Conceptualization of Relevant Actions by University Students to Mitigate Climate Change
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5294/edu.2024.27.2.1Keywords:
Quantitative analysis, climate change, conceptualization, environmental education, educational psychology, collegesAbstract
As an entity of social transformation, universities play a central role in shaping new professionals who will directly face the impacts of climate change and have a greater responsibility in seeking solutions. Therefore, understanding the conceptual framework of university students regarding relevant mitigation actions against climate change established by international and national organizations is crucial. This article uses the Multiple Item Classification technique to present the results of interviews conducted with 70 undergraduate students from various programs at public universities in Bogotá. The information was analyzed using word clouds and Multidimensional Scaling Analysis (MSA) through the Hudap statistical package. The findings reveal that students’ conceptualization of mitigation actions are both limited and misinformed regarding the effectiveness of such actions. Participants consider actions that are easy to adopt as more effective, while attributing the difficulty of implementing more challenging actions to the lack of social participation, both politically and environmentally. The results underscore the need to strengthen climate change education within university curricula and to promote a sense of responsibility among students in contributing to solutions to this global challenge.
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