Research project Climate change - developing social science teaching for advancing knowledge, action and hope

A central premise of the project is that teaching about solutions to climate change—such as environmental taxes, subsidies, legislation, and bans—is essential for creating real change. Such teaching provides students with knowledge that is key to reducing climate change and fostering innovation—a form of civic literacy that also strengthens their sense of hope for the future.

The aim of the project is therefore to develop and test teaching practices that focus on concrete solutions with direct relevance to reducing carbon emissions and adapting society to climate change. We see a clear need to strengthen social science education in this direction, as existing research is still very limited. This makes the project urgent, and the new knowledge will have a direct impact on teaching.

Since 2022, we have carried out three cycles of intervention, using comparative interventions, in grade 9. We have measured student conceptual development and learning through pre- and post-tests. The results are very promising, showing a clear increase in knowledge when students use concept maps in the main intervention.

The teaching is designed based on research on conceptual change, and three aspects when planning instruction: goal of understanding,  concepts, and concrete examples.

Project team