Repository logo

Browsing by Author "Rodrigues, Isilda"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 30
  • Activity proposals to improve children’s climate literacy and environmental literacy
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Rodrigues, Maria José; Rodrigues, Isilda
    With the climate crisis, schools have a fundamental role to enrich children’s climate literacy, which should begin in their early years and continue for life. Developing activities in the classroom can be an excellent way of bringing this about. This work is part of a larger research project, during which a previous study was carried out with 245 children aged 9 to 13, in which we identified some limitations in their knowledge about climate change. Based on these results, we decided to present some proposals for activities that could help improve these children’s climate literacy. The study we conducted was of an exploratory character, and the main objective was to understand the impact of applying a set of activities to 54 children. The objectives of this work were to increase the climate literacy of the children involved—more specifically, to evaluate the impact of implementing three activities related to climate change and identify the knowledge about the cases and consequences of climate change that were acquired by the children involved. To collect the data, we used a focus group technique and content analysis to process it. The results revealed that the children acquired a better understanding of the problem of climate change—in particular, the causes and consequences of it and of the concept of the ecological footprint—as well as motivation to contribute to mitigating the problem. We conclude that the activities proposed could contribute to improving climate literacy, as well as stimulate children’s curiosity and proactivity so that they become citizens capable of exercising their active citizenship.
    2024Journal article Open access Show more
  • As alterações Climáticas vistas pelas crianças, contributo para o desenvolvimento de atividades de enriquecimento da literária climática
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Rodrigues, Maria José; Rodrigues, Isilda
    Um dos dilemas que a educação contemporânea enfrenta está, muitas vezes, associado à incoerência do processo de ensino e aprendizagem, que vai ao encontro dos paradigmas do capital e da industrialização, dando pouca relevância aos valores de um cidadão consciente (Almeida, 2011). No que respeita à temática que abordamos neste texto, em particular, a literatura refere que a escola tem tido dificuldades em sensibilizar e construir conhecimentos sobre a crise climática, como apontam os estudos de SEG (2020), Unesco (2021) e Ramos et al. (2022). Sendo assim, e numa tentativa de contrariar essa tendência, propusemos-mos a fazer uma investigação de caracter misto intitulada “Perceções de alunos dos 1.o e 2o ciclos sobre alterações climáticas: através da sua identificação e melhoria com recurso a atividades promotoras de literacia ambiental”, que se iniciou com a aplicação de 245 questionários a crianças do 1.o e 2.o ciclo do ensino básico, em cinco escolas do distrito de Bragança. O referido instrumento é composto por questões que permitem averiguar (a) compressão científica do fenómeno, (b) causas das alterações climáticas, (c) consequências para o ser humano e outras formas de vida, (d) soluções para mitigar o problema, (e) postura antropocêntrica vs ecocêntrica. Do manancial de resultados, destacamos, que cerca de 46% dos alunos admitem que é através da televisão que aprendem mais sobre alterações climáticas, sendo que 33,5% não sabe enumerar uma consequência das alterações climáticas. Face a estes resultados, elaborámos um conjunto de atividades, que visassem o enriquecimento da literacia climática dos alunos, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento de competências nos vários domínios. A planificação das atividades, passa pela elaboração de um guião de exploração didática que, no momento, está a ser validado por profissionais da área. Posteriormente iremos desenvolver as atividades, na expetativa de contribuir para o enriquecimento da literacia climática dos alunos envolvidos.
    2023Conference object Open access Show more
  • Anthropocene and happiness: a reflection in the light of complexity
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Rodrigues, Maria José; Vaz, Paula Marisa Fortunato; Rodrigues, Isilda
    The Anthropocene is a geological era marked by human influence on our planet. For sure we have never lived as well as we do today, on the other hand, several studies s that this lifestyle marked by excessive consumerism is a problem when we are faced with the urgent need to solve climate change. Consequently, the resolution of this prob will have to go through education as a structural basis for the construction of values and the adoption of more sustainable attitudes, that is, we must reinvent ourselves in face of the urgency of mitigating one of the greatest challenges of humanity. In this article we present a reflection in the light of the current complexity, made from a car search for literature that addresses the issues associated with consumerism and its relationship with happiness (or the false feeling of it) and the role that education can h in this connection against the background of the search for more sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyles, but also promoting happiness and wellness. We beli that the school, being an institution that risks functioning as an instrument of reproduction of the status quo of the current society, must promote a critical consciousn promoting the transformation of the social reality that contributes to climate change. The school has been teaching notions of sustainability and ecology, but they still fa respond to the urgency of solving the problem.
