Climate change and the importance of empowering citizens : Science teachers' beliefs about educational response in Nepal

Abstract: Educational response to climate change is one of the measures to prepare people to combat climate change. This thesis explores the lived experiences of secondary Science teachers from Kathmandu Valley on the perception of climate change, the way they handled climate change issues in the classroom setting, the problems and challenges they came across in climate change communication in the classrooms and the relevance of existing secondary Science curriculum in relation to climate change. The thesis is built upon the study of secondary Science curriculum, relevant literature on climate change education and the interviews with secondary Science teachers, teaching Science at secondary level in different schools of Kathmandu Valley.  The results showed that the teachers were convinced and concerned on the ongoing climate change and stressed on knowledge for climate change actions; they were found to introduce climate change issues contextually and relating to the topics like greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion they teach; lack of resources, exclusion of climate change in the secondary Science curriculum, their own limited knowledge on climate change, the unpractical theory and marks oriented educational system, and shifting of the responsibilities by the students hindered effective climate change communication in the classroom settings. The findings have been discussed in relation to social learning theory and relevant literature.