Engaging Underrepresented High School Students in an Urban Environmental and Geoscience Place-Based Curriculum

DeFelice, Amy; Adams, Jennifer D.; Branco, B.; Pieroni, P

doi:10.5408/12-400.1

Cited by 32 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…2004;Semken et al, 2017;Johnson et al, 2020). This is particularly so in the geosciences: many Earth science phenomena, such as climate change, are abstract and take place at a spatial scale that is hard for learners to fully grasp (Sarkar and Frazier 2008;DeFelice et al, 2014). Place-based learning contextualizes these challenging topics and makes them locally relevant to students in formal education settings (Semken et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science “Mosquito Mappers” Virtual Internship: Outcomes of Place-Based Engagement with Citizen Science

Cho

Low

Fischer

et al. 2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, we describe a virtual high school earth science enhancement program that embeds a citizen science experience within a scientist-mentored research internship. We demonstrate the success of the program as measured by knowledge of pertinent science concepts and processes, and changes in future career orientation, and explore the role of place-based citizen science in interns’ experience of their research projects. The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Mosquito Mappers Virtual Internship connected high school interns with research opportunities applying NASA Earth Observations to the global health threat of mosquito-vector borne diseases. The interns engaged in 120–150 h of research working closely with NASA subject matter expert mentors, and making use of the GLOBE Observer citizen science infrastructure to collect and analyse data. In the virtual format, interns were able to participate in activities synchronously or asynchronously through an online learning platform, web conferencing software and social media. Students developed and completed either an independent or small team research project leveraging data collected using the place-based citizen science mobile application, GLOBE Observer. We found that participants were motivated by conducting fieldwork in and around their communities using the GLOBE Observer app. Local fieldwork enabled the student researchers to apply their prior knowledge of their natural and built landscapes, while also contributing to the reduction of mosquito-borne disease risk in their communities. This finding highlights the benefit of coupling citizen science to a virtual internship. Interns shared that their interest in research, and research in the earth sciences specifically, increased as a result of participating in the internship program. By leveraging citizen science data collection and reporting tools, existing data, and analysis tools, the program represented a robust, cost effective research experience conducted in a virtual environment, lowering barriers to participation and broadening access to STEM enhancement opportunities for all.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science “Mosquito Mappers” Virtual Internship: Outcomes of Place-Based Engagement with Citizen Science

Cho

Low

Fischer

et al. 2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During a week-long research experience in Prospect Park (Brooklyn, NY, United States), a group of 22 high school students mostly from groups historically under-represented in STEM worked with faculty from Brooklyn College to investigate two research themes (soil compaction and harmful algal blooms) that had been previously identified by students as important issues to address. Students' science identities were positively impacted as a result of the program, as was their level of engagement in science activities (DeFelice et al, 2014). Similarly, after participating in a two-to 4-week Summer Science Academy research experience co-sponsored by the University of Rochester (NY, United States) and local Rochester schools, students from multiple K-12 grade levels self-reported significantly positive impacts of the program on their later academic success, interest in science, and likelihood to pursue a science-related career (Markowitz, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Actively Participating in University-Sponsored Ecological Research Increases High School Students’ Knowledge of and Attitudes About Science

Rollwagen‐Bollens

Nelson

Wait

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Next Generation Science Standards call for students to “investigate the natural world through the processes of scientific inquiry.” Yet, it is rare for secondary students in the U.S. to engage in authentic scientific investigations of natural phenomena. The Columbia River Estuary Science Education and Outreach (CRESCENDO) Project was a 2-year (2016–2018) university-high school partnership between scientists and science education researchers from Washington State University (WSU) and science teachers and students from five public high schools located adjacent to the Columbia River Estuary (CRE). The teachers and students collaborated with WSU scientists on a rigorous ecological study of the CRE, which provided an opportunity to study how engaging students in authentic scientific research would impact their ecological knowledge and their attitudes toward environmental stewardship. Our study methods included online attitude surveys and knowledge assessments for all participating students, classroom observations, and semi-structured small group interviews with 3–5 students from each school at the end of each year of the project. We found that many students made significant gains in their ecological knowledge and understanding of scientific inquiry practices, demonstrating deeper understanding of the connections between local land use and water quality in the CRE, as well how nutrient concentrations vary seasonally and along the axis of the estuary. Students also showed enthusiasm for taking part in a “real” scientific research project, collaborating with university scientists, contributing “their” data to an investigative effort that extended beyond their own school, and the opportunity to get outdoors during science class. We identified five “key elements” of the CRESCENDO project that contributed to its success, and which would allow our model of a consistent, long-term (months) and immersive research experience for high school students to be transferrable to university-school partnerships across a range of size, location, research mission, and resource availability. Finally, this project also provided more evidence in support of place-based approaches for student learning, and the importance of immersing students in their environments where they can study the natural world by asking relevant questions and generating novel data about the science topics that matter to them.

show abstract

“…To meaningfully adopt and enact CRP principles, programmes must value historically marginalised students' knowledge, experiences and cultural identities (Ladson‐Billings, 1995). Participating in CRPs also allows students to share their valuable lived experiences, positively enacting inclusion and allowing for prior learning reinvestment (DeFelice et al, 2014).…”

Section: Five Areas For Social Justice‐oriented Transdisciplinary Lit...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Working towards more socially just futures: five areas for transdisciplinary literacies research

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Policy-makers and provincial governments have a responsibility to prioritise equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) with approaches that leverage both intersectionality and transdisciplinarity, especially when looking at literacies research. Supported by a federally funded knowledge synthesis grant that surveyed the scope of EDIA in Canadian schools, this article focuses on youth marginalisation to address literacies learning. The authors address five concepts from a three-phase literature review to examine inclusive practices that respect, acknowledge and address EDIA in K-12 education. Across reviewed studies, there is an underlying trajectory outlining methodological challenges in implementing EDIA practices. We advance anti-racist and abolitionist approaches by addressing five areas: (1) making learning more accessible by adopting culturally responsive pedagogy informed by local cultures, languages and values; (2) pursuing sustainable professional development in culturally inclusive teaching practices; (3) creating safer school environments that nurture community-driven relationships between parents, students and their teachers; (4) reforming educational policies to concretely address structural racism, discrimination and misrepresentation of socially marginalised students by disrupting what is conceptualised and accepted as ideal culturally responsive pedagogy; and (5) prioritising community perspectives and input curriculum decisions to support underrepresented students. Ultimately, this article echoes this issue's orientations as it explores transdisciplinary practices composing an evolving understanding of literacies.

show abstract

Engaging Underrepresented High School Students in an Urban Environmental and Geoscience Place-Based Curriculum

Cited by 32 publications

References 17 publications

The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science “Mosquito Mappers” Virtual Internship: Outcomes of Place-Based Engagement with Citizen Science

The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science “Mosquito Mappers” Virtual Internship: Outcomes of Place-Based Engagement with Citizen Science

Actively Participating in University-Sponsored Ecological Research Increases High School Students’ Knowledge of and Attitudes About Science

Working towards more socially just futures: five areas for transdisciplinary literacies research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About