From Climate Literacy to Climate Information Integrity: How School Information Specialists in Oman Support Adolescents to Evaluate and Communicate Climate Knowledge

Author Information

Faten Hamad, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Nabhan Al Harrasi, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Naifa Bait Ben Saleem, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Abdulla Al Hinaai, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman

Abstract

Climate change literacy in schools increasingly depends not only on scientific understanding but also on learners’ ability to navigate a complex information environment shaped by social media, persuasive climate narratives, and mis/disinformation. Learning Resource Centres (LRCs) and school information specialists are strategically positioned to strengthen climate information integrity by curating credible resources, teaching verification practices, and enabling student communication outputs. This paper reports a secondary analysis of structured questionnaire responses from 22 school information specialists in Oman (11 girls’ schools; 11 boys’ schools). Using directed coding aligned to Media and Information Literacy (MIL) competencies—access, evaluate, create, and engage responsibly—the analysis examines how integrity is conceptualised and enacted in school LRC settings. Descriptive results highlight major capacity gaps: only 2/22 respondents reported prior training in climate/environment education, while 15/22 reported training in IT/media production. Thematic findings show that integrity work is enacted primarily through resource provision and selective curation, awareness activities, and emerging youth media projects, but remains constrained by training deficits, uneven access to updated resources, intermittent teacher collaboration, and limited institutional support. Drawing on international frameworks including UNFCCC Action for Climate Empowerment, UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, OECD policy guidance, and the COP30 Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change, the paper proposes actionable, evidence-anchored practice recommendations for LRC-based climate information integrity work. The contribution is a descriptive practice model for strengthening climate literacy through evidence-based information behaviours and responsible civic engagement in vulnerable contexts.

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