CRITERIA-BASED APPROACH TO ASSESSING CLIMATE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT IN NATURAL SCIENCE TEACHERS

Abstract

Introduction. The article substantiates a criteria-based approach to assessing the level of formation of climate competence of teachers of natural sciences in the context of contemporary challenges caused by global climate change and the implementation of education for sustainable development. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to reconsider the role of the teacher as an active agent of climate education who is capable not only of transmitting scientific knowledge about climate change, but also of shaping value orientations, behavioral models, and responsible civic attitudes among students. Despite the growing body of research in climate education, the issue of systematic assessment of teachers’ climate competence remains insufficiently developed, which complicates pedagogical diagnostics and the analysis of its development dynamics in professional and in-service training.
Purpose. The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical justification for a criteria-based approach to assessing climate competence of natural science teachers and to define its structural components, criteria, and indicators of formation.
Methods. The methodological framework of the study is based on competence-based, axiological, and activity-oriented approaches. Theoretical analysis, generalization, systematization of scientific sources, and modeling were used to clarify the structure of climate competence and to develop a comprehensive assessment system.
Results. Climate competence of a teacher is interpreted as an integrative professional characteristic that combines scientific knowledge about climate change, the ability to implement mitigation and adaptation strategies in the educational process, adherence to ethical principles, and awareness of personal and professional responsibility. Its structure includes motivational-value, cognitive, activity-based, and professional-reflexive components. Accordingly, four assessment criteria are substantiated: axiological, cognitive, procedural, and reflexive-analytical, each specified through relevant indicators. Four levels of competence formation—initial, intermediate, sufficient, and high—are characterized according to the degree of integration of knowledge, values, practical skills, and reflective abilities within professional readiness.
Originality. The originality of the study lies in the development of a component-criteria model for assessing teachers’ climate competence, which integrates value, knowledge, practical, and reflexive dimensions into a unified diagnostic framework.
Conclusion. The proposed model provides a theoretical basis for comprehensive diagnostics of climate competence of natural science teachers and enables analysis of its development in the dynamics of educational influence. It can serve as a foundation for designing valid assessment tools within systems of professional training and continuing education. Further research should focus on empirical validation of the proposed criteria and indicators and on developing reliable measurement instruments.