Transformative climate change education and the school caretaker: a more-than-human analysis with young people

Schools are central to climate change education and climate-friendly transformations both as places which actually produce CO2 emissions and, above all, as educational institutions. Following a new materialist, transdisciplinary approach, we research here some of the entanglements that constitute schools as whole institutions. As part of the research-education-cooperation k.i.d.Z.21_aCtiOn2 (Austrian Climate Research Program), our innovative approach meant that the situational analyses were conducted both by young people and collaborating researchers. The experiences and accounts were captured in situational maps that illustrate the entangled agencies of people, discussions, places and matter relevant to CO2 reductions and transformation attempts. The analysis of those maps led to new perspectives on the intra-actions between the material and the discursive in schools. In particular, the caretakers' entanglements with areas relevant to climate-friendly transformations are revealed as critical to transformative climate change education. We conclude with an outlook on schools becoming transformative, climate-friendly places by building on these kinds of entanglements and explicitly incorporating non-pedagogical aspects as part of a whole-school approach.

Automated summary

Schools play a crucial role in climate change education and climate-friendly transformations, both in terms of CO2 emissions and as educational institutions. Through a new materialist, transdisciplinary approach, this study examines the entanglements that constitute schools as whole institutions. The research involves young people and collaborating researchers conducting situational analyses, which are captured in maps illustrating the agencies and connections relevant to CO2 reductions and transformation attempts. The analysis reveals the critical role of caretakers in relation to climate-friendly transformations, highlighting the importance of their involvement in transformative climate change education. The study concludes by emphasizing the need to harness these entanglements and incorporate non-pedagogical aspects as part of a whole-school approach to transform schools into climate-friendly places.