Climate Change Education Among Urban Middle School Multilingual Learners: A Mixed-Methods Inquiry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22333/ijme.2025.9892Keywords:
Multilingual students, Climate change Education, Self-efficacy, Language development, Urban middle school.Abstract
Climate change remains a complex issue at the intersection of science, emotion, and politics, yet it is often denied or misunderstood by people worldwide, including young learners. Despite growing global attention, initiatives to address climate change remain limited in scope, particularly in K–12 education. This mixed-methods study (N=73), conducted in an urban city in New England, explores the knowledge, beliefs, and intentions of multilingual middle-school learners, a population frequently overlooked in climate education research. Using a survey with both open-ended questions and Likert scale items, I analyzed key dimensions of students’ climate literacy (system knowledge, action knowledge, effectiveness knowledge), beliefs, and willingness to engage in climate-protective behaviors through quantitative and qualitative methods. The study analyzed both a full linguistically diverse sample (N=73) and an active multilingual subgroup (N=11) to explore how immigration experience and heritage language use may shape climate literacy.
References
Ahmed, N., Kim, M., & Jinn, Q. (2024). Challenges in K-12 climate change education: A literature review. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education, 15(1), 133–145.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-t
Bandura, A. (1999). Social Cognitive Theory: an Agentic Perspective. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2(1), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-839x.00024
Bofferding, L., & Kloser, M. (2015). Integrating climate change into mathematics and science instruction: Student knowledge and reasoning. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 13(1), 177–200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-014-9549-1
Boyes, E., Skamp, K., & Stanisstreet, M. (2008). Australian secondary students’ views about global warming: beliefs about actions, and willingness to act. Research in Science Education, 39(5), 661–680. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-008-9098-5
Burt, M. (1993). Community-based environmental education in St. Lucia: A case study. [Unpublished manuscript].
Buxton, C., Harman, R., Cardozo-Gaibisso, L., Jiang, L., Bui, K., & Allexsaht-Snider, M. (2019).
Chang, C.-H., & Pascua, L. (2017). Singapore’s environmental education policy: From piecemeal policies to a comprehensive national framework. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 26(1), 53–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2016.1235356
Cho, R. (2023). Climate change education in the United States: Opportunities and challenges. Earth Institute Blogs. https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/climate-education
Christensen, R., & Knezek, G. (2015). The Climate Change Attitude Survey: Measuring middle school student beliefs and intentions to enact positive environmental change. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 10(5), 773–788.
https://doi.org/10.12973/ijese.2015.276a
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159.
Courtenay-Hall, P., & Rogers, L. (2002). Gaps in mind: Problems in environmental knowledge-behavior modeling research. Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 283–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145410
Cummins, J. (1979). Cognitive/academic language proficiency, linguistic interdependence, the optimum age question and some other matters. Working Papers on Bilingualism, 19, 121–129.
Cummins, J. (1996). Negotiating identities: Education for empowerment in a diverse society. California Association for Bilingual Education.
Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power, and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire (Vol. 23). Multilingual Matters.
Cummins, J. (2001). Bilingual children’s mother tongue: Why is it important for education.
Diffenbaugh, N. S., & Burke, M. (2019). Global warming has increased global economic inequality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(20), 9808–9813. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1816020116
Eilam, E. (2022). Climate change education: the problem with walking away from disciplines. Studies in Science Education, 58(2), 231–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2021.2011589
Fien, J., & Rawling, R. (1996). Reflective practitioners: Enhancing the practice of environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 2(2), 227–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462960020211
Flores, N., & Rosa, J. (2015). Undoing appropriateness: Raciolinguistic ideologies and language diversity in education. Harvard Educational Review, 85(2), 149–171.
Frick, J., Kaiser, F. G., & Wilson, M. (2004). Environmental knowledge and conservation behavior: exploring prevalence and structure in a representative sample. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(8), 1597–1613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2004.02.015
Garcia, O., Johnson, S. I., & Seltzer, K. (2019). The translanguaging classroom: Leveraging student bilingualism for learning. Caslon Publishing.
Goulah, J. (2017). 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.326
Halbach, A. (2012). Questions about basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive language proficiency. Applied Linguistics, 33(4), 608–613.
