| Abstract |
In the era of continuous technological development, globalization, and sustainability
crisis -- not only in terms of environment, but also in terms of society, economy and culture
-- education of young people is an important and topical issue. Modern societies are facing
unemployment, violence, racism, social exclusion, human rights abuses, hunger, pollution of
the water resources, pollution of the seas, chemical poisoning of the human body, pandemics,
deforestation and many other challenges. Our emphasis on education about climate change,
the defining crisis of our time, which largely determines the existence and future of our world,
reflects its special contribution. The effects of climate change affect not only all-natural
systems but also all human societies regardless of their geographical location on our planet.
The development of students' environmental knowledge and awareness is lacking in
terms of transforming their environmental attitude and knowledge into action. In fact, as
literature shows, one of the causes may be the education system itself. Education for a
sustainable future requires teaching methods and strategies based on non-linear teaching
models and a transformative view of the educational process and practice.
This thesis was based on the development of a web-based learning environment
regarding climate change. At research level, our aim was to investigate possible factors that
determine whether or not an individual will act in accordance with environmental values in
relation to sustainable citizenship, vital to achieving an environmentally sustainable society.
This was attempted by integrating a web-based learning environment (WBLE) with e-book
structure into the courses of the Primary Education Department of Samos University. The
aim was to examine how climate change could be included in the curriculum. It is important
to note that this thesis follows the conclusions and findings of two previous studies, those of
Kaliantzi (2016) and Gkotzos (2017) and is based on the learning environment that they codeveloped.
Its starting point is the investigation of the views, knowledge, and actions of the
students of the Pedagogical Department of Primary Education of the University of Crete for
active citizenship in the context of climate change. It used the interactive web-based learning
environment, "Act for Climate".
The research used the empirical analytical example (quantitative approach) through
a semi-structured questionnaire which included open-ended questions. The material was designed mainly for students; nevertheless it remains a new educational instrument
forteachers to use in their teaching. For teachers to use it, they must have both a positive
attitude toward it and the skill set to implement it effecrtively. Without action there can be
no real change. Intercultural communication in its broadest sense is important in mediating
between attitude and action. Factors determining the positive attitude and adoption of the
education tool are: usability, satisfaction and content relevance. Usability is highlighted by
previous studies (Davis, 1989; Chow et al. 2012). When educators realize the ease of use of
a technology, they can perceive its usefulness and are more likely to adopt it. Previous
research has confirmed a significant positive correlation between satisfaction and behavioral
intention (Chen, Yen and Hwang, 2012; Alraimi, Zo and Ciganek, 2015; Wang et al., 2019).
Also, as recent research reveals (Mohammadi, 2015) the relevance of content is important in
acceptance, mainly because the quality of the technical system, content and information
positively affect the intention to use. Personal educational philosophies are directly related
to teaching practices, as argued by Buehl and Beck (2015). Educational philosophies may
not always be apparent in practice, although there is a perfect alignment between educational
philosophies and teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning.
The study was designed and implemented in four phases:
• Phase 1: Literature review of climate change and its effects on the environment,
the economy and society; active citizenship and related surveys and
questionnaires that attempt to identify it; educational philosophies; learning
theories on which we relied for the design of the Curriculum for climate change;
the educational planning models on which we relied for the design of the WBLE
based on transformational learning; ExConTra learning model; and educational
or research evolving model.
• Phase 2: Implementation of the WBLE at the Pedagogical Department of the
University of Crete during the winter semester of the academic year 2017-2018.
Pre-service teachers used the interactive learning environment for an in-depth
study of climate change dimensions. Pre-service teachers selected a unit of their
choice from the thematic areas of the WBLE and worked independently of each other. At the end of the semester, pre-service teachers were asked to develop an
alternative teaching intervention based on activities and material from the
learning environment.
• Phase 3: Evaluation of the use of WBLE after the intervention. The sample
consisted of 200 students (82.5% Women, 17.5% Men) of the Pedagogical
Department of Samos University from the 3rd to the 6th semester who attended
the courses “Curriculum: Theory and practice”, and “ICT in Education for
Sustainable Development”. The research design was based on quantitative
analysis using a series of closed-ended questions. The questionnaire measured
theoretical concepts, the validity of which was achieved by using questions and
scales tested by other researchers. An online questionnaire on Google Forms was
used as a data collection tool, with 121 closed-ended questions on a 4 / degree
Likert scale (1 = Strongly disagree to 4 = Strongly agree) and 2 open-ended
questions. Questions were centered on beliefs about the use of the WBLE. There
were also statements about active citizen engagement and perceptions, and
finally, statements meant to determine education philosophy. The link to the
questionnaire was given to the students during the course.
• Phase 4: Coding and analysis of quantitative and qualitative results. The
quantitative analysis of the closed-ended questions was conducted with IBM’s
SPSS 25 statistical software. The statistical tests performed were internal
reliability test, descriptive analysis, Pearson correlations, T-test & Analysis of
variance (one-way ANOVA) as well as stepwise regression analysis. Questions
1-10 of the questionnaire investigate pre-service teachers’ demographics.
Questions 10-33 examine the use of ICT in general and the use of the WBLE.
Questions 48-97 were selected from similar research on active citizenship.
Finally, questions 98-123 are commonly used in defining educational philosophy.
