O9 Food Systems, Climate Change, and Food Waste: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs Among Middle School Students

This chapter is a demonstration of how to use socioscientific issues to impact middle school students' beliefs and intentions towards climate change. Fifty-one middle school students from a summer enrichment program in the Northeastern United States participated in this study. The duration of this curricular unit took place over six consecutive one-hour class periods. The researcher utilized quantitative and qualitative procedures to analyze the students' abilities to think critically and to argue persuasively about their beliefs and intentions about climate change. The results indicate that the students concluded that human actions are a significant factor in climate change. The students' intentions to act, as well as their desire to encourage others to take actions necessary to mitigate climate change, were compelling. Additionally, the knowledge the students gained from the interventions used enhanced their abilities to write persuasively to the chief executive officers from power plants and waste treatment facilities to a round table discussion on ways to mitigate climate change.

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CHANGE: A Place-Based Curriculum for Understanding Climate Change at Storm Peak Laboratory, Colorado

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society ◽

10.1175/2011bams3026.1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 92 (7) ◽

pp. 909-918 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

A. Gannet Hallar ◽

Ian B. McCubbin ◽

Jennifer M. Wright

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Global Climate ◽

Climate Science ◽

High Elevation ◽

School Students ◽

Independent Evaluation ◽

Hands On ◽

Classroom Lesson

Curriculum in High Altitude Environments for Teaching Global Climate Change Education (CHANGE) uses place-based education to teach middle school students about meteorology and climate as a basis to improve climate science literacy. The curriculum provides in-school and out-of-school instruction and connects students with scientists at Storm Peak Laboratory, a high-elevation atmospheric research facility above Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Following an initial 2-h classroom lesson, students record their own measurements of temperature, pressure, wind speed, and particle concentrations while traveling up the mountain to Storm Peak Laboratory. After returning to the classroom, students graph these data and analyze their results. Evaluation of this program showed that students improved their knowledge of key concepts pertaining to climate literacy. The hands-on, place-based format of CHANGE can be used as a model for middle school students in alpine communities to teach lessons in weather and climate and can be further refined by improved lesson plans, increased feedback to students, and an independent evaluation.

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Plausibility reappraisals and shifts in middle school students' climate change conceptions

Learning and Instruction ◽

10.1016/j.learninstruc.2013.03.001 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 27 ◽

pp. 50-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Doug Lombardi ◽

Gale M. Sinatra ◽

E. Michael Nussbaum

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

School Students ◽

And Shifts

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A Socioscientific Issue Approach to Understanding Middle School Students' Beliefs and Intentions Toward Climate Change

10.4018/978-1-6684-3686-8.ch020 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 394-425

Author(s):

Wardell A. Powell

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Power Plants ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Chief Executive ◽

Round Table ◽

Round Table Discussion ◽

School Students ◽

Mitigate Climate Change

This chapter is a demonstration of how to use socioscientific issues to impact middle school students' beliefs and intentions towards climate change. Fifty-one middle school students from a summer enrichment program in the Northeastern United States participated in this study. The duration of this curricular unit took place over six consecutive one-hour class periods. The researcher utilized quantitative and qualitative procedures to analyze the students' abilities to think critically and to argue persuasively about their beliefs and intentions about climate change. The results indicate that the students concluded that human actions are a significant factor in climate change. The students' intentions to act, as well as their desire to encourage others to take actions necessary to mitigate climate change, were compelling. Additionally, the knowledge the students gained from the interventions used enhanced their abilities to write persuasively to the chief executive officers from power plants and waste treatment facilities to a round table discussion on ways to mitigate climate change.

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An application of the transtheoretical model to climate change prevention: Validation of the climate change stages of change questionnaire in middle school students and their schoolteachers

Environmental Education Research ◽

10.1080/13504622.2021.1998382 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Richard A. Inman ◽

Paulo A. S. Moreira ◽

Sara Faria ◽

Marta Araújo ◽

Diana Cunha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Stages Of Change ◽

Transtheoretical Model ◽

School Students

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Food, nutrient, and energy waste among school students

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-11-2017-0611 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 120 (8) ◽

pp. 1807-1831 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Maria Teresa Kowalewska ◽

Anna Kołłajtis-Dołowy

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Young People ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Food Waste ◽

Sustainable Consumption ◽

Household Waste ◽

School Students ◽

Content Type ◽

Before And After

Purpose According to a study by European Commission, 88m tons of food waste are generated per year, of which 46.5m tons are wasted by households. Households still remain the main source of food waste (53 percent). The purpose of this paper is to estimate households’ food waste and wastage-related losses of energy and nutrients among middle school students as well as assess educational intervention regarding food waste prevention. Design/methodology/approach The study included 555 students from 11 schools in Poland. The study was conducted using the survey questionnaire and the three-day record of food waste. The interventional group filled a questionnaire before and after of education as well as after three months of intervention. Findings Students waste 23 g of food per day. The most wasted products are: potatoes, bread, fruits and vegetable as well as meet and ham. Energy losses from leftovers are less than 1–10 percent. Losses of nutritional value along with wastages were the highest for vitamin C, but also for dietary fiber, potassium and folate. Food waste education was nearly twice as strong in study group with films intervention, than those who received only a leaflet for parents. Research limitations/implications Middle school students are responsible for households’ food waste and contribute to energy and nutrition losses. Educational intervention is more effective, while using multimedia methods and need to be continued. Practical implications The paper is a scientific study and addressed to the scientific audience. However, due to the problem of households’ food waste, general public could be also interested. Social implications Food waste is an element of waste management. Studying the scale of food waste and waste related behavior can help to better understand causes of food waste. The search for ways to limit food waste, through education address to young people, can be an effective method of prevention of waste. The UN has established 17 new development goals for the years 2015–2030 (United Nations, 2015). One of them (Goal 12) is focused on ensuring sustainable consumption and production. It means halving food waste at the retail and consumer levels and food losses at the production and post-harvest stages by 2030. Originality/value There are few publications available about food waste including energy and nutrients waste. This study shows the scale of household waste, the quantity and type of wasted products and causes of disposal. Also, the way of handling with food waste at homes was examined. It is also important to draw attention to the responsibility of young people in wasting food, which was examined in the paper.

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