Evaluación emocional sobre el cambio climático en jóvenes andaluces: análisis de ecuaciones estructurales y multigrupo

Enrique González-Muñoz; José Gutiérrez-Pérez

doi:10.9781/rep.2025.366

Authors

Enrique González-Muñoz University of Granada https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5197-3935
José Gutiérrez-Pérez University of Granada https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4211-9694

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9781/rep.2025.366

Keywords:

Climate change, structural equation modeling, young people, emotions, emotional processing and appraisal, information sources, risk and responsibility perceptions

Abstract

Climate change represents one of the most pressing environmental and societal challenges of our time. Psychoeducational research, since the mid-20th century, has identified a correlation between emotional processes and action-oriented decision-making. Emotional Appraisal Theory posits that emotions are the result of an evaluative process (both unconscious and/or conscious) that is conditioned by numerous factors. A comprehensive examination of the impact of certain factors and their modulation on emotional appraisal in the light of a climate emergency is considered a fundamental step in guiding educational interventions towards more holistic and climate action-oriented pedagogies.

In this context, the present research aims to develop an exploratory structural model to understand the influence of the frequency of information consultation and perceptions of responsibility and risk on the emotional appraisals towards climate change. To this end, the structural equation modeling technique was employed in a sample of young individuals from eight provinces in Andalusia, Spain (n = 1.050). Furthermore, the potential impact of differing educational levels between participants on these relationships is investigated through the use of a multigroup moderation analysis.

The level of adjustment of the proposed study model is favorable, with the capacity to explain almost half of the variance in negative emotions and close to a quarter of the variance in positive emotions. The results of the structural relationships study demonstrate the existence of notable causal patterns, with risk perceptions exerting a considerable influence on negative emotions towards climate change. Additionally, the substantial and incremental impact of social networks (both online and physical) and perceptions of externalizing causal responsibility for climate change, particularly as students progress through the educational system, represent crucial elements for educators to contemplate.

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Author Biographies

Enrique González-Muñoz, University of Granada

Doctoral student in Educational Sciences at the Universidad de Granada, supported by a Predoctoral University Staff Training Contract (FPU20/03615) from Spain’s Ministry of Universities. He is a member of the Department of Research and Diagnosis Methods in Education, where he teaches on undergraduate programmes, and of the HUM-890 research group. His principal lines of research focus on education and environmental psychology, climate change, emotional psychology and innovative and disruptive methodologies. He has published in high-impact journals and presented numerous papers at international conferences. He participates in several national R&D projects, leads a project for early-career researchers, and collaborates on educational innovation and teacher training initiatives on climate change.

José Gutiérrez-Pérez, University of Granada

Full Professor of Research and Diagnosis Methods in Education at the Universidad de Granada, where he teaches on undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programmes. Since 2009 he has coordinated the Inter-University Master’s Degree in Environmental Education, which in 2014 won the Andalusian Environment Prize. Since 1999, he has led the HUM-890 Assessment Group for Environmental, Social and Institutional Education Research, which won the II National Educational Research Prize in 2004. Since 2014, he has led the University Assessment and Accreditation Area of the Andalusian Knowledge Agency.

Gutiérrez-Pérez’s research focuses on education for sustainability. He has led seven publicly funded competitive research projects and participates in various international networks linked to research and cooperation projects, including RESCLIMA. He has directed various innovation projects on the evaluation of teaching and institutional quality. He is the author of various articles and books on research methodology and a member of professional associations in educational research. He also belongs to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and has served on technical commissions for the preparation of the Spain’s White Paper on Environmental Education, and various regional environmental education strategies.

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