The purpose of this study is to examine the list of books related to climate change that can be used in climate change education for young children in the educational field and to present basic data on the use and development of desirable climate chan...
The purpose of this study is to examine the list of books related to climate change that can be used in climate change education for young children in the educational field and to present basic data on the use and development of desirable climate change education books through the analysis of picture book content.
For the purpose of this study, the research questions were set as follows:
Research Question 1. What is the distribution of content areas related to early childhood climate change education in picture book?
Research Question 2. How about raising the issue of climate change in picture book?
Research Question 3. How about presenting a solution to the problem related to climate change shown in picture book and the subject of the solution?
Research Question 4. What is the emotional appeal for urging the solution of climate change-related problems in picture book?
The subject of this study was 59 picture books published from January 2012 to December 2022 that mentioned climate change. The procedure of this study consisted of preliminary research and main research, and data was collected by completing a picture book analysis record sheet. In this process, the distribution by area of early childhood climate change education and the subject of solving problem related to climate change were recorded in plural, while repetitions of the same content were recorded once. The occurrence of climate change-related problems and emotional appeals was recorded once, and the data was entered into Excel to calculate the frequency and percentage.
Results from this study are as follows:
Firstly, the analysis of the educational content on climate change in picture books revealed that the content related to the impact of climate change was the most prevalent, followed by climate change adaptation, climate change phenomena and principles, and climate change causes. Examining the subcategories within each area, the impacts of climate change were presented in the following order: ecosystem impacts, sea-level rise, desertification and water scarcity, climate and weather changes, lifestyle impacts, health and sanitation impacts, and food production impacts. Climate change adaptation was discussed in terms of its characteristics and necessity, climate change resilience, climate change mitigation, and climate change negotiations. Climate change phenomena and principles were presented in relation to the greenhouse effect and climate change, weather and climate, and atmospheric composition and greenhouse gases. Lastly, climate change causes were categorized as anthropogenic factors and natural causes.
Secondly, the analysis of the problem statements related to climate change in picture books revealed that out of the 59 picture books, 58 books raised climate change-related issues, excluding one book. Among 58 books, 12 books presented passive problem statements in the form of a single sentence or scene, while 46 books actively raised issues throughout the content of the picture book.
Thirdly, to examine the presence of suggested solutions to climate change-related issues and the agents involved in solving them, an analysis was conducted on the 58 picture books that raised climate change problems. Among the 58 books, 28 books addressed climate change-related problems but did not provide specific solutions, while 30 books presented solutions. Out of the 30 books that provided solutions, 28 books suggested solutions from a micro-level perspective, such as individual awareness change, lifestyle attitudes, and consumption habits. On the other hand, 11 books presented solutions from a macro-level perspective, involving entities such as businesses, environmental organizations, social solidarity, national policies, and international cooperation.
Fourthly, an analysis was conducted on the 58 picture books that presented climate change-related problems to examine the emotional appeals used to urge problem resolution. The results showed that out of the 58 books, 16 books utilized positive appeals by highlighting the joy, hope, benefits, and positive changes that arise from solving the problems. On the other hand, 42 books employed negative appeals, emphasizing the disadvantages, damages, risks, and negative consequences that occur if the problems are left unresolved.
The results of this study are significant in terms of providing a list of climate change-related books that can be used in climate change education for young children in educational field. And it offers foundational information for the utilization and development of desirable books for educating young children about climate change.