Unveiling climate change education in Telebachilleratos del Estado de Veracruz (TEBAEV): an exploratory sequential analysis

Abstract

The issue of climate change is addressed within Mexico’s Common National Curriculum, which serves as the foundation for developing educational materials like didactic guides and videos aimed at higher middle schools located in regions highly susceptible to its effects. However, while the curriculum incorporates climate change, it lacks specific details outlining the objectives and extent of this integration. Nonetheless, this gap doesn’t deter educators from recognizing climate change’s significance across various subjects and effectively employing the provided educational resources for lesson planning, teaching, and assessment. In this study, the authors performed a comprehensive analysis of the Common National Curriculum, subject syllabuses, and didactic guides within the Telebachillerato subsystem of Veracruz state (TEBAEV). They also administered an online survey to 3,698 teachers. Employing a mixed-method approach with an exploratory sequential design encompassing three phases, they analyzed and triangulated data based on the integration of Education for Change and Educate on Climate as approaches within climate change education. The central findings underscore that nearly 95% of teachers not only identify climate change themes in their teaching materials but also integrate elements of climate change education into their instructional practices.

RESUMEN

El cambio climático se aborda en el Plan de Estudios, el cual se utiliza en México para desarrollar materiales curriculares como guías didácticas y videos para escuelas de nivel medio superior ubicadas en áreas altamente vulnerables. Sin embargo, el documento carece de detalles sobre la inclusión del cambio climático en cuanto a objetivos y alcance. No obstante, esto no impide que los maestros reconozcan el cambio climático en diversas asignaturas y utilicen los materiales curriculares proporcionados para la planificación, enseñanza y evaluación de sus clases. Mediante una metodología mixta, realizamos un análisis del Plan Nacional de Estudios, los programas de estudio de las asignaturas y las guías didácticas de TEBAEV, y aplicamos una encuesta en línea a 3,698 maestros. El análisis y la triangulación de datos se realizaron mediante la integración de la Educación para el Cambio y Educar sobre el Clima como enfoques dentro de la Educación para el Cambio Climático, empleando un enfoque metodológico mixto con un diseño secuencial exploratorio que consta de tres fases. Nuestros principales hallazgos indican que casi el 95% de los maestros identifican el cambio climático en los materiales y están incorporando aspectos de la educación para el cambio climático en sus prácticas educativas.

Keywords:

• Climate change education
• higher middle education
• educational materials
• rural areas teachers
• environmental education

Acknowledgements

The authors express their gratitude to all the teachers who participated in this research. This research was carried out since the Universidad Veracruzana (UV-MX), with the participation of teachers and directors of the Telebachillerato subsystem of the state of Veracruz (TEBAEV), Mexico.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there are no competing interests to disclose.

Data availability

Due to the nature of the research and participants’ confidentiality, the supporting data are not publicly available.

Notes

1 It resembles remote learning at the upper secondary-school level for marginalized young communities.

2 TEBAEV stands for Telebachilleratos del Estado de Veracruz (Telebachilleratos of Veracruz State).

3 Common National Curriculum refers to Planes de Estudio de Referencia del Marco Curricular Común de la Educación Media Superior 2018 (Reference Study Plans of the Common Curricular Framework.

4 https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/241519/planes-estudio-sems.pdf

5 Subject syllabuses are referred to as Programas de Estudio de Educación Media Superior (Study Programs for Upper Secondary Education). will be written as subject syllabuses, available: http://cosfac.sems.gob.mx/pa_ProgramasEstudioBTBG.php

6 Higher middle education is used in place of Educación Media Superior.

7 Secretaría de Educación Pública refers to the Secretary of Public Education.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bethzabeé Velázquez-Martínez

Bethzabeé Velázquez-Martínez, B.A. in Biology from Universidad Veracruzana (UV-MX) and an M.A. in Policy, Management, and Environmental Law from Universidad Anahuac, Veracruz. With 15 years of teaching experience and authorship of several high school textbooks, she has been a teacher at the National Pedagogical University, Unit 301, in the master’s degree program in Higher Secondary Education. In 2003, she achieved First Place in the National Contest of Sustainable Development Projects, specifically in the line of Productive Projects of CONAHCYT. Additionally, she secured the top position in teaching performance for the biology subject in the Teaching Evaluation of Higher Middle Education conducted by the INEE in 2015. Recently earned a Ph.D. in Educational Research at Universidad Veracruzana (UV-MX), specializing in environmental education for sustainability.

Ana-Lucía Maldonado-González

Ana-Lucía Maldonado-González, Research Professor in the Institute of Educational Research at the Universidad Veracruzana (UV-MX). Department of research in Environmental education for sustainability. Member of the National System of Researchers CONAHCYT. Ph.D. in Social work from the Université Laval (Quebec, CA). Member of the basic academic nuclei of the Doctorate and the Master in Educational Research, director of postgraduate theses. Associate Member of the Mexican Council for Educational Research (COMIE) and the National Academy of Environmental Education (ANEA). Interdisciplinary Research Award UV 2020-2021. Research lines: environmental education and communication, personal learning environments, social vulnerability and resilience, climate change, and environmental governance. Publications available at: https://www.uv.mx/personal/anmaldonado/publicaciones/

Samana Vergara-Lope Tristán

Samana Vergara-Lope Tristán, she holds a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Psychology from the Faculty of Psychology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She has taught, participated in evaluation committees, and directed multiple theses at undergraduate and graduate levels in different institutions and higher education institutions. His publications include two books, several chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. She co-coordinates 2015 the Independent Measurement of Learning-MIA project which has won several awards such as CoPLAC 2016 (IDB); National Award for Social Research and Public Opinion 2016 (CESOP/Chamber of Deputies) and SUMMA 2021 Innovation Competition for Educational Justice in Latin America (IDB). She is a full-time researcher at the Institute for Research in Education of the Universidad Veracruzana (UV-MX), coordinator of the Doctorate in Educational Research belonging to the PNPC, and is currently doing a one-semester academic stay at Harvard University.