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Understanding Laurier’s Role in Climate Change Education
Originally published in February 2025 | Research Note contributed by Debora VanNijnatten, Academic Director, Teaching Excellence and Innovation and Dana Sawchuk, Professor, Department of Sociology
What is the Pedagogical Challenge?
First-year Students, Climate Knowledge and Climate Action
Universities have a critical role to play in the climate change education of our students in terms of building a basic understanding of climate change processes and impacts; developing capacities related to mitigation and adaptation; and preparing students to take an active role in pushing for climate action (Gardner et al. 2021; Molthan-Hill et al. 2019; UNESCO 2022). Moreover, engaging students in climate-related research, skills-building activities and climate activism not only provides them with pathways into climate-related professions and action, but can also “buffer the effects of climate change anxiety and prevent it from leading to feelings of sadness and hopelessness” (Schwartz et al. 2023).
However, the ability of universities to undertake these tasks – and the kind of programming and curriculum they should develop – depends on the knowledge and skills students have acquired in the K-12 system, especially high school. In fact, researchers have noted that the Ontario educational system lacks appropriate coverage of key scientific information, climate impacts and future risks, as well as adaptation and mitigation options, or the need for systemic change (Wynes and Nicholas 2019). Further, there is little in the way of applied or experiential knowledge-building (Schatz 2021). Teachers within the K-12 system report that they lack the resources and training to appropriately address climate topics (Field et al. 2020). Yet the curriculum itself leaves the primary decisions on what and how to cover climate change topics up to individual teachers, with the result that instruction varies (Schatz 2021). Universities, then, will find it difficult to know exactly what knowledge their first-year students have and how to aim programs and course design.
Research Insights: The Laurier Climate Knowledge and Action Survey of First-Year Students
Research rationale and approach
As Laurier considers how to meet the climate change education challenge, particularly in terms of ‘backfilling’ in this area, researchers from the Climate Pedagogy Community of Practice designed and fielded a survey of the 2024-25 first-year cohort. The following research questions guided this project:
- What climate knowledge are students coming to us with and how confident are they in the education they have been given?
- Where are they getting their climate information?
- What kinds of climate activism are they likely to engage in?
- What do students want Laurier to provide in terms of climate education?
The Qualtrics survey contained a mix of multiple-choice questions (including a 10-question quiz to gauge climate knowledge) and closed-ended questions using Likert scales, along with a few open-ended questions. Multiple channels for recruitment were employed. In the end, the survey garnered 1197 responses (21.6% response rate) although fewer students completed the entire survey (n = 713). Most of those who did not complete the survey stopped at the quiz.
Process for recruiting survey respondents
- October: Survey opened October 3rd
- Email sent asking first-year instructors to provide information about the survey and, if willing, to provide time in class for survey completion
- Contact with Residence staff, WLUSU, LSPIRG, Sustainability Office to advertise the survey through their social media channels
- November
- Emails sent to all first-year students and a direct ask for survey made, with subject line “First-Year Students: Can You Help Us?” – two rounds of emails sent out in November
- Postering in high traffic areas
- December: Survey closed December 10th
Survey respondents’ profiles
Screening questions at the start of the survey ensured that Laurier was indeed the first postsecondary institution respondents had attended and that students were, at most, two years out of high school. 19% of survey respondents attended high schools in the Region of Waterloo and 74% in other Ontario municipalities, with only a very small proportion of respondents coming from other provinces (0.015%) or internationally (0.058%). The large majority of respondents were born in 2006.
Respondents who completed the survey came from all of Laurier’s faculties, as follows:
| Faculty | # of Respondents |
|---|---|
| Business and Economics (BBA Most common) | 222 |
| Arts | 208 |
| Science | 201 |
| Human and Social Sciences | 23 |
| Liberal Arts | 18 |
| Music | 14 |
| Social Work | 7 |
| Undeclared | 5 |
| More than one | 15 |
Survey Findings
Student climate knowledge
This first section of the survey asked students whether/in which courses they had received climate education in high school and how confident they were in that earlier education, after which they were asked to complete a 10-question quiz designed to test basic climate change knowledge.
Overall, 66% of students were somewhat/very confident in the climate knowledge they gained in high school, despite the fact that only 19% of respondents reported having taken a course on the environment or climate change, and most could not name the course. This supports what we know about climate education in the Ontario secondary system as fragmented and incomplete (Schatz 2021).
The distribution of quiz scores indicates that Laurier’s first-year students possess only moderate knowledge about climate change. Of the 852 students who completed the 10-question climate knowledge quiz, 13% scored 1-3 answers correctly, 22% scored 4-5 correctly, 33% scored 5-6 correctly, 32% scored 7-8 correctly and 17% scored 9-10 correctly.
The results indicate that students possess high levels of knowledge in some areas, but are confused in some respects. For example, while students seemed to understand the sources of climate change and the need to reduce fossil fuel use, significant numbers of respondents confused climate change with thinning of the ozone layer (19%) and – perhaps of more concern – 24% indicated that there is “a lot of disagreement” among scientists about whether climate change is occurring.