    2023Conference object Open access Show more
  • Anthropocene and happiness: a reflection in the light of complexity
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Rodrigues, Maria José; Vaz, Paula Marisa Fortunato; Rodrigues, Isilda
    The Anthropocene is a geological era marked by human influence on our planet. For sure we have never lived as well as we do today, on the other hand, several studies s that this lifestyle marked by excessive consumerism is a problem when we are faced with the urgent need to solve climate change. Consequently, the resolution of this prob will have to go through education as a structural basis for the construction of values and the adoption of more sustainable attitudes, that is, we must reinvent ourselves in face of the urgency of mitigating one of the greatest challenges of humanity. In this article we present a reflection in the light of the current complexity, made from a car search for literature that addresses the issues associated with consumerism and its relationship with happiness (or the false feeling of it) and the role that education can h in this connection against the background of the search for more sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyles, but also promoting happiness and wellness. We beli that the school, being an institution that risks functioning as an instrument of reproduction of the status quo of the current society, must promote a critical consciousn promoting the transformation of the social reality that contributes to climate change. The school has been teaching notions of sustainability and ecology, but they still fa respond to the urgency of solving the problem.
    2023Conference paper Open access Show more
  • Children’s Perception of Climate Change in North-Eastern Portugal
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Rodrigues, Maria José; Rodrigues, Isilda
    Despite the impact that climate change is having on our planet and considering its consequences for future generations, much of the academic literature focuses on adolescent and adult perceptions, giving little relevance to children’s perceptions. Children’s voices have the potential to influence public opinion, which may in turn determine the direction of a new policy on the climate crisis. In this context, it is urgent that we understand how children perceive this problem. This quantitative study was based on the application of 245 questionnaires to children aged between 9 and 13 years old from five schools in north-eastern Portugal, more specifically in the region of Trás-os-Montes. We can say that this study was a convenience study because we delivered the surveys in the schools closest to the working area of the researchers. We used a questionnaire with 26 questions, 24 of which had closed responses (like the Likert type), one open response, and one with multiple choices. In this work, we conducted a descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, and prepared a database, using the statistical software IBM SPSS, which allowed us to conduct some statistical tests, selected according to variables. For the descriptive analysis, several parameters were used for the distribution of variables, namely, frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. We rejected the null hypothesis (H0) and assumed for the inferential analysis that the sample does not follow a normal distribution, considering the fulfillment of the necessary criteria for parametric tests and after performing the Kolmogorov–Smirnov normality test, whose null hypothesis (H0) is that data are normally distributed, and given that the p-value for the variables under study was p < 0.05. In this regard, non-parametric tests were used. The Mann–Whitney test was used to compare the degree of agreement with climate change statements as a function of the student’s gender and year of schooling, which is a non-parametric test suitable for comparing the distribution functions of an ordinal variable measured in two independent samples. The results show that most of the children expressed concern about the study’s potential problem, and (42%) said they are concerned about climate change. However, they show some doubts and a lack of knowledge about some of the themes, like (33.5%) cannot name only one consequence of climate change. We also found differences between the two study cycles, with children in the 6th grade having a higher average in their understanding of the phenomenon (p = 0.049), as well as the level of education of the parents being positively correlated with a more ecocentric posture, we can see this when we considering the variable parents. We also found that 46.6% of the students say that television is where they learn more about climate change. From the results obtained, we can open new paths for future research and contribute to the definition of policies and educational practices since the school has the responsibility to cooperate in the production of values, attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviors.
