Strand 14 Stand-alone Paper Set
- Presenter(s): Indiana Plant; Andrea Weinberg; Giulia Tasquier
- Session Length: 90 minutes
- Date: Apr 9, 2026
716 Through different eyes: Intuitive and cultural worldviews as predictors of learning in a climate exhibit
Indiana Plant1; Catie Nielson2; Jordan Giron1; Lynne Zummo1
1University of Utah; Salt Lake City; Utah; USA. 2University of Nevada; Las Vegas; Las Vegas; Nevada; USA
Abstract
Museums are uniquely positioned to connect climate science with diverse public worldviews; yet little is known about how such worldview constructs shape engagement with exhibit messaging. This study examines how Climate Concern (CC); Human Exceptionalism (HE); and Theistic Stewardship (TS) influence visitor uptake of four strategic frames — Hope; Local; Community; Gain — in Hopeful Climate; a U.S. climate exhibit. Eighty-two adult visitors (Nov 2024 - Jul 2025) completed surveys and a spoken interview question regarding a visitor's perceived exhibit messaging. Latent trait scores for HE and TS were estimated from Likert scales via Bayesian item response theory; and CC via the Six Americas Super Short Survey. Responses were coded for frame uptake and analyzed using logistic regression. HE significantly and negatively predicted spoken frame uptake; even when controlling for CC; suggesting that beliefs in human–nature separation reduce receptivity to exhibit messaging. CC showed a marginal positive association with typed uptake; while TS had no significant effect. Findings indicate that countering HE through narratives of human-ecosystem interdependence and leveraging CC with solution-oriented frames may improve climate learning across ideological lines. This work offers actionable insights for designing inclusive; worldview-responsive climate communication in informal learning spaces.
Strand 14: Environmental Education and Sustainability
468 Clicking Toward Climate Justice: Reimagining Digital Platforms for Collective Action
Andrea Weinberg ORCID iD; Michelle Jordan ORCID iD; Victoria Desimoni ORCID iD; Iveta Silova ORCID iD; Rajul Pandya ORCID iD
Arizona State University; Tempe; AZ; USA
Abstract
Aligned with the NARST 2026 theme of Joyful Transgressions and Radical Imagination in Science Education; this study centers educator and youth voices in reimagining how digital platforms could become spaces of possibility for transformative climate learning. We explore how these platforms are currently used; and also how they might advance efforts to radically reimagine education to foster joy; connection; agency; and collective action in the face of ecological and social crises. Using survey data from youth and educators; we examine patterns of use; perceived effectiveness; and alignment with cognitive; socioemotional; and behavioral learning goals. Findings reveal a mismatch between what learners value and what platforms deliver; with youth in particular calling for localized; interactive; emotionally resonant; and justice-oriented content. To this end; this work engages the question: How might we design digital spaces for climate education that resist deficit framings; cultivate hope; and invite learners to imagine and enact more equitable; sustainable futures?
Strand 14: Environmental Education and Sustainability
193 Youth Disorientation in Times of Climate Crises: A Three-Lenses Framework for Agency
Giulia Tasquier, Francesca Pongiglione, Elena Claire Ricci
Abstract
This conceptual paper examines how science education can respond to the growing sense of disorientation experienced by young people in the face of the climate crisis. While concern and awareness are high, students often report frustration and uncertainty about how to meaningfully engage with such a complex, systemic, and politicised problem. Educational responses frequently reduce climate change to scientific knowledge or behavioural prescriptions, overlooking the complex tensions students navigate. We argue that disorientation should not be treated as a deficit, but as a signal of epistemic and moral engagement—an invitation to develop more sophisticated forms of reasoning. To support this, we propose a conceptual framework grounded in interdisciplinary dialogue. The framework articulates three analytical lenses—epistemic, ethical, and systemic—which together provide a structure for designing a space for climate agency. Rather than prescribing solutions, this framework wants to support the development of sustainable forms of reasoning, which consist of developing the capacity to navigate tensions, interrogate systems, and nurture a sense of hope toward alternative futures. In doing so, it positions science education as a space of orientation—where students can begin to make sense of their role and find a position in a world shaped by crisis.
