Year of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Counselor Education and Supervision

Department or School/College

Phyllis J. Washington College of Education

Committee Chair

Veronica Johnson

Commitee Members

Jayna Mumbauer-Pisano, Sara Polanchek, Arianna Vokos, Kate Brayko

Keywords

Climate Change, Climate Change Education, Counseling, Ecological Grief, Hope, Psychology

Abstract

The psychological effects of climate change are increasing, which has led to an increase in advocacy to research these effects. Current literature has included a focus on categorizing and understanding the psychological impacts, creating psychometrically sound instruments to measure the effects, and education as a tool to enhance coping strategies. However, limited research exists on measuring the emotional outcomes for students who engage in climate change education at the post-graduate level.

This dissertation explores the effects of an undergraduate-level climate change course on participants’ experiences of eco-anxiety, ecological grief, resilience, and hope to better understand the psychological effects of climate change education.

This quasi-experimental, quantitative, non-equivalent control group design measured the experiences of students who completed Climate and Society (CCS 103X) compared to a control group over the course of a semester. ANCOVA results indicated a statistically significant difference between groups for ecological grief. Further non-parametric testing indicated a statistically significant difference between groups for habitual ecological worry, a subscale of eco-anxiety at post-test, and a statistically significant change in positive readiness, a subscale of hope, from pre-test to post-test for the experimental group.

These findings suggest that climate-related emotions are complex and climate change education has the potential to influence the psychological response to climate change in a way that is not yet fully understood. Implications for future research and directions in climate change education will be provided.

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