Table 1. Recommended approaches to... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1.

Recommended approaches to foster constructive hope and proactive engagement in university programs related to global environmental problems

Level of implication	General recommendations	Practical suggestions
Structural level of university	• Research on turning negative emotions into constructive attitude and action	• Further research on climate anxiety, emotions triggered by education and communication, role of education for action
	• Recognition of the emotional dimension of knowledge	• Courses, seminar or other student platform on climate emotions
	• Alignment of university’s attitudes with students’ values	• Establish sustainability office and clear sustainability policy Divest from fossil fuels
University program level	• Interactions with external actors and across university programs	• Cross program lecture/course on how different university fields have the potential to contribute to mitigating climate change • Field trips, internships, and expert’s interventions • Partnerships with external stakeholders for thesis
	• Codevelop learning outcomes: critical thinking and positive, creative reappraisal	• Balance of critical perspective with celebration of successful cases • Focus on local cases
	• Strategies for turning negative emotions into constructive attitudes	• Additional module or extracurricular activity on how to deal with emotions • Internal supporting structures for students facing climate anxiety (e.g. seminars, office or group therapy)
Course level	• Provide space to express emotions in relation to class	• Regular sessions (optional or extracurricular) to discuss emotional processes and coping strategies openly
	• Link theoretical learning to practical implications	• Include practical, solution-oriented perspectives: case studies and real-world projects
	• Leverage students’ collective future visions	• Encourage students’ collective visioning and reflections on alternative futures (inspiration from utopian and critical hope)
	• Facilitate interactions between teachers and students	• Provide opportunities for personal conversations between students and between teachers and students
	• Teachers’ personal proactive engagement	• Reflexive discussion about the role and co-existence of research versus activism, academic learning and active engagement
Students’ interactions level	• Reinforce community spirit and encourage students’ emotional expression	• Promote supportive community and cooperation among students • Organize class trips, regular group activities • Facilitate social activities from the beginning of the university program
Students’ interactions level	• Encourage students’ personal proactive engagement	• Provide avenues to get engaged in extracurricular pro-environmental collective actions and practical projects

Level of implication	General recommendations	Practical suggestions
Structural level of university	• Research on turning negative emotions into constructive attitude and action	• Further research on climate anxiety, emotions triggered by education and communication, role of education for action
	• Recognition of the emotional dimension of knowledge	• Courses, seminar or other student platform on climate emotions
	• Alignment of university’s attitudes with students’ values	• Establish sustainability office and clear sustainability policyDivest from fossil fuels
University program level	• Interactions with external actors and across university programs	• Cross program lecture/course on how different university fields have the potential to contribute to mitigating climate change• Field trips, internships, and expert’s interventions• Partnerships with external stakeholders for thesis
	• Codevelop learning outcomes: critical thinking and positive, creative reappraisal	• Balance of critical perspective with celebration of successful cases• Focus on local cases
	• Strategies for turning negative emotions into constructive attitudes	• Additional module or extracurricular activity on how to deal with emotions• Internal supporting structures for students facing climate anxiety (e.g. seminars, office or group therapy)
Course level	• Provide space to express emotions in relation to class	• Regular sessions (optional or extracurricular) to discuss emotional processes and coping strategies openly
	• Link theoretical learning to practical implications	• Include practical, solution-oriented perspectives: case studies and real-world projects
	• Leverage students’ collective future visions	• Encourage students’ collective visioning and reflections on alternative futures (inspiration from utopian and critical hope)
	• Facilitate interactions between teachers and students	• Provide opportunities for personal conversations between students and between teachers and students
	• Teachers’ personal proactive engagement	• Reflexive discussion about the role and co-existence of research versus activism, academic learning and active engagement
Students’ interactions level	• Reinforce community spirit and encourage students’ emotional expression	• Promote supportive community and cooperation among students• Organize class trips, regular group activities• Facilitate social activities from the beginning of the university program
Students’ interactions level	• Encourage students’ personal proactive engagement	• Provide avenues to get engaged in extracurricular pro-environmental collective actions and practical projects