New Perspectives in Science Education

Global climate protests by students challenge the status quo of policy makers and political leaders in mitigating the effects of climate change. Reviews of the economic impact of climate change offer complex and often conflicting advice and opinion [2-6] and the disconnect between scientific and public opinion is evident at all levels of society [7-11] with calls for targeted messages on sustainability, action and collaboration [2]. Scepticism towards expert opinion, the withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement, and the continued growth in carbon emissions all threaten human societies and ecosystems [10].  We have examined data from the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) data [12] in 72 OECD and partner countries to explore students’ responses.  Our analysis of these data provide an unparalleled insight into more than 540,000 fifteen-year olds’ awareness about greenhouse gases and the association between scholastic achievement, enjoyment and interest in science, students’ socio-economic status and country of origin. We find there are substantial global variations in students’ knowledge of greenhouse gases, which is independent of the international ranking of the PISA score. Measures of scientific literacy have the greatest impact on students’ awareness about greenhouse gases. Interactive effects between scientific literacy and enjoyment of science suggest that school science courses which are rigorous in content and enjoyable for students prepare them to be well-informed citizens about climate change.

Keywords: PISA 2015, student’s perceptions; greenhouse gases.

References:
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