Value–Action Gaps in Students’ Climate Change Literacy: Evidence from a Global South Country

Abstract

This research aims to identify gaps on students’ climate change literacy in Indonesia. We analyse gaps by examining students' knowledge, attitudes/values, and behaviour/actions. This study is a quantitative design with a survey method. A cross-sectional design was employed in this study. We collected 137 high school students in Solok West Sumatra, Indonesia, using paper-based questionnaires. The questionnaires consist of 22 item questions categorised into climate knowledge, attitude/value, and behaviour/action. In this study, the students are knowledgeable about climate change. They believe climate change is real, recognise human activity as the main factor causing it, and know the severe impacts that will occur if climate change continues. Students also have a good attitude towards climate change. However, they have not achieved or changed behaviour or actions that can contribute to climate change. Individual attitudes towards climate change matter. Their daily choices and actions are crucial in climate change management. This research indicates that there is still a value-action gap among the youth. The discrepancy between knowledge and action or value and action gap is an obstacle to achieving the goals of climate change mitigation and adaptation. The two leading causes of this gap are not considering an interdisciplinary approach in teaching climate change and teaching that needs to be action-oriented. Therefore, teaching climate change in an interdisciplinary and action-oriented approach is essential in the school curriculum to deal with this problem.