A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Exploring young people's perceived climate change competence
Authors: Taurinen, Janina; Vilhunen, Elisa; Vesterinen, Veli-Matti; Veijonaho, Salla; Aeijaelae, Mikko; Ruuskanen, Taina
Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
Publishing place: ABINGDON
Publication year: 2024
Journal: Environmental Education Research
Journal name in source: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH
Journal acronym: ENVIRON EDUC RES
Number of pages: 15
ISSN: 1350-4622
eISSN: 1469-5871
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2024.2441202
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2024.2441202
The climate change knowledge of young people is frequently assessed in research, but their perceived level of competence is seldom considered. We approached this research gap by exploring young people's perceptions on their climate change competence in terms of coping with and adapting to climate change. We collected 349 responses from a large Finnish scouting event in summer 2022 with a 20-item climate change competence perceptions questionnaire. We explored the results with two approaches: variable-oriented and person-oriented. We identified four key (competency) dimensions underlying the items, called Systems and science, Values and attitudes, Leadership and action, and Well-being. The person-oriented approach with a latent profile analysis revealed four distinct profiles called the Competent, the Climate-aware, the Science-oriented, and the Puzzled. The questionnaire could be further developed into a valuable instrument for understanding young people's perceptions and complemented with knowledge-based scales in evaluating the effectiveness of climate change education.
Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by Learning of the competencies of effective climate change mitigation and adaptation in the education system (ClimComp) research project funded by the Academy of Science Finland 2021–2024, decision number 340791.
