Ocean Literacy: Exploring students’ learning about and attitudes to the Ocean

Danish University Colleges

Ocean Literacy: Exploring students’ learning about and attitudes to the Ocean

Nielsen, Birgitte Lund; Brandt, Harald; Andersen, Pernille Ulla

Publication date:

2021

Document Version Peer reviewed version Link to publication

Citation for pulished version (APA):

Nielsen, B. L., Brandt, H., & Andersen, P. U. (2021). Ocean Literacy: Exploring students’ learning about and attitudes to the Ocean. 1-3. Paper presented at Transforming Science & Technology Education to Cultivate Participatory Citizens, Daegu, Korea, Republic of.

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OCEAN LITERACY: EXPLORING STUDENTS’

LEARNING ABOUT AND ATTITUDES TO THE OCEAN

Birgitte Lund Nielsen, Harald Brandt & Pernille Andersen, VIA University College, Aarhus, Denmark

IOSTE February 2021

Agenda

§ Presentation of data from the context of the EU- ERASMUS project Ocean Connections (2019-21):

https://www.ocean-connections.net

o Universities, schools and aquaria cooperate

o Aimed for developing creative, digital approaches (AR/VR) to teaching/learning ocean literacy in schools and aquaria

§ Background about Ocean Literacy

§ Methods

§ Findings

o Survey results from 3 countries UK, ES & DK

OCEAN LITERACY

The Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts of Ocean Sciences for Learners of All Ages

V E R S I O N 2 : M A RC H 2 0 1 3

Background

§ Ocean Literacy emerged as a specific term in the 21st century

Cava, 2002

o Linked to both scientific and environmental literacy

§ 7 key principles e.g. that

o Humans and the Ocean are inextricably linked

o The Ocean supports a great

diversity of life and ecosystems

Santoro et al., 2017 + Eidietis & Rutherford, 2009; Plankis & Marrero, 2010; Shoedinger et al., 2006; Webb & Curran, 2017

Research in Ocean Literacy

§ Rather new research field, with many practitioner reports

o Reference to student inquiry, e.g. 5E model

ØStudents cooperating with/working with data from scientists Thompson, Curran &

Cox, 2016

ØStudents generating their own data Webb & Curran, 2017

o Real time data/global data-sets

o Students working with/on creating models

§ Also more ”solid” research reports backing the framework

o Personal and societal decision making

o Students’ work with ocean acidification using a virtual lab and online

discussions with marine scientists allowing them to explore and reason

about a wider range of ideas than in school

Background research about Ocean Literacy

§ Students interaction/dialogue with scientists – allowing the high school students to explore a wider range of ideas

o Making the invisible visible Fauville 2018

o 4th-6th grade students – real time interactions – underwater cameras & real time discussions with scientists Irvine, 2011

§ The more the students know, the more important for them and the more they feel personal responsibility

§ Online curriculum incl. social media: The affective dimension, not only the cognitive – challenges with technology- and participation

Robinson, 2011

§ Citizen science

§ Storytelling and game based methods on museums

A system thinking approach

§ Students’ understanding of the cycles ( water, N, C…) as complex systems

o Systems thinking skills

o To use models, and more specifically to create, manipulate and revise models helped students think about complex systems ..Design their model, test out their ideas, rethink, revise computer-based learning environments such as virtual environments

§ Also personal and emotional connection to the phenomena

§ 3 principles irt. students developing Ocenan Literacy

o systems approach irt students developing

o challenging, e.g. opportunities for students to talk, articulate and share their thinking

o informal learning environments provide access

§ Suggesting external learning environments like aquaria to provide access

to organisms and phenomena creating personal connections for learners

Pedagogical principles for design of teaching material in the Ocean Connections project

1) technology-supported 2) inquiry-based, and

3) data-driven science teaching, using 4) real-time data if possible

5) supported by virtual, augmented reality to e.g. illustrate the invisible, and with

6) communication between school students and external

stakeholders: the public in general and/or scientists in the field, and 7) a systems approach to critical concepts and processes, such as the

water and carbon cycles, and a focus on

8) model-based inquiry where students design their own models, and

use this to test out their ideas followed by rethinking and revising

An example

§ DK pilots involved students designing, building and deploying biohuts in their local industrial harbor/marina and studying their impact as nurseries for marine life

connections.net/2020/08/25/dk-pilot-2-launching/

Research questions

§ What do students learn about Ocean Literacy through engaging in the Ocean Connection pilot projects?

§ What impact does engaging with the pilot projects have on students’ attitudes to the Ocean, and to

environmental responsibility?

Methods

§ The full data in project Ocean Connections is multiple qualitative data in a mixed methods design

o This paper only reports from pre and post survey in the first five pilot projects from 2020

§ Questionnaire with validated Ocean Literacy and

environmental responsibility items (SOEM)

Greely, 2008.

