
8) Validating surveys and instruments to use to investigate climate change identity


Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Experience reading research articles and writing research papers; organizational skills; time-management skills; communication skills

Recommended: Experience with educational settings in the capacity of tutoring, mentoring, or volunteering. (preferably experience with elementary schools)