Pre-Service Teachers' Pedagogical Knowledge and Perceptions of Climate Change Education

Abstract

Climate change education (CCE) has been proposed to be a driver for the much-needed knowledge and skills on climate change (CC). Teachers, and consequently learners, are key change agents in any society; therefore, it is necessary that they have knowledge and skills on CC and how to mitigate and adapt to these changes. This chapter discusses pre-service teachers' pedagogical knowledge and perceptions of CCE. The discussion is contextualized through research conducted in Kenya. While it was evident that the pre-service teachers had basic knowledge and skills about CC, they also had misconceptions. Further, CCE was not documented in their curricula. They propose that CCE can be integrated with other subjects or implemented as a stand-alone subject or both. The study consequently identifies pre-service teachers' knowledge gaps and reports on their mixed perceptions of CCE. The need to include CCE in the curriculum is then underscored in view of targeted agencies.