Igniting kid power: The impact of environmental service-learning on elementary students' awareness of energy problems and solutions

Abstract

Energy concepts are taught in many schools, but children rarely have an opportunity to grapple with energy problems and work on their own solutions. This study explores the impacts of Connect Science, a service-learning (SL) program developed to enhance elementary students' energy literacy in the United States. Program impacts were explored within the context of a randomized controlled trial. Teachers in the SL intervention group were provided with professional development, coaching and curricular materials. Each fourth grade class chose an energy problem to address, and designed projects to test out a solution. Teachers in a waitlist control group taught their typical energy unit. Upon completion of the unit, students were asked to write about a problem related to energy production or use and propose a potential solution. Inductive content analysis was used to code 703 student responses (377 from control group and 326 from SL group). The majority of students expressed concerns about wasting or using too much electricity or the use of nonrenewable energy sources. Solutions focused on energy conservation and the use of renewable or clean resources were mentioned most frequently overall. Students in the SL group were significantly more likely to mention environmental impacts of various energy sources and to suggest energy conservation solutions or educating others. Conversely, the control group student responses more often focused on electric circuits or electrical safety. Results from this study suggest the promise of environmental SL programs to advance energy literacy and promote critical thinking about how to address energy problems.