Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A Change of Mind: Applying Social and Behavioral Research Methods to the Assessment of the Effectiveness of Ocean Literacy Initiatives

This paper reviews how social and behavioral science methods can be used to measure whether ocean literacy programs actually change people's environmental behaviors. Better evaluation tools are needed to determine if public education about plastic pollution leads to real reductions in plastic use.

2019 Frontiers in Marine Science 58 citations
Article Tier 2

University Extension and Informal Education: Useful Tools for Bottom-Up Ocean and Coastal Literacy of Primary School Children in Brazil

Brazilian researchers used university extension programs and informal education to improve ocean literacy among coastal schoolchildren, who showed little knowledge of marine issues despite living near the coast. The program demonstrated that community-based education can raise awareness of microplastic pollution and other ocean threats.

2019 Frontiers in Marine Science 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Students’ attitudes towards the environment and marine litter in the context of a coastal water quality educational citizen science project

Middle school students who participated in a citizen science project monitoring coastal water quality and microplastic pollution showed significantly more positive environmental attitudes afterward compared to a control group. The study suggests that hands-on engagement with real microplastic research can be an effective way to build environmental awareness in young people.

2023 Australian Journal of Environmental Education 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Ocean Literacy and Surfing: Understanding How Interactions in Coastal Ecosystems Inform Blue Space User’s Awareness of the Ocean

Researchers surveyed surfers in coastal ecosystems about their ocean literacy and awareness of environmental issues, finding that regular interactions with the ocean through surfing were associated with greater awareness of threats but that knowledge of microplastic pollution specifically was still limited.

2021 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Promoting Ocean Literacy and Combating Chemical Pollution via Marine Education in Taiwan

This study analyzes scientific literature on ocean chemical pollution and its impacts on Taiwan's marine-dependent economy, arguing that formal marine education programs are needed to build ocean literacy and support public engagement with pollution prevention efforts.

2023
Article Tier 2

Marine litter education: From awareness to action

An educational intervention on marine litter designed for students from primary to high school level, incorporating lab work and a beach clean-up, significantly changed participants knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intentions as measured by pre- and post-questionnaires.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Ocean Outreach in Australia: How a National Research Facility is Engaging with Community to Improve Scientific Literacy

This study describes how Australia's Marine National Facility uses ocean outreach programs — including school visits, public engagement, and online resources — to improve scientific literacy about marine systems and foster community stewardship of ocean health.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

How Marine Plastic Pollution Education Develops Secondary School Students’ Sustainability Competences

Researchers investigated how marine plastic pollution education affects Norwegian secondary school students' sustainability competences, knowledge, and attitudes toward biodiversity protection using pre- and post-test questionnaires with 50 students. Results showed that structured marine plastic pollution curricula can improve students' understanding of ecosystem impacts and motivate protective behaviors.

2025 Environmental sciences
Article Tier 2

Gamification and ocean literacy in early secondary education

This study evaluated the use of a gamified mobile app to improve ocean literacy and environmental awareness in secondary school students. Engaging young people about ocean health through digital games could help build understanding of microplastic pollution and motivate behavior change.

2021 Figshare 3 citations
Article Tier 2

An Ocean of Science: an educational laboratory approach for the protection and preservation of the marine environment

An educational project called 'An Ocean of Science' developed laboratory activities for schoolchildren to learn about marine pollution, including microplastics, through hands-on scientific investigations. The program aimed to build scientific literacy and environmental awareness among students in multiple countries.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The Marine CoLAB: Taking a CoLABorative, Values Based Approach to Connect People to the Ocean

Nine ocean conservation NGOs collaborated to test whether sharing a common narrative about ocean value would increase public and political support for marine protection. Building broader coalitions and shared messaging around ocean health is important for advancing policies that address plastic pollution in marine environments.

