Examining infographics prepared for climate change awareness and student views on these infographics

The advancement of technology has diversified traditional learning methods, leading to the development of new educational materials. Among these, the use of infographics has become increasingly prevalent. As a visual communication tool, infographics aim to present complex information in a more comprehensible and effective manner through the use of visual elements. In this regard, the present study aims to examine infographics designed to raise awareness of climate change, as well as to investigate students' perceptions of these infographics. The study employed a design-based research method, one of the qualitative research approaches, and was conducted with a total of 12 eighth-grade students enrolled in a middle school located in the Pendik district of Istanbul. As a result of this study, the analysis of infographic samples revealed that students tended to prepare assignments in the form of presentations rather than actual infographics. This tendency is thought to stem from students' habitual use of presentation formats in assignments across other subjects. Furthermore, it is considered that variations in students' visual, structural, and content-related knowledge may also be among the fundamental and distinctive reasons for the deficiencies observed in their work. When examining students' opinions regarding the advantages of using infographics, most students stated that infographics are attention-grabbing. In preparing their infographics, students primarily reported using the Canva platform, and additionally noted that they benefited from artificial intelligence tools. Following the infographic preparation process, the most commonly reported change in students' lives was an increased sensitivity and awareness toward environmental issues. It was observed that the most prominent emotion experienced by students using infographics was anxiety, as the awareness they gained about global warming and the effects of climate change led to increased concern. The findings obtained were discussed in relation to the existing literature, and relevant recommendations were provided. KEYWORDS: Climate change, Infographic, Environment, Awareness raising