    2023Journal article Open access Show more
  • Climate Change Perceptions: A Study with Portuguese University Social Education Students
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Vaz, Paula Marisa Fortunato; Rodrigues, Maria José; Rodrigues, Isilda
    Climate change (CC) is one of the most urgent problems to solve in this century, the effects of which cover a wide range of disciplines that go beyond the environmental component, becoming a social and economic problem as well. Social educators are professionals who must ensure that the quality of life in socially vulnerable societies is improved. In order to mitigate the problem of climate change, it is necessary for all professionals in the most varied areas to have climate literacy, so that they can adopt behaviors that comply with the objectives of sustainable development. Recognizing the importance of the social educator in the context of contemporary societies, we intended to find out the university students’ perceptions on the social education course. With this in mind, we set out to carry out this study, which was based on the application of a questionnaire using a Likert scale. The respondents were 161 social education students at a higher education institution in Portugal. In order to carry out the inferential analysis, we took care to meet the necessary criteria for carrying out parametric tests. The results showed that a majority (72.6 %) of students were concerned about climate change. They (54.7 %) also stated that they would like their course to deal more with climate change, as 74 % acknowledged that they did not have the skills to deal with climate change as a future professional. The results also showed that the students were incapable of correctly listing a consequence of climate change. The data collected and analyzed in this study allowed us to conclude that Environmental Education played a fundamental role in the academic training of social educators, suggesting the need for its reinforcement and inclusion in their training plans. We also found that greater efforts were needed to improve students’ climate literacy.
    2024Journal article Open access Show more
  • Contributions of climate change research to the implementation of the 2030 agenda
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo Manuel Machado; Rodrigues, Maria José; Rodrigues, Isilda
    The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development brings new challenges in the field of education research and its importance as a priority area for action. Climate change is one of these priorities. To solve or minimize the problems that arise, not solely public policies are needed but also new scientific, technological, and educational solutions. Not only it is urgent to know the importance that society is giving to this issue, but it is also essential to understand the perception and the current level of literacy of the population on climate change. In this context, we proposed to carry out a mixed methodology research. To know the perception of children in the first and second cycle of elementary education in schools in Portugal about climate change, we used a Likert scale questionnaire adapted to children, and this instrument was validated by the Portuguese Directorate General of Education. Based on the results, we intend to propose activities to enrich the literacy skills of the participants in this study. Since there are no studies of this nature conducted in Portugal with children of this age group, we believe that this study can be an added value, as it meets the 2030 agenda, particularly goal number 13, which refers to the mitigation of climate change issues and goal number 4, which refers to Quality Education. This theme is also addressed in the referential of education for sustainable development and in the national strategy of education for citizenship. The results of this kind of research may suggest the need for greater responsibility of governments and schools towards the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda. The results are in line with the findings of other studies in the literature review, which show a lack of knowledge on this topic. There seems to be some difficulty on the part of the school in raising awareness about climate change, as alerted by a project done by the School Education Gateway in 2020, which showed that teachers in countries such as Spain, Turkey, Romania, and Canada do not have adequate skills to educate students about climate change, and such situation is reflected in the students' perception. Knowing this, we think that schools have the responsibility to contribute to the promotion of pro-environmental values, attitudes, and behaviors. So if we do nothing, our lives will be significantly affected by climate change. Society, schools, governments must prepare us to adapt to the climate crisis and must also enable us to contribute to solutions to achieve climate justice and mitigate the problem. In this context, it is essential to know the perceptions and literacy level of the populations and subsequently propose changes or educational reforms that meet Unesco's commitments to find solutions that help mitigate the climate crisis.
