TERTIARY STUDENTS’ AWARENESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE: A CASE STUDY OF A SELECTED UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Introduction: Climate change (CC) is harming the planet. All of society should be involved in managing climate changes or it will become uncontrollable. Students should not be left out as they are regarded as important to the society and in a good position to deal with the changes because they will become tomorrow’s decision makers and influencers.

Problem statement: It is unclear whether students at tertiary institutions are aware of climate change.

Aim of study: The aim of the research was to explore the level of climate change awareness of tertiary students.

Research methodology: The research adopted the objectivist ontology. A positivist approach was followed and the research approach was deductive. The intent of the study was to generalise what tertiary students think and know about climate change, therefore, the survey strategy was appropriate. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 603 students who participated in the study. The data were analysed using MS Excel and SPSS available at the university. A factors analysis was also performed. In total, 42 findings were identified.

Ethics: Participants were informed of the purpose of the study and their rights to privacy. No cultural or any other sensitive questions were asked, and participants had the option to participate in the study and withdraw at any time.

Finding: Students are aware of climate change, but more needs to be done to empower students to become advocates of climate change.