Environmental Science Education Research Articles

Learning Pathways in Environmental Science Education: The case of hazardous household items

The present study draws on environmental science education to explore aspects of children’s conceptual change regarding hazardous household items. Twelve children from a fifth‐grade class attended a 30‐h teaching module of environmentally oriented science activities aimed at assessing their awareness about the environmental and health hazards posed by several typical household products. In‐depth interviews before, 2 weeks after, and 1 year after, the teaching intervention revealed that children followed three pathways of conceptual change ranging from the substantial alterations of their initial ideas to the qualitative enrichment of those ideas to the complete rejection of the new knowledge. Two components of the instructional intervention—the use of living organisms in classroom experiments, and group learning activities—along with the development of children’s situated metacognitive ideas facilitated their learning and increased the durability of the acquired knowledge. Additionally, sound indications concerning the situated nature and the social construction of the new knowledge were observed, as well as that in environmental education moral and value issues are closely related to knowledge.

Life without Fieldwork: Some Lecturers' Perceptions of Geography and Environmental Science Fieldwork

Internationally, fieldwork is seen as intrinsic to geographical education. Fieldwork is here defined as any study of the environment that takes place outside the classroom. This paper extends a previous study of student perceptions of the impacts on their learning of a cancellation of fieldwork caused by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK countryside (Fuller et al., 2003). This paper examines the same issue from the viewpoint of the students' lecturers, who were interviewed to discover their perceptions of the value of fieldwork as a pedagogic device. Textual analyses of transcripts suggest that the lecturers' main objectives for fieldwork are to put theory into context and to teach students subject-specific skills. The development of transferable skills is a secondary benefit. Fieldwork, while considered a vital teaching and learning tool, is not central to geography and environmental science education, which emphasizes the understanding and contextualization of subject theory, but more needs to be done to integrate fieldwork into pedagogic strategies.

Role of internship in higher education in environmental sciences

AbstractThe benefits of a compulsory internship in environmental science education were investigated with respect to the three institutional goals of university education: (a) training for research, (b) professional education, and (c) general natural science education. A survey examined which student qualifications are improved by an internship complementary to traditional university education. The survey assessed 14 qualifications of students participating in a compulsory 15‐week internship in the 5‐year diploma program at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich). Pre‐ and postinternship questionnaires of 478 students and 293 supervisors are included. Results indicated that internships enhance general abilities and key qualifications, such as communication skills, report writing, organization of work, information acquisition, and the ability to operate independently. This suggests that internships are of high value to professional education. However, internships also seem to promote salient qualifications of complex environmental problem solving which are relevant for the development of research capabilities in environmental sciences. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 24–46, 2004

Are graduates in environmental sciences potential managers of the environment?

Curriculum models’ features represent a strategic device to create a balance between academic education and the market demand of environmental labour. This article gives an overview of the experience of the Faculty of Environmental Science at the University of Milano‐Bicocca. Considering the employment status of the first graduates of the faculty inferred from a recent direct poll, we suggest some remarks about the relationships between demand and supply in a typical European labour market scenario. Education models used in Milan are reviewed on the basis of such surveys. It follows a discussion on the ongoing reform of the education curricula and on its possible repercussions on the graduates’ employment condition. Environmental dynamics are complex and need to be approached with a multidisciplinary perspective for a complete understanding. According to this premise, one of the main challenges for upper‐level education programs is to provide students with an educational foundation that enables them to deal effectively with all environmental dimensions. So far in Milan's experience, although educational planning has been explicitly multidisciplinary, the lack of effort to harmonise different disciplines has been hindering, to some extent, the major purposes and benefits of such an approach. What we argue here is that a stronger role of the socio‐economic disciplines within environmental science education might act as the attuning element still missing. Yet, the private and public dimensions of environmental problems as well as the number of social actors involved, calls for professional graduates able to synthesise and balance existing trade‐offs. In the northern Italy scenario of the environmental labour market, the weak management skills of young graduates can be reasonably pointed out as one of the main drawbacks of their ongoing controversial employment status. Towards the aim of “designing” an attractive professional figure for the vivacious environmental market, the academic world cannot neglect providing students with cognitive tools for both analysing and harmonising all the relevant factors involved in approaching environmental problems.

