STUDENT LEARNING OF COMPLEX EARTH SYSTEMS: A MODEL TO GUIDE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT EXPERTISE IN PROBLEM SOLVING

Abstract

ABSTRACT Engaging students in problem-solving concerning environmental issues in near-surface complex Earth systems involves developing student conceptualization of the Earth as a system and applying that scientific knowledge to the problems using practices that model those used by professionals. In this article, we review geoscience education research related to student learning and ill-structured problem-solving in the classroom. This article has two main goals: (1) to propose a model that applies the National Research Council (NRC, 2012) Science and Engineering Practices to students engaged with authentic, ill-structured problems centered on environmental issues and complex near-surface Earth systems (CNSES), and (2) analyze existing literature in the field of ill-structured problem-solving in CNSES to validate the proposed model. Eleven research studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Although none of the selected articles met every component of the model, many of the papers only lacked a fe...