Empowering Science Teachers: Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Professional Development Programs for Effective Climate Change Education
Dr. Çiğdem Han Tosunoğlu
This research project is being conducted as part of a visiting researcher position at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in collaboration with the TRAIN4SCIENCE project.
Climate change poses urgent and complex educational challenges. Science teachers play a central role in equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to understand and address this global issue. However, many teachers report feeling unprepared to teach about climate change due to a lack of training, emotional barriers such as worry, or limited resources.
This project aims to design, implement, and evaluate a professional development (PD) program that supports secondary science teachers (biology, chemistry, and physics) in teaching climate change more effectively. The PD program integrates key psychological and motivational factors—such as hope and worry, interest in climate action, and teaching climate agency—to strengthen teachers’ capacity and confidence.
The research will be conducted in Berlin with participating teachers. Through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and reflective journals, the project investigates the needs of teachers, the design of an effective PD model, and the outcomes of its implementation. It explores how emotional and psychological dynamics influence teachers’ engagement with climate education and identifies effective strategies to support them.
By focusing on the intersection of climate science, teacher education, and emotional resilience, the project contributes to the development of sustainable and empowering learning environments. It also seeks to ensure that findings can be transferred to broader educational contexts.
If you have any questions about the study or the training program, please contact:
Dr. Çiğdem Han Tosunoğlu
E-mail: cigdem.han.tosunoglu@hu-berlin.de