Teacher Agency in Climate Change Education: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Date of Award

5-1-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Science Education

First Advisor

Rhodora F. Nicdao, PhDRaymond S. Rodolfo

Abstract

Education is crucial in addressing climate change and its impacts. Despite persistent challenges, teachers who educate students about climate change may have several experiences that influence them to strive for an agency. This research focuses on temporal and relational factors influencing teachers' agency in climate change education (CCE). Recognizing teacher agency is essential to help teachers and administrators understand how teachers cope with challenges and how teachers are aided and inhibited by their situation, which may intensify CCE. Following the interpretative phenomenological analysis, the researcher divided the study into two phases: a descriptive online survey that filtered the teachers, for the next phase involving semi-structured interviews. After the data analysis, several themes emerged concerning teachers' sources of climate change knowledge, encountered challenges, visions for CCE, suggestions for administrators, best practices in teaching, initiatives for improvement, and teachers' social structural factors. Also, three themes emerged regarding the factors which helped teachers achieve agency: dealing with challenges, deviating from confronted situations, and passion for continuing the mission. Lastly, four themes emerged about the factors which inhibit teachers from achieving agency: insufficient support from school administration, reliance on the internet as source of information, inadequate teaching experience, and lack of involvement in taking action. The study presented no definite agents to achieve agency; only the teachers actively engaged with their environments. This implies that teacher agency is connected to situations in which teachers take authority in their lives and lead it in a more favorable direction due to a perceived sense of calling and responsibility.

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