Student Performance on Climate Knowledge Quiz
Responses Indicating Higher Levels of Climate Knowledge:
- 73% correctly said climate change caused mostly by human activities (21% said both human and natural)
- 79% correctly said Arctic warming faster than global average
- 67% correctly said we must reduce reliance on fossil fuels, 70% agreed on need to move to Net Zero (34% said moderately decrease)
Responses Indicating Lower Levels of Climate Knowledge:
- 49% correctly said climate change caused by burning fossil fuels, but 19% incorrectly said thinning of ozone layer
- 68% correctly said there is a scientific consensus on climate change as human-caused; but 24% incorrectly said there is “a lot of disagreement”
- Who has been largest emitter in the past 170 years? 39% incorrectly said China, 37% correctly said US, 14% unsure
Levels of climate concern
Overall, 77% of student respondents were ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ worried about climate impacts on people, while 83% were ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ worried about climate impacts on the environment. Moreover, 50% of respondents who reported being worried also agreed that being engaged in climate change action would make them feel better (15% said no; 35% indicated they were unsure).
Further, while the majority of students indicated that climate change worries did not impact their daily life in terms of concentrating, socializing, studying, sleeping and eating, a significant number reported ‘a little’ or ‘moderate’ impact in each of these areas (Table 2).
| Activity | % Indicating Mild Impact | % Indicating Moderate Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Concentrating | 26 | 25 |
| Socializing | 25 | 19 |
| Studying | 23 | 16 |
| Sleeping | 23 | 16 |
| Eating | 22 | 21 |
Sources of climate information
When probing where students get their information on climate change from and how much they trust these sources, an interesting contradiction emerges. According to the responses, the top sources of climate change information for students were the Internet (e.g., Google search) and social media, followed by school/university and news websites. However, when asked about the degree to which students trusted various information sources, students were most distrustful of ‘family & friends’, ‘the internet’, ‘social media’ and ‘business’, respectively (see Table 3). In fact, the most trusted information sources were scientists and teachers/professors, followed by environmental groups.
| Source | % Trusting ‘Quite a lot’ and ‘Completely’ Combined | # Trusting ‘Quite a lot’ | # Trusting ‘Completely’ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientists | 82% | 279 | 348 |
| Teachers/professors | 73% | 398 | 160 |
| Environmental groups | 67% | 368 | 153 |
| News websites | 57% | 370 | 69 |
| Documentaries | 55% | 344 | 79 |
| Indigenous organizations | 49% | 299 | 79 |
| Government agencies | 46% | 268 | 85 |
| Internet | 41% | 284 | 30 |
| Social media | 20% | 133 | 20 |
|
Family and friends |
20% | 140 | 19 |
| Religious organizations | 11% | 64 | 21 |
| Business organizations | 10% | 67 | 12 |
How Laurier can contribute to students’ climate change education
Respondents showed high levels of confidence that Laurier could contribute to their climate education (Table 4) with 44% choosing ‘fairly confident’, 19% ‘very confident’ and 7% ‘extremely confident’. Respondents seemed supportive across the various options for contributing to students’ climate education, although it is notable that curriculum (and especially curriculum outside of the sciences) seemed less important. However, open-ended responses did indicate some interest in new courses and course components.
| Action | % who responded “Quite a lot” and “Very Much” Combined |
|---|---|
| Increasing awareness of climate threat | 66% |
| Making people aware of consequences of their actions | 66% |
| Empowering individuals to make difference | 65% |
| Climate solutions through research | 62% |
| Explaining scientific evidence | 62% |
| Hands-on activities (e.g., CSL) | 58% |
| Providing curriculum in Sciences | 53% |
| Providing curriculum outside of Sciences | 44% |
Willingness to engage in climate activism
Probing students on how confident they are in their own personal efficacy reveals some optimism regarding climate action and advocacy. First, respondents overwhelmingly disagree (70%) with the statement that ‘taking action on climate change is a waste of time and resources.’ Second, 80% believe that collective action and systemic change are critical. And third, 57% of respondents believe that they can contribute to the improvement of the climate change situation through their own actions.
However, the high number of responses in the “neutral” category on several opinion statements reveals uncertainty, or perhaps ambivalence, regarding how much individuals can achieve through their own actions, whether people are receptive to changing their behaviour, whether new technologies will solve the climate change challenge, and whether catastrophic climate change is inevitable.
