Özet:

This research aims to investigate to what extent a visit to climate change-oriented exhibition embedded within an environmental education course has effects on pre-service elementary teachers’ understandings about climate change.  Sample of the study includes 58 pre-service teachers, enrolled in Environmental Education course offered in the 2011-2012 academic year in Elementary Education Program at a private university in Turkey.  The course lasted 13 weeks and the context is composed of various environmental issues as well as an exhibition visit and student reflections. Pre-service elementary teachers’ pre- and post-reflections were analyzed and coded for examining effects of visit on their understandings about climate change. It was found that the course seem to have an impact on pre-service elementary teachers’ understanding of climate change. Besides, the exhibition visit resulted in increased understanding in consequences of climate change and the participants were able to make more individual-oriented suggestions for the climate change problem.

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