Promotion of scientific literacy on global warming by process drama

The 15th United Nations Climate change conference or COP15 was held at Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark in December, 2009 (Birch, 2010). It was the largest international political conference so far on global warming with participants from 192 countries representing governments, the business community, and civil society. Since the consequences of global warming have been extraordinary, the world community needs to take serious action on reducing greenhouse gas emission, a cause of global warming, and creating a low carbon economy and society. COP15 provided a common ground for a coherent global response to this challenge and facilitated the process of reaching agreement on win-win situation basis. COP15 perfectly reflects the complexity and difficulty of the issue of global warming. Taking a decision regarding global warming requires scientifically literate individuals who understand the implications of their actions and have the skills to critically think about environmental issues and make informed and responsible decisions.

In Thailand, global warming has become a hotly debated issue and a large concern at the national level. Thailand has been experiencing the consequences of global warming (McDonald-Gibson, 2007) such as flash floods in northern areas of Thailand, the rise in level of the Andaman Sea, the decline in the annual flow of the Mekong River, the decrease in agricultural production etc. In September 2007, Assumption University conducted a poll of 2,191 people aged above 18 in Bangkok and surrounding areas which showed that global warming worried 97% of all respondents (Thai News Agency, 2007).

In this respect, to respond to national and international call on solving global warming, Thailand has established goals leading to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Thailand signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in 1992 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1999 (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001; Schelling, 2007). Consequently, it prepared and has implemented measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which include regulations, fiscal incentives, information, research and development. The Thai Ministry of Education decided to include global warming and climate change in the National Curriculum Framework with the aim of informing students about its scientific background and the complexity of the issue and empowering them to make positive contributions to this issue (Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology, 2002).

Science educators have sought to teach the fundamentals and complexity of global warming to a school audience in Thailand. However, teaching global warming is problematic for two main reasons. First, previous studies suggested that student’s ideas about global warming were commonly alternative to those accepted in a community of practicing scientists and this was found to be true across different countries even after formal instruction (Francis et al., 1993; Rye, Rubba, & Wiesenmayer, 1997; Gautier, Deutsch, & Rebich, 2006; Lee et al., 2007; Kilinç, Stanisstreet, & Boyes, 2008). Students’ ideas are robust and persistent into adulthood despite formal teaching (Driver, Squires, Rushworth, & Wood-Robinson, 1994). Second, global warming is complicated since there are a number of parties involved with a variety of needs, values and interests. Scientific knowledge and positive attitude toward the environment might not be enough. It is not necessarily true that a high level of environmental knowledge correlates with a higher degree of environmental concern, willingness to make personal sacrifices and environmentally responsible behavior. The students might still make reckless environmental decisions and actions regardless of their scientific conceptions (Kuhlemeier, Bergh, & Lagerweij, 1999). Critical thinking, management, and conflict resolution skills, therefore, are needed to succeed in solving the global warming. The traditional style of science teaching, in which teachers rely solely on chalk and talk or conducting scientific investigation is ineffective in this case (Mason & Santi, 1998).

To enhance scientific literacy on global warming, it is advisable for science teachers to create opportunities which will enable students to interact with the world and to understand it more fully through that interaction so they may function more successfully in it (Taber & Taylor, 2009). Environmental education should be humanized. In humanistic science education, feelings, fantasies, and values are combined with thinking and knowing. (Bruner, 1986; Appleby, 2002). The students should be nurtured to become future decision makers; understand how changes in the environment will affect them; and how they can become involved in the issues and decisions that will ultimately affect them (AAAS, 1993; Landers, Naylon, & Drewes, 2002).

In this project, process drama is introduced and examined its effectiveness in promoting scientific literacy on global warming. This learning process has the potential to cultivate scientific literacy on global warming by a several reasons. Process drama is an inquiry-based teaching method in humanistic paradigm. It provides a framework for the exploration of ideas and feelings and the making of meaning. It is also a social, interactive and empowering arts process. It sharpens perception, enables personal expression, imagination and aesthetic sensitivity. Therefore, it can create experiences which enable the development of cognitive, emotional, social, and creative understanding and skills (Erickson, 1988; Bailey, 1993; Wood, 2006).