do modern youth think they can Change the World? comparative data on environmental challenges - in the light of perspectives from youth research

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do modern youth think they can Change the
World?comparative data on environmental
challenges - in the light of perspectives from
youth research

• IOSTE, 25-30 July 2004, Lublin, Poland
• Camilla Schreiner, PhD student, University of Oslo

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Environmental education

• education for
• understanding of youth's view

empowerment ?
action
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Outline

1. 'empowerment'
2. literature
3. focus
4. ROSE countries and samples
5. empirical findings
6. conclusion and discussion

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Empowerment
An empowered person...

• has hope and visions for the future
• is motivated for action
• has a general feeling that s/he can influence
• thinks that it is important for society
• is interested and engaged in the issue
• (has sufficient knowledge)

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Young peoples future images

• personal optimistic (education, nuclear family,
  occupation, leisure)
• national pessimism, but expect improvements
  (drug abuse, crime, unemployment, sexism,
  racism, local pollution)
• global apocalyptic expectations (war,
  ecological catastrophes, overpopulation, famine)

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Future fears

• without the feeling that one can change it to the
  better ...
• one may choose a
• here-and-now attitude
• live for today at the expense of tomorrow

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Focus

• one profile in modern youth's attitudes?
• empowered?

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The term 'modernity'

• modernisation, modernity, pre-, late-,
  post-modern
• modern
• antonym traditional, non-modern

? old-fashioned ? out-dated
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The ROSE project

• presented at mini-symposium
• international comparative project
• more than 40 participating countries
• questionnaire with Likert scales
• probing 15 years old students' interests,
  experiences, future expectations, etc.

Not interested?Very interested, Disagree?Agree,
etc.
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Samples (5 5 3) N age 14-16 guidelines followed
Norway 1204 ?
Iceland 618 ?
Sweden 746 ?
England (UK) 1266 ?
N Ireland (UK) 832
Uganda 758
Lesotho 467 ?
Ghana 782 ? (50 urban)
Zimbabwe 533 ?
Philippines 4434 ?? (TIMSS)
Japan 560 ?
Trinidad 638 ??
Greece 547 ?
? has followed the sampling procedure described
in the ROSE handbook has not followed the
sampling procedure ? has yet not written the
report on how the study was organised low
response rate
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Question D (18 items)
?1
?2
?3
?4
2,5
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D. Me and the environmental challenges
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Optimist/pessimist
D2. Environmental problems make the future of the
world look bleak and hopeless
D7. We can still find solutions to our
environmental problems
D14. I am optimistic about the future
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Pessimist
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Optimist
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Motivation for action
D13. Environmental problems should be left to the
experts
D5. I am willing to have environmental problems
solved even if this means sacrificing many goods
D1. Threats to the environment are not my business
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Motivation for action
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Motivation for action
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Important
D10. People should care more about protection of
the environment
D3. Environmental problems are exaggerated D8.
People worry too much about environmental
problems
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Important
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Personally influence
D6. I can personally influence what happens with
the environment D12. I think each of us can make
a significant contribution to environmental
protection
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Personally influence
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Interest
E3. The ozone layer and how it may be affected
by humans E4. The greenhouse effect and how it
may be changed by humans E5. What can be done to
ensure clean air and safe drinking water E6. How
technology helps us to handle waste, garbage and
sewage E19. Organic and ecological farming
without use of pesticides and artificial
fertilizers E20. How energy can be saved or used
in a more effective way E21. New sources of
energy from the sun, wind, tides, waves, etc.
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Interests in learning about Environmental
protection
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The role of ST
D4. Science and technology can solve all
environmental problems
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Cluster analysis

• of question D
• calculate 'distances' between countries
• gives clusters of countries
• similarities and differences between countries

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Clustering countries
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Conclusion (1)

• a modern Western profile!
• no support for apocalypse
• 'socially accepted' attitudes

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Conclusion (2)
modern youth

• less optimistic

• ... and less pessimistic

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Conclusion (3)

• modern youth
• have less faith in ST

• more inclined to leave the problem to the experts

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Conclusion (4)
modern youth

• less motivated for action

• more concerned

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Discussion

• 'empowerment' ...
• validity of some items ...