Bridging the gaps between environmental engineering and environmental natural science education

Environmental education at technical schools and at universities has distinctive features, the profiles of which are tailored according to the teaching models of engineers and academics respectively. In this paper we suggest that the exchange of teachers and teaching methods between polytechnics and universities can be profitable for both parties. For engineers it should bring a broader perspective and more global understanding of environmental systems, while for university graduates it should help them to understand better the practical problems and limits of technical solutions. The forms of exchange and their potential benefits are still not explored sufficiently. Examples of some relatively modest forms of collaboration in environmental education between the Polytechnic of Lausanne and the University of Geneva are given to show that more vigorous exchange would facilitate mutual understanding of graduates in their future environmental careers. Better mutual understanding between engineers and natural scientists clearly will increase the societal relevance of environmental education and increase the efficiency of interdisciplinary teams.

Enhancing Teachers' Knowledge and Use of Inquiry Through Environmental Science Education

(2003). Enhancing Teachers' Knowledge and Use of Inquiry Through Environmental Science Education. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 49-71.

Regional Comparisons of Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Migration in the 1970s and 1980s: Age and Place Implications*

Over the last thirty years, nonmetropolitan regions across the United States have experienced volatile population shifts ranging from rapid growth to persistent decline. Several authors have suggested that the age structure of the population may contribute to these population trends. In the 1970s, the older baby boomers were entering labor and housing markets, while the younger boomers were enrolling in nonmetropolitan colleges and universities. By the 1980s, this large cohort was aging into a different stage in the life course. This article examines metropolitan and nonmetropolitan population shifts during the 1970s and 1980s within an age-cohort framework. Using Public Use Microsample data from 1980 and 1990, the analysis explores relationships between housing market, labor market, place characteristics, and the migration flows of different age cohorts. The analysis focuses on cohort-specific in-migration to two regions: New England and the Four Corners states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The results are consistent with a life-course understanding of migration behavior, especially during the late 1970s, with older cohort shifts directed towards nonmetropolitan destinations and younger cohort shifts more influenced by labor and housing-market variables. The results further demonstrate a large potential for future nonmetropolitan population growth, yet these growth experiences are likely to be regionally differentiated. These results have important policy implications for nonmetropolitan regions. *The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Mellon Foundation and the comments of Dr. John Cromartie of the Economic Research Service and those of two anonymous reviewers. This work is supported by a Mellon Foundation Grant for undergraduate education in environmental studies and social sciences. This “status report” presents the results of a pilot project exploring age-cohort perspectives on metropolitan and nonmetropolitan migration streams. The results are preliminary, and the authors are grateful for the insightful comments of the anonymous reviewers. Their comments have been highly influential in the continued development of this project.

Design, Implementation, and Assessment of an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Watershed Research Laboratory

In 1999 Shippensburg University established the Burd Run Interdisciplinary Watershed Research Laboratory. The Laboratory uses a local watershed to provide intensive undergraduate field training in the collection and analysis of environmental data, which are then compiled into a comprehensive statistical and spatial watershed database. Geographic information systems serve as the project's organizational focus, providing a powerful tool for data display, analysis and snaring. We emphasize a systems approach that links disciplinary perspectives across courses in geology, geography, biology, and teacher education. Important linkages among watershed characteristics, water quality, and aquatic ecology are emphasized over several semesters, allowing students to build and integrate scientific skills throughout their education using the watershed as a common case study. The Burd Run Interdisciplinary Watershed Research Laboratory provides an easily adaptable conceptual model for improving environmental science education at teaching-oriented institutions nationwide. Its success is largely attributable to three factors: (I) the project is student-centered and goal specific; (2) the selected watershed is accessible, diverse, and at a manageable scale; and (3) the 17-member Laboratory Advisory Board provides for continuous revision, adaptation, and improvement.

Teachers as Learners Examine Land-Use Change in the Local Environment Using Remote Sensing Imagery

In environmental science education, learners are exposed to earth phenomena that occur across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. However, it is challenging for learners to grasp the significance of spatial and temporal change because they have limited perspectives of the Earth. Within the scientific community, remotely sensed imagery is used for observing the Earth as a system. These same tools can be applied at all levels in environmental science education to help learners understand and visualize earth change. In this article, the experiences of teachers as learners are described as they conducted a temporal analysis of a local wetland using aerial photography in an inquiry-based activity.

Encouraging students during Science and Tech Week

On 30 April, Robert Ballard, head of the Jason Project science education program, delivered a pep talk to students and teachers about environmental stewardship, ocean exploration, and science education, as part of Global Science and Technology Week.Addressing students in a Congressional hearing room, Ballard urged them to investigate the vast, undiscovered regions of the Earth.