Jacobsson, S., & Lauber, V. (2006). The politics and policy of energy system transformation: Explaining the German diffusion of renewable energy technology. Energy Policy, 34(3), 256–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2004.10.029
Jones, C., & Davison, A. (2021). Disempowering emotions: The role of educational experiences in social responses to climate change. Environmental Education Research, 27(3), 291–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2021.1879701
Kayumova, S., & Tippins, D. J. (2023). Participatory and justice-oriented approaches to science education: Empowering youth through critical praxis. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 60(3), 487–514. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21812
Kolenatý, M., Kroufek, R., & Činčera, J. (2022). What triggers climate action: the impact of a climate change education program on students’ climate literacy and their willingness to act. Sustainability, 14(16), 10365. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610365
Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the Gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145401
Lee, Y. J., Chang, C. H., Lai, C. Y., Guu, Y. H., & Lin, C. H. (2017). Reforming environmental education for sustainability: Perspectives from Taiwan. Environmental Education Research, 23(2), 142–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1087327
MacSwan, J. (2000). The threshold hypothesis, semilingualism, and other contributions to a deficit view of linguistic minorities. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 22(1), 3–45.
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2014). Designing qualitative research (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
McNeill, K. L., & Vaughn, M. H. (2020). Middle school science teachers' instructional decisions about scientific argumentation. International Journal of Science Education, 42(6), 908–934. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.1719507
Monroe, M. C., Plate, R. R., Oxarart, A., Bowers, A., & 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
Morrison, D., Bell, P., Bang, M., & STEM Teaching Tools team. (2024). Elevating the cultural wealth of multilingual students, families, and communities in climate justice education (STEM Teaching Tool #99). University of Washington Institute for Science + Math Education. https://stemteachingtools.org/brief/99
National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). The condition of education 2024. U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2024/2024144.pdf
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Öhman, J., & Öhman, M. (2013). Participatory approaches in environmental and sustainability education. Environmental Education Research, 19(5), 692–717. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2012.749978
Ojalehto, B. L., & Medin, D. L. (2014). Perspectives on culture and concepts. Annual Review of Psychology, 66(1), 249–275. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015120
Peel, K., Robottom, I., & Walker, R. (1997). Environmental education in Australia: Teacher perspectives and community participation. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 13(2), 17–25. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0814062600002942
Reid, A. (2019). Climate change education and research: possibilities and potentials versus problems and perils? Environmental Education Research, 25(6), 767–790. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1664075
Reigh, E., Miller, E., Simani, M. C., & Severson, A. (2023). Toward equity for multilingual learners. Science and Children, 60(4), 26–29.
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 transition. Sustainability, 12(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010001
Rungsayatorn, S. (1994). The impact of adult education programs on sustainable development in rural Thailand. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 13(3), 221–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260137940130306
Salloum, S., Siry, C., & Espinet, M. (2020). Examining the complexities of science education in multilingual contexts: highlighting international perspectives. International Journal of Science Education, 42(14), 2285–2289. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.1831644
Scherer, L., Emberger-Klein, A., & Menrad, K. (2022). Fostering climate literacy through environmental education: Lessons from a large-scale study. Journal of Environmental Education, 53(4), 298–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2021.2008486
Siry, C., & Wilmes, S. E. D. (2020). Working toward equitable research practices: the value of highlighting complexity and respecting context. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 15(2), 583–593. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-020-09979-3
Stern, P. C. (2000). New Environmental Theories: Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 407–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00175
Stevenson, R. B. (2007). Schooling and environmental education: contradictions in purpose and practice. Environmental Education Research, 13(2), 139–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620701295726
Taber, F., & Taylor, N. (2009). Climate of concern: A search for effective strategies for teaching children about global warming. International Journal of Environmental Education and Information.
Tolbert, S., Schindel, A., & Rodriguez, A. J. (2019). Relevance and relational responsibility in justice-oriented science education. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 14(2), 221–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-019-09926-x
UNESCO. (2023, December 12). UNESCO at COP28: Making education the long-term solution to the climate crisis. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-cop28-making-education-long-term-solution-climate-crisis
UNICEF. (2025, January 23). Learning interrupted: Global snapshot of climate-related school disruptions in 2024. https://www.unicef.org/reports/learning-interrupted-global-snapshot-2024
Valdés, G. (2004). Between support and marginalization: The development of academic language in linguistic minority children. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 7, 102–132.
Wells, G. (2008). Learning to use scientific concepts. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 3(2), 329–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-008-9100-6
Wibeck, V. (2013). Enhancing learning, communication and public engagement about climate change – some lessons from recent literature. Environmental Education Research, 20(3), 387–411. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2013.812720
WIDA. (n.d.). Understanding multilingual learners. University of Wisconsin–Madison. Retrieved April 10, 2025, from https://wida.wisc.edu/teach/multilingual-learners
Williams, D. R., & Chawla, L. (2017). Environmental identity formation in children: Insights from environmental action. Children, Youth and Environments, 27(3), 78–97. https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.27.3.0078
Yankelowitz, J. (2023, February). A move towards multilingual: Why this term is better than others [for now]. Multilingual Learners. https://multilinguallearner.org/a-move-towards-multilingual-terms/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) - Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License, which allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal 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 (see The Effect of Open Access). Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to a repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
