Effectiveness of Climate Change Awareness Education in Secondary School Students

NCT07654686 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2025/020-1570
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a climate change awareness education program on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among secondary school students. The study was conducted as a cluster randomized controlled trial in a public secondary school in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Conditions

Climate Change Awareness; Environmental Health Education; Health Behavior; Environmental Attitudes

Keywords

Climate change awareness; Environmental health education; Health education; Cluster randomized controlled trial; Environmental attitude; Environmental behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Climate Change Awareness Score

  Students' climate change awareness was assessed using the Climate Change Awareness Scale for Secondary School Students. The scale consists of 16 items and two subdimensions: cognitive awareness and behavioral awareness. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Total scores range from 16 to 80, with higher scores indicating higher climate change awareness.

  Baseline and two weeks after completion of the intervention

• Change in Environmental Attitude Score

  Students' environmental attitudes were assessed using the Environmental Attitude Scale for Secondary School Students. The scale consists of two subscales. The first subscale includes 14 items measuring environmental behaviors, and the second subscale includes 21 items measuring environmental feelings, thoughts, and willingness to act. The total score ranges from 35 to 175, with higher scores indicating more positive environmental attitudes and environmentally responsible behaviors.

  Baseline and two weeks after completion of the intervention

Study Arms (2)

Climate Change Awareness Education Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the intervention group received a structured climate change awareness education program delivered in the classroom setting. The program included three educational sessions supported by visual educational materials, reminder posters, interactive quizzes, and eco-friendly reinforcement materials. The intervention aimed to improve secondary school students' climate change awareness, environmental attitudes, and environmentally responsible behaviors.

Behavioral: Climate Change Awareness Education Program

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control group continued their routine education and did not receive any climate change awareness education during the data collection period. After completion of the post-test measurements, the education program was also provided to the control group.

Interventions

Climate Change Awareness Education Program BEHAVIORAL

The intervention consisted of a structured, multi-component climate change awareness education program developed for seventh-grade secondary school students. The program included classroom-based educational sessions, visual reminder posters, interactive quizzes, and eco-friendly reinforcement materials such as pencils, cloth bags, and flower seeds. Educational topics included the definition and causes of climate change, the difference between weather and climate, the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, environmental and human impacts of climate change, climate change effects in Türkiye, zero waste, carbon footprint, water and energy conservation, recycling, and individual actions to combat climate change.

Climate Change Awareness Education Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 13 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Being enrolled in the seventh grade of the secondary school where the study was conducted
• Being able to speak and understand Turkish
• Having written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian
• Being willing to participate in the study

You may not qualify if:

• Having a physical or cognitive impairment that prevents communication, watching the educational materials, or completing the measurement tools
• Having long-term absenteeism that would prevent regular participation in the education sessions during the study period
• Not having written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian
• Not being willing to participate in the study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Istanbul Medeniyet University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Istanbul Medeniyet University

Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Health Behavior; Health Education

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Adherence Interventions; Medication Adherence; Patient Compliance; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Treatment Adherence and Compliance

Study Officials

• Aynur Aytekin Özdemir

  İstanbul Medeniyet University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Due to the nature of the educational intervention and self-reported outcome assessments, participants and the researcher could not be blinded. To reduce selection bias, classroom-level randomization was performed after completion of baseline measurements.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: This study used a cluster randomized parallel-group design. Randomization was conducted at the classroom level to reduce the risk of contamination between students.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 12, 2026
• First Posted: June 17, 2026
• Study Start: November 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: January 16, 2026
• Study Completion: January 16, 2026
• Last Updated: June 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)