Positioning Teachers in Climate Change Education: Insights from a Hong Kong Global South Perspective

This study examines how prospective teachers in Hong Kong (N = 13) position themselves within climate change education through ‘Global Dialogue for Climate Change Education’, a cross-institutional teacher education programme facilitating online global dialogues between Hong Kong and the UK. Emphasising a Global South perspective – characterised by a collective focus on equity, inclusivity, and the impact of historical injustices – this study employs positioning theory to explore how participants articulate their roles and identities in relation to climate change education. Qualitative data were collected from two cycles of focus group discussions, supplemented by creative methods including individual and collaborative drawing, show-and-tell with artefacts, and collective concept mapping. Using thematic analysis, three key themes were identified: Positioning themselves as change agents, cross-cultural learning and adaptation, and structural barriers in the local context.

The findings contribute to the literature by addressing gaps in perceptions of climate change education as interpreted by one group of prospective teachers positioned in a Global South context. They highlight the potential benefits for them of introducing inclusive dialogue in mainstream teacher education provision in ways which connect the Global South and North and taking local contexts into account. Implications for practice revealed by the study include the need for teacher training programmes to incorporate collaborative learning environments that foster not only environmental awareness but wider issues of global (in)equity. Future studies should investigate the integration of more diverse pedagogical approaches in climate change education and their capacity to promote greater educational equity and sustainable development.