Citizen awareness of the risks of flooding: the importance of teacher training

Natural risks linked to climate change have become a priority issue for the international community. The objective of this research is to evaluate to what extent Social Science teacher training and didactic activities to teach about floods are adequate to meet the challenge based on the social representation of teachers in training and active Social Sciences teachers. Data were obtained through a mixed questionnaire from a sample of undergraduate and postgraduate trainee teachers from several Spanish universities, and practicing secondary education teachers (N = 784) (between 2018-19 and 2022-23). The results reveal little or no training of the participants on climate change, natural disasters and floods throughout their careers, with the exception of postgraduate students who graduated in Geography. Likewise, there is a negative perception in relation to their training to teach these topics in the classroom, a limited diversity of didactic proposals and classroom strategies for their treatment in class, instead perpetuating those of a traditional and transmissive nature. In conclusion, the need to improve teacher education and training on climate change and its associated natural risks is confirmed in order to contribute to an improvement in socio-territorial resilience and the formation of an active and participatory citizen consciousness.