GRANT
Independent Research Fund Denmark grants DKK 3 million for a project that will strengthen high school students' engagement with climate issues
The latest reports on climate change from the UN's IPCC panel have shown that when young people are active and engaged in climate issues, it influences politicians who are more supportive of actions that fight climate change.
Professor Ane S. Qvortrup from the Department of Media, Design and Educational Science has received a grant of DKK 3 million from the Independent Research Fund Denmark for the project "Eco-engagement and eco-literacy". The grant was awarded under the independent green research funding scheme.
The hypothesis of the project is that young people's engagement should be supported by knowledge and the ability to apply this knowledge in powerful debates on the subject. Previous studies have shown that there is a correlation between young people’s ability to apply knowledge and their engagement with key societal issues.
The project explores how two well-known teaching methods that emphasize student-involving dialogue affect upper secondary school students' understanding of and engagement with climate and environmental issues. The two methods; Either group dialogue without direct intervention from the teacher or class-based dialogue with the active participation of the teacher is examined across 40 different upper secondary schools.
New teaching methods with practical and political impact
This project will both open new horizons in scientific innovation and focus on developing and testing teaching methods that aim to achieve a direct practical and policy impact. Existing teaching on sustainable development in Danish schools, whose focus up to now has been on providing students with knowledge and skills, will also be strengthened. This provides an opportunity to identify the untapped potential of education on sustainable development to contribute to the goal of creating a climate-neutral society.
The upper secondary school sector in Denmark educates around 70% of a youth cohort.
The project will be carried out by Professor Ane Qvortrup, Head of the Centre for High School Research and affiliated with CUHRE (Elite Centre for Understanding Human Relationships with the Environment). In the project, she will collaborate with Associate Professor Torben Spanget Christensen, PhD student Cæcilie Ketil Hejl, Associate Professor Søren Sindberg Jensen, consultant Caroline Schaffalitzky de Muckadell, consultant Anni Nielsen and leading international researchers in the field.
Meet the researcher
Professor Ane Qvortrup is a researcher at The Department of Design, Media and Educational Science