Research project Climate change - developing social science teaching for advancing knowledge, action and hope
This research project aims to develop civics education on climate change with a focus on solutions. The goal is to give young people a sense of hope and belief that they can make a difference.
Project description
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 civics 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 rounds of teaching in ninth grade, testing and evaluating the content through comparative interventions with both pre- and post-tests. The results are very promising, showing a clear increase in knowledge—especially when students use concept maps.
The teaching is designed based on research on concept formation and is built around three core components: clear learning goals, key concepts, and concrete examples.
Project team
Project members
Project managers
Cecilia Lundholm
Professor
Members
Caroline Ignell
Senior lecturer
Peter Davies
Professor
Sverker Jagers
Professor
