The Role of Education in Enhancing Climate Change Awareness among University Students: An Analytical Study of Students at the Faculty of Arts, Omar Al-Mukhtar University

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of education in enhancing climate change awareness among students at the Faculty of Arts, Omar Al-Mukhtar University. It examines students’ level of climate change awareness across cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral dimensions, analyzes the relationship between climate change-related university education and students’ awareness, evaluates the extent to which climate change issues are incorporated into curricula and educational activities, and identifies the main barriers that may constrain the effectiveness of climate change education. The study adopted a descriptive-analytical correlational approach and employed an electronic questionnaire covering university education related to climate change, climate change awareness, and educational challenges and barriers, using a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The findings indicate that the level of university education related to climate change was moderate, with a mean of 3.46, whereas students’ overall climate change awareness was high, with a mean of 3.66, with attitudes and behaviors scoring slightly higher than knowledge. The results also revealed a statistically significant moderate positive correlation between university climate change education and students’ climate change awareness (r = 0.58, p < 0.001). A significant positive correlation was also found between the inclusion of climate change issues in curricula and educational activities and students’ awareness (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), as well as between the dimensions of climate change education and the dimensions of climate change awareness (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). In contrast, educational barriers were negatively and significantly correlated with climate change awareness (r = -0.31, p < 0.001). The study concludes that university education represents an important pathway for enhancing climate change awareness; however, its effectiveness requires stronger integration of curricula, faculty engagement, and educational activities, together with addressing institutional barriers and strengthening the transition from climate knowledge to sustainable climate-related practices.