Climate Change and Sustainability Education: A Literature Review from Social Studies and Science Education Perspectives

Öz

Climate change education has emerged as a distinct field of inquiry situated at the intersection of environmental science, social studies, and pedagogy. This paper reviews the literature on climate change and sustainability education, comparing how the field has developed within science education, where the emphasis has traditionally been on conceptual understanding of physical and biological mechanisms, and within social studies education, where the emphasis has been on civic engagement, values, and systemic causes. The review traces the historical development of environmental and sustainability education, examines empirical findings on effective pedagogical strategies, and considers the persistent gap between knowledge gains and behavioral or civic action. It finds that while both fields have converged on the importance of active, inquiry-based, and locally relevant pedagogy, they continue to differ in their treatment of the political and economic dimensions of climate change, with science education literature tending to bracket these dimensions and social studies literature treating them as central. The review concludes by arguing for a more integrated, transdisciplinary approach to climate change education that draws on the empirical strengths of science education research and the civic and values-oriented framing developed within social studies.