Exploring Narratives of Change for Imagining the Future and Fostering Agency Toward Sustainability

We are facing changes of epochal significance but, despite growing attention from many corners, classroom science still seems unable to aid students in making sense of these demanding socio-scientific questions. In the context of such complex problems as today’s sustainability and climate change challenges, narratives are a primary and crucial means for integrating scientific knowledge relevant to science, authentic inquiry, and the critical thinking skills needed to pursue solutions. Drawing from science, and the goal-oriented affective and active engagement in actual action, narratives become social and cultural means for people to figure out who they are in the context of climate change and envision plausible futures for themselves and their surroundings in relationship with others. However, to what extent can narratives provide insights into the current attitudes of young people about their sense of agency in relation to climate change and sustainability challenges? This study aims to answer this question by analysing students’ narratives collected through a digital questionnaire based on sustainability stories.