Bridging Theory, Practice, and Perception in Climate Change Literacy Education: Trends, Focus, and Future Directions

Abstract Book of the 10th World Conference on Research in Teaching and Education

Year: 2026

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Bridging Theory, Practice, and Perception in Climate Change Literacy Education: Trends, Focus, and Future Directions

Prof Dr. Hassan Tairab

ABSTRACT:

Research studies on climate change literacy education (CCLE) have begun to emerge in scholarly work around the globe, due to the increasing and urgent concern regarding the impact of climate change on environmental and economic systems. Recognizing the pivotal role of education in addressing this crisis, international frameworks such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize the need to integrate climate literacy into national education systems. However, to date, there have been few attempts to study the trends and nature of climate change literature to identify its focus, scope, and future direction. This situation has led to an urgent need to have a systematic and comprehensive review of these studies in a collective and integrative manner to highlight best practices, shared possibilities, and common challenges. The purpose of this study was therefore to critically analyse and categorize current research trends in climate change literacy (CCL) education to identify its focus, scope, and future policy direction. Specifically, the study aims to (1) identify how recent literature conceptualizes and frames climate change literacy within educational research, (2) evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each research type in advancing transformative learning, and sustainable policy integration, and (3) highlight regional contributions and gaps to inform future research and policy directions. Content analyses of recent relevant studies published during the last 5 years (2020 -2025) were performed to identify how climate change research was conceptualized, methodologically conceived, and to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses of the methodologies used, and to identify the future policy direction. The results of the analyses revealed several approaches to climate change literacy research. These approaches can be broadly categorized into three complementary strands: theoretical, interventional, and exploratory studies. Theoretical studies synthesize and critique existing literature, offering conceptual models that integrate cognitive and affective dimensions of climate literacy. The interventional strand has mainly focused on enhancing learners’ conceptual understanding and engagement through inquiry-based and student-centred learning. The exploratory strand, on the other hand, focused on examining students’ and teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs toward climate change. Collectively, these three strands reveal that the research into climate change literacy education is still evolving from descriptive awareness toward transformative learning. The findings were discussed in the context of recent educational reforms in the region.

Keywords: Climate Change Literacy, Trends, Sustainability, Dimensions of Climate Change Literacy