The Voice of Policymakers, Professional Development Leaders, and Teachers Who Engage in Climate Change Education: A Cross-Country Comparison

Climate Change (CC) is currently the most pressing existential threat confronting global societies, natural ecosystems, and the fabric of life on Earth as we know it. Yet, research addressing the perspectives of key actors involved in developing and implementing secondary climate change curricula in formal education, at a cross-country national level, is scarce. Therefore, this study explored how educational practitioners involved in climate change education (CCE) conceptualize CCE in relation to: (a) its primary learning goals; (b) appropriate approaches for implementation and (c) enablers and inhibitors associated with implementing climate change curricula. Towards this, we explored the voices of key players in CCE from five countries: Australia, England, Finland, Indonesia, and Israel. Policy makers, professional development (PD) leaders and science teachers, all of whom are actively engaged in CCE in their respective education system, were asked about their perceptions regarding the implementation of CCE in their countries—its goals, approaches for implementation, enablers, and inhibitors. The findings indicate consensus regarding the importance of CC, differing perceptions regarding the nature of CC knowledge and, thus, its positioning in the curriculum. A rich repertoire of constructivist, student-centred pedagogies is employed in teaching CCE.