Strand 14: Environmental Education and Sustainability
description
716 Through different eyes: Intuitive and cultural worldviews as predictors of learning in a climate exhibit
Indiana Plant1; Catie Nielson2; Jordan Giron1; Lynne Zummo1
1University of Utah; Salt Lake City; Utah; USA. 2University of Nevada; Las Vegas; Las Vegas; Nevada; USA
Abstract
Museums are uniquely positioned to connect climate science with diverse public worldviews; yet little is known about how such worldview constructs shape engagement with exhibit messaging. This study examines how Climate Concern (CC); Human Exceptionalism (HE); and Theistic Stewardship (TS) influence visitor uptake of four strategic frames — Hope; Local; Community; Gain — in Hopeful Climate; a U.S. climate exhibit. Eighty-two adult visitors (Nov 2024 - Jul 2025) completed surveys and a spoken interview question regarding a visitor's perceived exhibit messaging. Latent trait scores for HE and TS were estimated from Likert scales via Bayesian item response theory; and CC via the Six Americas Super Short Survey. Responses were coded for frame uptake and analyzed using logistic regression. HE significantly and negatively predicted spoken frame uptake; even when controlling for CC; suggesting that beliefs in human–nature separation reduce receptivity to exhibit messaging. CC showed a marginal positive association with typed uptake; while TS had no significant effect. Findings indicate that countering HE through narratives of human-ecosystem interdependence and leveraging CC with solution-oriented frames may improve climate learning across ideological lines. This work offers actionable insights for designing inclusive; worldview-responsive climate communication in informal learning spaces.
Strand 14: Environmental Education and Sustainability
468 Clicking Toward Climate Justice: Reimagining Digital Platforms for Collective Action
Andrea Weinberg ORCID iD; Michelle Jordan ORCID iD; Victoria Desimoni ORCID iD; Iveta Silova ORCID iD; Rajul Pandya ORCID iD
Arizona State University; Tempe; AZ; USA
Abstract
Aligned with the NARST 2026 theme of Joyful Transgressions and Radical Imagination in Science Education; this study centers educator and youth voices in reimagining how digital platforms could become spaces of possibility for transformative climate learning. We explore how these platforms are currently used; and also how they might advance efforts to radically reimagine education to foster joy; connection; agency; and collective action in the face of ecological and social crises. Using survey data from youth and educators; we examine patterns of use; perceived effectiveness; and alignment with cognitive; socioemotional; and behavioral learning goals. Findings reveal a mismatch between what learners value and what platforms deliver; with youth in particular calling for localized; interactive; emotionally resonant; and justice-oriented content. To this end; this work engages the question: How might we design digital spaces for climate education that resist deficit framings; cultivate hope; and invite learners to imagine and enact more equitable; sustainable futures?
Strand 14: Environmental Education and Sustainability
193 Youth Disorientation in Times of Climate Crises: A Three-Lenses Framework for Agency
Giulia Tasquier, Francesca Pongiglione, Elena Claire Ricci
Abstract
This conceptual paper examines how science education can respond to the growing sense of disorientation experienced by young people in the face of the climate crisis. While concern and awareness are high, students often report frustration and uncertainty about how to meaningfully engage with such a complex, systemic, and politicised problem. Educational responses frequently reduce climate change to scientific knowledge or behavioural prescriptions, overlooking the complex tensions students navigate. We argue that disorientation should not be treated as a deficit, but as a signal of epistemic and moral engagement—an invitation to develop more sophisticated forms of reasoning. To support this, we propose a conceptual framework grounded in interdisciplinary dialogue. The framework articulates three analytical lenses—epistemic, ethical, and systemic—which together provide a structure for designing a space for climate agency. Rather than prescribing solutions, this framework wants to support the development of sustainable forms of reasoning, which consist of developing the capacity to navigate tensions, interrogate systems, and nurture a sense of hope toward alternative futures. In doing so, it positions science education as a space of orientation—where students can begin to make sense of their role and find a position in a world shaped by crisis.
Strand 14: Environmental Education and Sustainability
