La representación social del cambio climático en estudiantes universitarios brasileños: un estudio exploratorio-descriptivo en el marco de una investigación internacional

Abstract

The aim of this exploratory study is to explore the knowledge about climate change that Brazilian college students possess and whether this knowledge influences other elements of their social representation such as beliefs and perceptions of climate crisis. In this research, conducted in the context of an international research project involving Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican, and Brazilian researchers, Environmental Education is considered an essential element to address environmental topics at all educational levels. Survey method was conducted with a closed-end questionnaire. 434 students from the Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil, participated. Outcomes suggest a medium-high level of knowledge, nonetheless data do not allow to establish a direct relation between the declared level of knowledge and the assessments on other elements, like beliefs or perceptions, of the social representation of the climate change.