Approaching the interconnectedness of soils and climate change through systems thinking

As climate change becomes an increasingly important issue around the globe, practitioners are looking for new ways to understand and teach this complex subject. Systems thinking can be an excellent tool to teach about various environmental topics including climate change. Systems thinking is a pedagogical approach that focuses on the complexities and connections that exist in an entire system as opposed to breaking a system down into parts. This strategy allows practitioners and students to see connections between individual components associated with climate change, such as public health and environmental problems. It also works to promote meaningful learning, defined as the ability to make connections between new and existing knowledge. Systems thinking is not often used in practice, possibly because educators are unsure of when and how to apply this approach. This study used a systems thinking approach to determine if and how teachers in South Africa understood the interconnectedness of climate change and soils.

The study took place at a soil science workshop in the North West province of South Africa in October 2016. The researchers selected 18 participants, composed of 3 teachers from each of the 6 schools involved in the workshop. The participants had previously engaged in a soil science workshop in April 2016 and were determined to be the best representatives of their schools to share the knowledge, and how they have applied it, from this workshop for the new workshop used in this study. The teachers first participated in an activity introducing systems thinking and concept maps. Concept maps are visualizations of the connections between concepts, participants bring their pre-existing knowledge and build connections between their ideas. Participants were then split into six groups and asked to create a concept map to visualize the connections between soil and climate change, and how healthy soil can mitigate climate change impacts. Once the concept maps were complete, the researchers hosted three focus groups to discuss how the participants identified and connected the different elements and made suggestions on climate change mitigation. The researchers used a previously developed rubric to score the concept maps (excellent, good, poor, or fail), and the focus group transcripts were analyzed.

The researchers found that there was one excellent, one good, two poor, and two fail concept maps. The excellent map focused on the connections between soil and various organisms, including plants, animals, and humans. However, this map included no mention of climate change mitigation. The good concept map, though indicating some connections between items, had no complex interactions, which suggested limited conceptual understanding of the interconnectedness of soils. The poor concept maps demonstrated no understanding of processes or interactions but did focus on the importance of healthy soil for a healthy life. The two fail concept maps lacked clear focus and did not address interconnected processes or interactions.

Focus group responses indicated that the participants who completed these maps initially did not know what a concept map should look like or how to identify connections between concepts. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that the teachers struggled to understand the interdependent relationship between climate change and soils and had difficulty creating a concept map. Though the participants had participated in the earlier, April 2016 soil science workshop and had learned about integrating soil sciences into other disciplines, they found systems thinking to be a challenging process. Focus group responses revealed, however, that the participants became more interested in and more knowledgeable about soils after participating in the October 2016 workshop.

There was a limitation to this study. It was limited to 18 participants representing one province in South Africa, restricting the generalizability of results.

The researchers recommend using a systems thinking tool to help teachers unpack these complex ideas and to learn how to apply systems thinking. The tool follows seven steps that aim to address needs revealed from the focus groups, including; understanding systems, processes, and interactions, and thinking creatively and holistically. The systems thinking tool can provide a blueprint for practitioners to follow as they approach these interdisciplinary or particularly complex topics, improving confidence and increasing knowledge on the topic.