A Strategy for Improving K-12 Environmental Health Science Education in the United States

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) supports an array of environmental health science education activities through a variety of extramural and intramural programs. The purpose of these initiatives is to help individuals better understand the effects and risks to human health from physical and social factors. These initiatives stem from the NIEHS' recognition that the lay community requires greater knowledge about environmental health issues as the public is increasingly challenged to make decisions on the risks and benefits of agents that permeate society. In addition, the NIEHS sees these programs as an investment in the future of our society and environmental health sciences. We describe the programs and highlight projects that demonstrate how these efforts are being applied.

Tools for Successful Student–Teacher–Scientist Partnerships

Student–teacher–scientist partnership (STSP) programs are cooperative relationships in which students, with the support of their teachers, participate in and contribute to the research of scientists. This paper examines one of the world's largest STSPs—an international environmental science education program called GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment)—and proposes recommendations to scientists about how they can get the most out of their research and teaching relationship with students and their teachers. GLOBE is an international K–12 STSP that engages students in Earth's Systems investigations. Extensive training is needed for students to collect and report accurate data to scientists, and special preparatory curricula are needed to make their partnership effective and motivating. Recognizing these issues, this research was conducted specifically to identify and recommend a set of training material design criteria for implementation of STSPs in the elementary and middle school levels. The conclusions—the result of background research, extensive interviews and consultation with teachers—provide guidance to GLOBE and other STSP programs to enhance the development of effective and engaging training materials.

Incorporating cleaner production and environmental management systems in environmental science education at the University of Girona

The field of environmental science and engineering is rapidly evolving. The focus has shifted more and more from the end‐of‐pipe to pollution‐prevention oriented strategies for sustainability. Cleaner production requires new attitudes, knowledge and skills for all professionals to assure that preventive environmental strategies are integrated into planning and development activities throughout society. When preparing the curriculum for the new studies in Environmental Sciences at the University of Girona in 1993, it was considered essential to introduce pollution‐prevention‐oriented courses for future graduates. “Compatible Technologies” and “Minimisation of the Industrial Environmental Impact” are two courses supplementing each other to address the integrated approach to industry environmental issues. Describes the objectives of these two courses as well as the main topics included, and the methodology applied.

Content Evaluation of an Environmental Science Field Trip

Two important content areas associated with informal environmental science programs are ecology/natural science topics and awareness of environmental problems/issues. This study attempted to evaluate which of these content areas may provide a more optimum learning experience. A quantitative analysis was conducted on two field trips to a science center that represented an ecological oriented program and an environmental issue presentation. Two variables that were chosen as indicators of program success - knowledge retention and attitude change - are outcomes that have been found prevalent in informal, environmental science education. These programs were administered and evaluated during the 1996/1997 school year at the Paul H. Douglas Environmental Science Center at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The results of this study showed significant gains in science related knowledge following both the ecology and issue oriented treatments. The data indicate that the focus of the program (ecology or issues) did not significantly alter the way students responded to the knowledge section of the evaluation instrument. Results showed little impact on students' affect toward park site or related subject matter following either presentation type. Authors recommend multiple research methods to better evaluate affect changes following an informal environmental science experience.

Questioning to learn and learning to question: Structure and function of problem-based learning scenarios in environmental science education

In problem-based learning, scenarios relating to real life are used as a point of departure for the learning process. Even though the importance of suitable cases or scenarios in bringing about a fruitful learning process is emphasised in the literature, few studies focus on how they actually function in the learning process. This study focuses on how the scenarios used in a ten-week introductory course of a new four-year undergraduate programme in environmental science functioned in terms of the structure and content of the questions they evoked. Data were gathered through diary notes from nine groups of students, com- prising 5-8 students per group. The data were subjected to a qualitative analysis aimed at describing the structure and content of the questions generated by the groups. Five different kinds of questions were identified and labelled; encyclopaedic, meaning-oriented, relational, value-oriented and solution-oriented. All scenarios generated questions pertaining to all five categories in all groups, but the emphasis varied. The results are discussed in relation to the design of scenarios, and in relation to students' approaches to learning.

The effect of an inquiry-oriented environmental science course on preservice elementary teachers’ attitudes about science

