“It makes me angry. REALLY angry”: Exploring emotional responses to climate change education

Jones, Verity; Whitehouse, Sarah

Abstract

Purpose: Climate change education and the emotional consequences this topic raises in the classroom has been largely ignored by researchers. This paper considers the emotional response to climate education in a primary classroom (age 9-10 years) in England and begins to explore the emotions that teaching about climate change may raise for both teacher, researcher and pupil. Design: Part of a long-term ethnographic project in a school in England. Analysis of c60, 9-10-year olds drawings, participant observation notes and research diaries. Limitations: This is a small study-further research with larger numbers, different ages and in different geographical regions are required with both pupils and teachers. Practical implications: This work identifies pedagogies that allow injustices children identify to be explored with emotional responses being navigated rather than ignored. Such approaches support wellbeing in the face of growing numbers of young people suffering from eco-anxiety.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 31, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jan 14, 2022
• Publication Date: Jan 14, 2022
• Deposit Date: Nov 9, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 2, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Social Science Education
• Electronic ISSN: 1618-5293
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 93-120
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.11576/jsse-4551
• Keywords: UK, ethnography, sensitive issues, climate change, emotion, education
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7473695