Clinical Research Directory

The Effect of AI-Supported Climate Change Education on Adolescents' Levels of Awareness and Concern

This study was conducted to assess the impact of AI-supported climate change education on adolescents' awareness of global climate change and their levels of concern about climate change. The study was conducted at a middle school affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in a province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region between December 2025 and September 2026, using a pre-test-post-test control group experimental design. The population of the study consists of 8th-grade students attending middle schools in the province. The schools from which data were collected were selected using a random draw. The study was conducted with a total of 120 students, comprising an experimental group (n=60) and a control group (n=60). Students in the experimental group received artificial intelligence-supported climate change education using virtual reality (VR) headsets. Data were collected using the Data Collection Form, the Climate Change Worry Scale (CCWS), and the Global Climate Change Awareness Scale (GCCAS). Descriptive statistics, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, t-tests for dependent and independent samples, and ANOVA for mixed-design repeated measures were used in the analysis of the data. Effect sizes were assessed using partial eta-squared (η²p) and Cohen's d. Ethical principles were adhered to throughout the study. According to the research findings, the baseline characteristics of the experimental and control groups were found to be similar (p \> 0.05). It was found that the average GCCAS and CCwS scores of the experimental group increased following AI-supported education (p\<0.001). In the control group, however, it was determined that the pre-test to post-test changes in GCCAS and CCWS scores were not statistically significant (p \> 0.05). It was found that time × group interactions were significant for GCCAS and CCWS, and that there were differences of large effect size in favor of the experimental group on the final test. It was found that AI-supported climate change education increases adolescents' awareness of global climate change and also leads to an increase in their levels of concern about climate change. In this regard, it is recommended that AI-supported educational programs be used in school health practices to enhance adolescents' awareness of climate change; and that school health nurses monitor students' emotional responses to climate change to help balance rising anxiety through appropriate coping strategies, self-efficacy, and support mechanisms.