The purpose of this study was to assess a model inquiry-oriented environmental science course offered to preservice elementary education majors at the University of Montana in order to investigate the effects of environmental science classes on preservice elementary education majors. The guiding questions for the study (N=125) were: What learning environment profile reflects an inquiry-oriented environmental science classroom? and Are students' attitudes about science affected by the environmental science course taken? Data collection instruments included the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) and the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA). Results indicate that the course provided adequate laboratory materials and students interacted with each other in a positive manner. The results from the TOSRA questionnaire suggest that exposure to an inquiry-oriented environmental science course could promote at least short-term change regarding student attitudes involving social change. Another finding was that students had more positive attitudes about inquiry as a process in science after being exposed to a learning cycle-based course. It was concluded that results from this study support the recommendation that preservice elementary teachers take course work in environmental science or environmental education. Contains 12 references. (JRH) *******************i.AA:.************************************Ai.*** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *************W********************************************************* THE EFFECT OF AN INQUIRY-ORIENTED ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE COURSE ON PRESERVICE ELEMENTARY TEACHER°,' ATTITUDES ABOUT SCIENCE. Fletcher S. Brown, University of Montana Missoula, MT 59812 U S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Othce o EOLKshonet Ressioch ono imptosen.,-nt EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION LI CENTER IERICI TheS 00Cument ASS been reproduced as reCe'vehtl frOrre the person Or Orpiheietectin mating et 0 Mow, chances have been made to ereetX0er rOPrOducleon Quality Pants °twee 0, Oftshe One Stated in thiSCIOCve ment 00 hOt reCIISSanly raptasant official OE RI posmon or pohoy Paper Presented at the annual meeting of The National Association for Research in Science Teaching St. Louis, Missouri April, 1996

Environmental science education at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)

In 1987 ETHZ, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, first offered a degree course in environmental sciences. The curriculum is based upon a comprehensive view of the environment and its systems. The first two years of the programme cover a multidisciplinary basic education in mathematics, natural and social sciences. For their advanced education in the fifth to nineth semesters the students select one of four science disciplines (Chemistry/Microbiology, Physics, Biology or Environmental Hygiene) and one of four environmental systems (Aquatic Systems, Atmosphere, Terrestrial Systems or Anthroposphere). The education in natural sciences is accompanied by a compulsory case study, which is implemented as a didactic tool to teach ecological problem-solving, and courses in environmental social sciences and environmental technology. During the professional practical training of about four months, students gain insight into the constraints of a professional environment. In the tenth semester a diploma project - equivalent to a master's thesis - is carried out.

The emergence of global thinking among American and Russian youth as a contribution to public understanding

The purpose of this study was to examine some elements of American and Russian students' emerging global perspectives. As part of the GTP-Georgia/Russia exchange project, 150 high school students from Georgia (USA) and 150 high school students from Russia participated in three, year-long programs of collaborative environmental research and cross-cultural exchange. We conclude that environmental science education must stress not only cognitive but also affective outcomes necessary for the assumption of planetary stewardship.

Brave New World of Biosphere 2?

Last month, after 18 years of government service, William Harris abandoned the no-nonsense National Science Foundation for the fringes of science: He took over as director of Biosphere 2. Harris' new boss, University, began managing the controversial megaterrarium, located in the cactusfilled desert of Arizona, early this year. Originally conceived as a sealed laboratory for would-be explorers of Mars, Biosphere 2 fell into scientific disrepute when its eight original residents suffered from a lack of oxygen in their artificial atmosphere (see sidebar). prestigious university hopes not only to establish a sterling research facility at Biosphere 2 but to experiment with the education of environmental scientists and save the planet into the bargain. Columbia is going into this with its eyes wide open, says Harris. The question is whether Biosphere can be converted into a place for real science. Still, the question remains: Why perform vital research at the site that spawned a thousand late-night television jokes? It's a national treasure, says Bruno Marino, a Harvard University researcher who managed the site for much of the last 2 years. Marino took up the reins after Biosphere 2's owner, Texas billionaire Edward P. Bass, banished the original management and decided to make it a facility for environmental science research. Marino, who still operates an experiment at the site, compares it to the Sphinx. Its allure is magnetic. It suggests numerous opportunities for research, but it's a difficult riddle to solve. While the mythological Sphinx tended to kill those who failed to solve the riddle it posed, the only thing Biosphere 2's new management has to lose is its reputation. crew of researchers, educators, and tour guides plans to operate the site as a respected center for environmental science research and education. With a few alterations, they hope this westernmost sprig of the Ivy League will become a center for predicting nature's response to a changing atmosphere. An intriguing arrangement between the university and Bass allows for longlasting improvements to the facility. At the end of the contract, the school will either turn in its keys, extend the management operation, or receive outright ownership, says Bass. For the next 5 years, agrees to manage Biosphere 2 in much the same manner that other universities run federal laboratories. deal reportedly pays $50 million, which it plans to plow back into maintenance and renovations. Simply cooling the greenhouse costs $1 million a year. Columbia University's leadership of Biosphere 2 has already proven to be tremendous, says Bass.

Environmental sciences education at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and at other Swiss universities

Environmental sciences education at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and at other Swiss universities