Climate change education in Czech and Polish geography textbooks

Abstract

Abstract The article contains a comparative analysis of climate change education in geography education in Czechia and Poland. The topic of climate and its changes is one of the most current challenges for school education at the beginning of the 21st century. The aim of the research was to establish the similarities and differences in the content of teaching climate change in the core curricula and selected textbooks for teaching geography in both countries. Using the method of text analysis, the study covered the core curricula of geography and 22 geography textbooks for primary and secondary school students, including 11 Czech and 11 Polish. The quantitative analysis of the content (the term “climate” and its derivatives, and “climate change”) and the qualitative analysis of the content of curriculum documents and school textbooks led to the basic conclusion that Czech and Polish students using textbooks for learning geography have the opportunity to learn content on: 1/ factors influencing climate change, 2/ causes of climate change, 3/ global warming, 4/ deforestation, 5/ desertification, 6/ melting of glaciers, 7/ consequences of climate change, and 8/ methods of counteracting climate change. By implementing the assumptions of the geography core curricula relating to climate change education and using textbooks during geography lessons, teachers can influence the pro-ecological attitudes of school children.