The data allowed understanding of the way in which the WBLE can be integrated into
the curriculum and used by pre-service teachers in their careers. The quantitative and qualitative data collected provided adequate information for a thorough understanding of the
subject. Synthetic variables were used to analyze the quantitative data, so that we could
investigate the various correlations and ensure the reliability of the research.
More specifically, we used two groups of dependent variables and a group of
independent variables. The questions that created each synthetic variable also gave their
functional name. The first group of dependent variables, examining pre-service students'
perceptions about the use of new technologies, were “Usability”, “Satisfaction” and
“Relevance” of content. The second group of dependent variables included “Progressivism”,
“Neoconservatism” and “Restructuring”. The group of independent variables included
“Intercultural Communication”, “Justice”, “Self-Awareness”, “Global Civic Engagement”
and “Social Responsibility”.
The functional definitions given to each variable came from the questions that form
them. In particular the variable “Intercultural communication” reflects the acceptance and
understanding of diversity in terms of culture and perceptions; the variable “Justice”
investigates the sense of justice in the context of social inequalities; the variable “Selfawareness”
examines students' perception of whether they can have a positive impact and
influence locally or globally; “Global Civic Engagement” reflects students' awareness of
social problems, their willingness to help, and their active participation in society (active
citizenship); and "Social Responsibility" investigates the students' sense of solidarity and
ability to help and support fellow human beings, locally or globally.
Six statistical models were created. Each model was named after the dependent
variable that it examined. Models 1 - 3 examined the dependent variables of the interactive
learning environment. Pre-service teachers who agreed or strongly agreed on questions about
intercultural communication are more likely to find the WBLE useful in their teaching. They
are satisfied with its use in the classroom and are more likely to perceive its content as
relevant to teaching climate change issues to elementary school students. Respondents
agreeing or strongly agreeing with statements regarding global civic engagement were more
likely to recognize the usability of the WBLE, were (more) satisfied with the WBLE in
instruction, and were (more) likely to perceive the content of the WBLE as being relevant to
teaching climate change issues to elementary school students. Models 4, 5, and 6 focused on capturing the viewpoints towards three different
educational perspectives: Progressivism, Neo-conservatism, and Reconstructionism.
Individuals with a progressivist ideology view education as being completely student-centric,
i.e. the purpose of teaching is to engage the whole child through active learning, as opposed
to the «all-knowing teacher-centric» philosophy where the teacher is the center of all
knowledge. Those with a Neo-conservative outlook perceive global issues in terms of a
person’s individual freedom based on values of democracy, incorporating free market and
capitalistic perspectives. Reconstructionists view education as a means to promote social
reforms, such as actively addressing issues of climate change. Participants agreeing or
strongly agreeing to statements regarding intercultural communication, global civic
engagement, social responsibility, and social justice were shown to possess a progressive
outlook toward education, that is, these individuals believed in learning for its own sake, not
necessarily to educate workers of the future. As a result, progressive teachers typically serve
as a guide to students’ individually designed curricula. Students are involved in curriculum
development, and education is a mechanism for students to seek their own path in society,
especially in terms of their beliefs.
It is interesting to note that self-awareness – one of the cornerstones of Progressivism
– did not emerge as a strong predictor in this model, given that progressive educational
constructs involve student self-reflection. More investigation may uncover why this
occurred. Participants who responded agree or strongly agree to intercultural communication
and self-awareness statements were shown to have neo-conservative educational outlooks.
These individuals perceived education/teaching as a common body of knowledge including
instruction about the great thinkers of the past. Within this outlook, education is perceived as
a means to teach future workers to be productive in the marketplace. In this model, students
are expected to successfully complete all aspects of one grade level before going on to the
next grade level. Moral values are taught as being important to transfer from generation-togeneration.
Participants that indicated an agreement or strong agreement with intercultural
communication statements, statements about social responsibility, social justice, and selfawareness
were shown to have the Reconstructionist view of education in society. This view
sees education as a means to teach understanding and acceptance of diverse individuals and
cultures. Within the reconstructionist framework, students are taught to analyze and address social problems. Active learning is seen as a bridge between education and real-world
situations to improve the lives of everyone.
It is important to place the responses to the questionnaire in the context of the climate
change artefact that was developed using the ExConTra design. The WBLE was developed
and implemented as a major component of this study. The WBLE was used to provide
knowledge on various topics related to climate change and the environment, peer-tutoring,
concept mapping, and other collaborative learning activities, and included assessments to
gauge levels of understanding. The design of the WBLE was intentionally made studentcentered
rather than teacher centered. Text, links to websites, videos, images, and other
online tools engaged students with learning about the importance of healthy living
environments.
The WBLE used in this study was created by the researcher specifically with climate
change education in mind. Respondents provided insightful experiences, comments, and
observations regarding the use of the WBLE in instruction. Comments regarding the
usefulness of the WBLE were mostly in regard to how to make it a better teaching and
learning tool. The results of this study bring forth new knowledge to education research and
practice. This study tried to uncover the probability of using a robust web-based environment
developed to teach and engage primary school students about issues of climate change and
sustainability, by pre-service teachers. Though the WBLE was designed with primary school
students in mind, teachers are the ones who will implement it in the classroom. This can
potentially impact the development of the next generation’s qualities, not only by informing
them of such issues, but also developing and practicing skills to critically assess information
retrieved and then, , develop and implement solutions to climate change issues within the
world in which we all live.
|
Collections
