Climate change education in primary schools: knowledge, attitudes and pro-environmental behaviour of students in Greece

Climate change education plays a crucial role in shaping children’s environmental understanding and engagement, particularly at the primary school level. This study examines Greek primary school students’ climate change knowledge, attitudes, and pro-environmental behavior within the Knowledge–Attitude–Behavior (KAB) framework. A quantitative survey was conducted with 711 students from nine public primary schools in Greece using an age-appropriate questionnaire. Results revealed strong environmental and climate change attitudes and relatively high pro-environmental behavior, while climate change knowledge was moderate and uneven, with persistent misconceptions related to mitigation. Boys scored higher in knowledge, whereas girls showed stronger environmental attitudes and behaviors. Younger students (Grade 5; aged 11 years) demonstrated higher knowledge levels, while older students (Grade 6; aged 12 years) exhibited more positive environmental attitudes. Moreover, environmental and climate change attitudes were the strongest predictors of pro-environmental behavior, with knowledge exerting a smaller indirect effect. The study underscores the need for educational approaches that integrate conceptual learning with affective engagement and action-oriented experiences. Consequently, it provides evidence relevant to curriculum design and environmental education policy in a Mediterranean context, where climate-related risks are intensifying and remain underrepresented in primary education research.