Representaciones sociales del cambio climático en estudiantes de pregrado de la Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas

Abstract

Given the severity of the threats that climate change represents on humanity and the biosphere, this research is carried out and its purpose is to identify the social representations (SR) of climate change (CC) to undergraduate students of the first and last semesters of the different programs of the faculties of: Engineering, Environment and Education offered at the Francisco José de Caldas District University, in Bogotá - Colombia. Looking in turn to identify if the different academic programs influence the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the population in the face of this problem. The study is developed under the quantitative methodological approach, from a non-experimental theoretical perspective. 669 surveys were applied using an ordinal semantic differential scale and Likert scale. The information analysis is descriptive and correlational between the different programs following the parameters and collaboration established by the SEPA group of the USC (Santiago de Compostela University) in Spain and the RESCLIMA project supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness-Government from Spain. The findings show that the surveyed population correctly assumes CC from an anthropogenic perspective, it also presents a homogeneous response pattern, not finding significant differences between academic programs and semesters. It reflects a general unknowing of the phenomenon of the greenhouse effect and erroneous associations to the causes of CC of phenomena such as climate variability and the deterioration of the ozone layer, among others. They consider the issues associated with CC difficult to understand. The surveyed sample perceives the CC training received by the university as scarce and a high percentage affirms that lack of interest in the subject is shown in most of the professors.