Transformative Learning in Arctic Climate Change Education: Engaging Students with Conference Participation

Climate change action in the Arctic context requires not only deep understanding of the physical change processes but also awareness and sensitivity towards the complexities of the socio-economic and cultural dynamics in the region. In this study, we explore the learning experience of geoscience students attending the Arctic Circle Assembly as part of a university course. In the event, the students get to interact with a wide range of actors and stakeholders, including geopolitical and indigenous perspectives.

We examine the students’ sense of belonging and their possibly transformative learning process, and their influence on the students’ professional identity with qualitative inquiry. Interviews with the students and analyses of their personal learning reflections, reveal signs of transformative learning. Students experienced disorienting dilemmas, that were induced for example by lack of sense of belonging to the expert community or students’ values conflicting with the contents of the event. At the same time, belonging to the student group was an important factor for the discourse and critical reflection on the dilemmas, leading in some cases to outcomes of transformative nature.

Our findings highlight the importance of facilitation of challenging reflections on the students’ values and beliefs, and building of trust and belonging in the learning community, to allow management of the dilemmas towards transformation. This would require considering the backgrounds and prior experiences of the students. Based on our finding we suggest that transformative approaches to climate change education and conference attendance as a pedagogical tool can potentially shape students’ professional identities and broaden their perspectives, and to increase their agency as Arctic experts and responsible Arctic researchers.