| Statement | Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I can contribute to the improvement of the climate change situation through my own actions | 4.5 | 8.3 | 29.6 | 43.9 | 13.7 |
| People can collectively do something about the climate threat | 2.2 | 1.7 | 15.7 | 41.7 | 38.7 |
| People are receptive to calls for changing their behaviour to benefit climate action | 5.2 | 17.3 | 39.8 | 28.6 | 9.1 |
| Personal actions are important but systemic change is required to address climate change challenges | 1.5 | 2.1 | 18.2 | 34.4 | 43.8 |
| New technologies can solve climate change without individuals having to make big changes in their lives | 5.5 | 19.5 | 34.5 | 27.8 | 12.8 |
| Catastrophic human-caused climate change is inevitable, no matter what we try and do to stop it | 10 | 29.9 | 35.3 | 19.5 | 5.3 |
| Taking action on climate change is a waste of time and resources | 45.7 | 24.8 | 16 | 9.7 | 3.8 |
NB. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
When asked more specifically (Table 6) about what activities they would be willing to take on behalf of the climate (combined percentage of ‘somewhat likely’ and ‘extremely likely’ responses), students were more likely to choose educating themselves (59%), talking to family and friends about the need to take action (56%), and researching political party policies/voting (58%). They were less likely to choose participating in climate protests and starting their own organization/business to focus on climate solutions. They were equally likely/unlikely to be active in an environmental organization or take part in legal action.
Approximately 40% of respondents reported that they were likely to take part in climate activism more generally, perhaps not as high as might be expected (or hoped). This finding, when paired with (again) the high number of responses in the ‘neutral’ category for several activities, may indicate that at least one-quarter (or as many as one-third) of respondents are uncertain about their role in pushing for climate action, a gap that Laurier can fill.
| Statement | Extremely Unlikely | Somewhat Unlikely | Neither Likely or Unlikely | Somewhat Likely | Extremely Likely |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educating yourself about climate change by reading, looking up resources on the internet or taking a course at Laurier | 6.2 | 10.1 | 24.8 | 43.5 | 15.4 |
| Taking part in climate activism | 10.9 | 17.3 | 32 | 29.5 | 10.4 |
| Talking to family and friends about the need to take climate action | 8.8 | 7.6 | 27.5 | 38.3 | 17.8 |
| Taking an active role in an environmental group | 13 | 19.5 | 33.2 | 25 | 9.3 |
| Taking part in climate protests (e.g., Fridays for the Future) | 20.2 | 21 | 29.2 | 21 | 8.6 |
| Researching the climate policies of political parties and voting accordingly | 7.2 | 11.6 | 22.7 | 36.8 | 21.7 |
| Taking part in legal action to force climate action | 13.7 | 20.5 | 30.7 | 26 | 9 |
| Starting my own organization/business to focus on climate solutions | 31.4 | 22.3 | 26 | 14.7 | 5.6 |
NB. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
Observations
This survey research probing climate knowledge and action reveals key insights into Laurier’s 2024-25 first-year cohort:
- Students indicate high levels of confidence in the climate education they received prior to joining Laurier, despite the climate quiz scores which display a moderate (not high) level of climate knowledge and point to some areas of confusion regarding key climate change facts.
- Students indicate that their top sources of climate information are the internet and social media, even though they actually don’t trust these information sources; in fact, our data show that university professors are among the most trusted sources of climate information for students!
- There seems to be some untapped student appetite for getting involved in climate activism as well as a significant group of students who are unsure what their role is – but may certainly be willing to consider this further during their time at Laurier.
- There are contradictory findings on Laurier’s role in climate education – curriculum and programs seem less important but open-ended responses may indicate a desire for more courses and in-course activities.
Overall, then, students do have expectations that Laurier will enhance their climate education and they trust their professors to make this happen! This indicates a need for us to develop our capacity to provide climate education across our curriculum and programming in ways that enhance basic knowledge, equip students with skills to participate in climate solutions and prepare students to undertake climate action.
Sources and Further Reading
- Field, Dr. Ellen, Pamela Schwartzberg, Dr. Paul Berger, and Samantha Gawron (2020), “Climate Change Education in the Canadian Classroom,” EdCan Network, February 26.
- Gardner, Charlie J., Aaron Thierry, A., William Rowlandson, and Julia K. Steinberger. (2021), “From Publications to Public Actions: The Role of Universities in Facilitating Academic Advocacy and Activism in the Climate and Ecological Emergency,” Frontiers in Sustainability 2, 42.
- Molthan-Hill, Petra, Nicholas Worsfold, Gustavo J. Nagy, Walter Leal Filho and Mark Mifsud, M. (2019), “Climate Change Education for Universities: A Conceptual Framework from an International Study,” Journal of Cleaner Production 226, 1092–1101.
- Schatz, Kylie (2021), “Where We Stand: The Integration of Climate Change Education in Canadian Schools,” British Columbia Council for International Cooperation, Vancouver, BC, Canada. P15.
- Schwartz, Sarah E.O., Laelia Benoit, Susan Clayton, McKenna F. Parnes, Lance Swenson and Sarah R. Lowe (2023), “Climate Change Anxiety and Mental Health: Environmental Activism as Buffer,” Current Psychology 42, 16708–16721.
- UNESCO (2022), Climate Change Education. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.unesco.org/en/climate-change/education
- Wynes, Seth, and Kimberly A. Nicholas (2019), “Climate Science Curricula in Canadian Secondary Schools Focus on Human Warming, Not Scientific Consensus, Impacts or Solutions.” PLOS ONE 14, 7 (July 18, 2019).