    2022Conference object Open access Show more
  • Contributions of climate change research to the implementation of the 2030 agenda
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Rodrigues, Maria José; Rodrigues, Isilda
    The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development brings new challenges in the field of education research and its importance as a priority area for action. Climate change is one of these priorities. To solve or minimize the problems that arise, not solely public policies are needed but also new scientific, technological, and educational solutions. Not only it is urgent to know the importance that society is giving to this issue, but it is also essential to understand the perception and the current level of literacy of the population on climate change. In this context, we proposed to carry out a mixed methodology research. To know the perception of children in the first and second cycle of elementary education in schools in Portugal about climate change, we used a Likert scale questionnaire adapted to children, and this instrument was validated by the Portuguese Directorate General of Education. Based on the results, we intend to propose activities to enrich the literacy skills of the participants in this study. Since there are no studies of this nature conducted in Portugal with children of this age group, we believe that this study can be an added value, as it meets the 2030 agenda, particularly goal number 13, which refers to the mitigation of climate change issues and goal number 4, which refers to Quality Education. This theme is also addressed in the referential of education for sustainable development and in the national strategy of education for citizenship. The results of this kind of research may suggest the need for greater responsibility of governments and schools towards the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda. The results are in line with the findings of other studies in the literature review, which show a lack of knowledge on this topic. There seems to be some difficulty on the part of the school in raising awareness about climate change, as alerted by a project done by the School Education Gateway in 2020, which showed that teachers in countries such as Spain, Turkey, Romania, and Canada do not have adequate skills to educate students about climate change, and such situation is reflected in the students' perception. Knowing this, we think that schools have the responsibility to contribute to the promotion of pro-environmental values, attitudes, and behaviors. So if we do nothing, our lives will be significantly affected by climate change. Society, schools, governments must prepare us to adapt to the climate crisis and must also enable us to contribute to solutions to achieve climate justice and mitigate the problem. In this context, it is essential to know the perceptions and literacy level of the populations and subsequently propose changes or educational reforms that meet Unesco's commitments to find solutions that help mitigate the climate crisis.
    2022Conference paper Open access Show more
  • Critical Analysis of Arguments in Confrontation with Climate Science
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Rodrigues, Maria José; Rodrigues, Isilda
    Climate denialism is a spectrum spanning outright denial and degrees of skepticism about the reality of climate change. Denialism is fueled by disinformation or imprecise information that finds fertile ground on social media and takes advantage of the users’ fears and vulnerabilities, such as a lack of climate literacy and critical thinking. In this article, we offer examples of how to refute climate change denialism and expand notions of climate literacy to include the capacity to both identify and respond to climate disinformation.
    2024Journal article Open access Show more
  • Importância da inclusão de atividades práticas para o enriquecimento da literacia climática
    Publication . Ramos, Ricardo; Rodrigues, Maria José; Rodrigues, Isilda
    Visto que as alterações climáticas são um dos desafios a resolver no séc. XXI, a escola tem a res- ponsabilidade de ampliar valores e comportamentos que nos definam como cidadãos ambientalmente letrados. No entanto, parece que vivemos num estado de “ignorância climática”, que afeta todos os níveis de educação e de ensino, desde a educação pré-escolar ao ensino superior. Para sensibilizar e educar sobre a temática não podemos focar-nos numa forma de ensino teórico. Estes tipos de temas podem ser complexos e, quando são abordados, são muitas vezes trabalhados apenas com base na memorização de chavões, o que pode desmotivar o interesse dos alunos. Para contrariar este facto as atividades práticas mostram-se ferramentas eficazes para promover a literacia climática. Estas ativi- dades podem e devem ser diversificadas como, por exemplo, a escrita criativa, trabalhos artísticos, representações teatrais, leitura de livros e saídas de campo, entre outros. O trabalho, que se apresenta e discute nesta comunicação, vem no seguimento de um estudo, elaborado pelos autores, intitulado “Perceções de alunos dos 1.o e 2.o ciclos sobre alterações climáticas: através da sua identificação e melhoria com recurso a atividades promotoras de literacia ambiental”. Face aos resultados desse es- tudo, elaborámos um conjunto de atividades, que visassem o enriquecimento da literacia climática dos alunos, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento de competências nos vários domínios. A planificação das atividades passa pela elaboração de um guião de exploração didática que, no momento, está a ser validado por profissionais da área. Posteriormente, iremos desenvolver as atividades, na expetativa de contribuir para o enriquecimento da literacia climática dos alunos envolvidos. Pretende-se que tais atividades possam ajudar a educar os alunos sobre as alterações climáticas, causas e consequências das mesmas e formas de mitigação, contribuindo para que a temática seja abordada de forma reflexiva, crítica, inovadora e participada.
    2023Conference object Open access Show more