Environmental Justice Pedagogies and Self-Efficacy for Climate Action

M’Lis Bartlett (), Jordan Larson () and Seneca Lee
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M’Lis Bartlett: School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Jordan Larson: School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Seneca Lee: School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-16

Abstract: As institutions of knowledge and innovation, colleges and universities have a responsibility to prepare students to lead in a world impacted by climate change. While sustainability and climate change have been increasingly addressed on campuses, several aspects of typical climate change education, such as the use of fear appeals, and crisis narratives, have served to disempower and disengage students from the issue. Evidence suggests that incorporating justice-oriented concepts and pedagogies may help students build the skills and confidence to engage in complex social concerns. This qualitative study sought to understand the ways in which an undergraduate environmental justice course at the University of Michigan might contribute to students’ sense of self-efficacy for climate change action. Findings indicated that teaching from a justice perspective supported students’ understanding of root causes, the need for collective action, and their empathy for others. Self-efficacy for climate action was most apparent when students were (1) confident in a particular skill set and (2) when the scale of the problem matched their ability to address it. This supported prior evidence that environmental justice can serve as a critical pedagogical approach for encouraging engagement and empowerment in climate action.

Keywords: environmental justice education; social justice education; climate change education; self-efficacy; leadership development; agents of change; higher education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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