ABSTRACTFOSTERING ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY THROUGH THE USE OF HANDS-ON SCIENCE, PLACE-BASED EDUCATION, AND ROLE-PLAYED CASE STUDYBYBENJAMIN PAUL COOPER The purpose of this project was to develop environmental literacy in freshmen taking high school biology, using hands-on science labs, place-based education, and a role-played case study. Students participated in hands-on labs that allowed them to quantitatively describe the effects of pollution and eutrophication. Students also participated in an all-day field trip at Bay City State Park, where they studied ecological concepts in "place". The unit culminated in a role-played case study in which students were assigned roles, researched them, and attempted to solve the problem of the eutrophication of Saginaw Bay in a town hall meeting. To evaluate student learning, students were given a pretest and posttest that covered ecological topics taught during unit activities. The analysis of these assessments using a paired T-test showed that the teaching methods successfully increased student understanding of ecological topics, and an increase in environmental literacy. Additional subjective data, including conversations with students, and analysis of student writing during the unit, support that student environmental literacy increased during the unit. However, it was shown that environmental literacy is not something to be obtained in one unit, or even one year. It is a lifelong process to which a strong science foundation should be provided in science classes, from the primary level to the secondary level and beyond.
Read