§ Students

o DK are two classes, 14-15 years old (19 answers in the pre-questionnaire and 20 post) and 10-11 years old (15 students, only pre answers).

o ES students are 11-15 years old, 101 students answering pre and 92 post.

o UK students are 9-10 years old, 45 answering pre, but only 7 post.

§ Likert scaled answers are analysed by frequency analysis and

cross tabulation and open reflections by thematic analysis.

Results: Learning Outcomes (post)

§ System thinking concepts like biodiversity and ecosystem is frequently used by in particular the older students. Referring to things being connected

o I have learned about the ocean is connected with us and what

animals are living there. I have also learned new concepts like salinity and biodiversity

o Que los depredadores al fin y al cabo, se necesitan para seguir con el

ciclo de la vida en el mar (y en todos lados)

Ocean Literacy items pre and post

Q No DK old ES DK young UK

Correct answers

% Correct answers

% Correct answers

% Correct answers

%

Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post

14 63% 40% 58% 48%

15 53% 80% 65% 58% 53% 84% 86%

16 47% 30% 63% 76%

17 53% 60% 46% 48% 67% 20% 86%

18 20% 20% 36% 49% 33% 11% 14%

19 63% 90% 79% 84% 80% 51% 100%

20 63% 50% 35% 39%

21 26% 35% 10% 23% 47% 16% 14%

Q19 (Which statement about eating animals from the ocean is true?) positive pre/post development in all countries

Ocean connection items

§ Q14 Which statement best explains how ocean water moves?

§ Q15 Where is most of the water on Earth?

§ Q16 Imagine, two cities of the same size that are at the same latitude (same distance to the equator). One is on the coast, and the other is 200 km inland. On average, how does this effect the climate?

§ Q17 Which statement is the most accurate? (There is one ocean, it is large, and it has enough resources to support the growing human population; When resources are depleted from one ocean, we can always find them in another ocean; There are many oceans and they can each replenish themselves; There is one ocean, it is large, it is finite, and the resources are limited)

§ Q18 The most abundant life form in the ocean is

§ Q19 Which statement about eating animals from the ocean is true? (All kinds of ocean animals are endangered, so no one should eat any ocean animals; Some populations of ocean animals are declining, so people should choose carefully what to eat; In the ocean, only whales and dolphins are declining so it is OK to eat fish; There are plenty of all the kinds of ocean animals that people normally eats

§ Q20 Human activities have changed ocean temperature and pH. Which of the following happened because of these changes?

Attitudes: Do you generally find environmental issues like air and water pollution, recycling

and climate change to be important?

§ A small but not significant development from pre to post – however a rather high level of perceived importance

o Pre 71% “a very high degree” (4 point likert)

o Post 78% “a very high degree”

Open reflections on importance - PRE

§ All students main themes

o Concerns for the future, survival terms (DK:26%)

o We can die if we do not act

o Concerns for the future in soft terms (DK:32%):

o Because it affect our world and can change the way we live

o We must all act (10%)

o Because polution, climate change etc is a big part of our everyday life, so it is important that we take care, and think about what we do and how we do it

§ Younger students (UK & DK): empathy with animals is also a significant theme (20%)

o Animals can eat the garbage and chuck in it, we shall look after

the earth, if ”it” gets to the beach, it can get to the water and

fish can die, and a big fish can eat and get it in the stomach

Open reflections on importance - POST

§ A tendency for more focus on yourself being a part of the generation living of the earth in the future, and therefore having to act - compared to pre. And a little less focus on

“we are all going to die”

§ Main themes like in pre

o Concerns for the future, survival terms (DK 15%) o Concerns for the future in soft terms (DK 20%)

§ But a new theme: This is ”my future”, our generation shall live here:

o It is my future, I cannot just ignore it (DK 30%)

o Something has to be done (DK 20%)

Some conclusions

§ What do students learn about Ocean Literacy through engaging in the

Ocean Connection pilot projects?

§ What impact does engaging with the pilot projects have on students’

attitudes to the Ocean, and to environmental responsibility?

For questions and more details – PLEASE meet us in the Q &

A session or by email:

BLN@via.dk, HABR@via.dk or

• A high level of perceived outcomes

• Some pre-post development in Ocean Literacy items

(There is one ocean, it is large, it is finite, and the resources are limited &

Some populations of ocean animals are declining, so people should choose carefully what to eat

• A tendency for system thinking arguments – e.g.

ecosystem, biodiversity etc

• No significant pre-post development in attitude items

• In the open reflections a tendency for more focus on yourself being a part of the

generation living of the earth in the future, and therefore having to act - compared to pre. And a little less focus on “we are all going to die”