Emotions, hope and learning experience of university students in climate change

This study explores the emotions and hope towards climate change among university students of the programme of Bachelor of Education in the Education University of Hong Kong. Online survey was adopted to collected data about hope and emotions of 93 students in various disciplines. Results show that common emotions found among the students include worry, determined and powerless. Students also have mixed types of hope towards the future of climate change. While both constructive hope and hope based on denial of climate change are present, a specific idea of climate change denial has a surprising significant presence, with about a third of surveyed students have doubts about the linkage between climate change and human activities. As reflected in interviews with ten students, psychological distance can be used to explain much of the observed hope and emotions towards climate change. Meanwhile, observation of two lessons about climate change suggest more efficient strategies for climate change education at university level can be explored to make climate change education in university more relevant to tertiary students. All rights reserved.