Fostering student climate agency and future literacy: a case study of scenario-based teaching

ABSTRACT Background The 21st century has been characterised by fast-paced global societal, scientific and technological challenges. As such, future citizens should be adequately equipped with necessary skills to navigate the high degree of uncertainty that they entail. Purposes Utilising the affordances of learning in informal spaces, this study explores the use of a scenario-based teaching approach to facilitate students’ agency towards climate change. Sample Twenty-four (n = 24) secondary school students (Year 12) took part in the study. Design and methods A teaching session focusing on possible positive, as well as troubled climate change scenarios, was designed and delivered in a Museum of Natural History in England. Students responded to a paper-pencil questionnaire before and after the teaching session to examine potential gains in their feeling of agency, futures literacy and epistemic emotions. Results Results indicated a positive effect on students’ climate agency, as well as a significant improvement of students’ perceived futures literacy. Moreover, students reported that they felt ‘motivated’ and ‘hopeful’ during the session. Conclusion The findings of the study highlight the pedagogical value of scenario-based teaching as a strategy that can support student agency and confidence in dealing with uncertainties. As a result, it offers valuable insights on effective teaching strategies aiming at students’ empowerment towards the complex challenges of the future.