2019 Frontiers in Marine Science 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of the Marine Technology Boom: Ocean Literacy Now Requires Data Literacy

This paper argues that as new ocean monitoring technologies generate massive real-time datasets, ocean literacy education must now also incorporate data literacy skills. Understanding ocean data is increasingly important for tracking microplastic distribution, concentration, and transport patterns across marine systems.

2023 Current The Journal of Marine Education
Article Tier 2

Ocean Literacy’s Influence on Integrated Learning: Teachers’ Understanding and Involvement

Researchers investigated ocean literacy integration in Indonesian junior high school education, surveying 116 teachers to examine how their understanding of ocean literacy and participation in related training influenced their inclination toward integrated teaching approaches.

2025 Anatolian Journal of Education
Article Tier 2

The laboratory didactics in the training-learning processes of sea sciences applied to cultural heritage and environment: the case of "An Ocean of Science" project

Researchers evaluated an educational project called 'An Ocean of Science' that used marine science laboratory activities to develop practical skills and knowledge in secondary school students, focusing on cultural heritage in marine environments and ocean protection. Assessment of student engagement and learning outcomes across multiple laboratory sessions demonstrated that active, hands-on learning approaches effectively improved scientific competence and increased student awareness of marine environmental issues.

2023 ACTA IMEKO 4 citations
Review Tier 2

What Teachers Should Know for Effective Marine Litter Education: A Scoping Review

This scoping review identified critical gaps in teachers' knowledge about marine litter, finding that educators need better training in ocean literacy and marine pollution science to effectively encourage pro-environmental practices among students and communities.

2022 Sustainability 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen_Labs – conception and evaluation of a course on plastic waste and microplastic in adult education

Researchers conceived and evaluated a citizen science laboratory course on plastic waste and microplastics for adult education, examining how experiential learning formats can raise environmental awareness and scientific literacy about plastic pollution among non-specialist participants.

2022 CHEMKON 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen observation of plastic pollution in coastal ecosystems to address data gaps in marine litter distribution

Researchers launched the COLLECT citizen science project in seven African and Asian countries, training 15-18 year-old students to sample and analyze macro-, meso-, and microplastics in beach sediments using standardized scientific protocols, while simultaneously measuring shifts in ocean literacy and pro-environmental behavior to quantify the educational impact of the intervention.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Promoting Sustainable Behavior Using Serious Games: SeAdventure for Ocean Literacy

This study evaluated a serious video game called SeAdventure designed to improve ocean literacy and promote sustainable behavior around marine plastic pollution. Results indicated that game-based education can effectively increase environmental awareness and motivation for pro-ocean actions among players.

2020 IEEE Access 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Design Thinking to Develop Marine and Coastal Environmental Attitudes

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it evaluates a design thinking educational approach for improving marine and coastal environmental awareness among students, focused on teaching sustainability concepts.

2023 Journal of Sustainability Science and Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Using experiential marine debris education to make an impact: Collecting debris, informing policy makers, and influencing students

Researchers developed an undergraduate experiential course in Connecticut in which students collected and catalogued over 1,600 pieces of marine debris from Long Island Sound, then presented findings directly to state legislators, with participants showing significant gains in environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behavior.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Broadening Participation through Research Experiences in Marine Science: An Early-Admit Immersive College Course Provides Experiential, Place-Based Scientific Training for Hawai‘i High School Students

This paper describes an immersive marine science research program for high school students from underrepresented groups in Hawaii. The program is focused on science education and STEM equity rather than microplastic contamination.

2022 Oceanography 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of environmental health education on microplastic pollution awareness

This study found that environmental health education significantly increased students' awareness of microplastic pollution. The results suggest that incorporating microplastic-related topics into school curricula could help young people understand the health and environmental risks of plastic pollution. Raising awareness early is an important step toward reducing microplastic exposure at the individual and community level.

2024 Public Health Nursing 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Edukasi Dampak Sampah Plastik Terhadap Lingkungan Laut Bagi Siswa Sekolah Dasar Negeri 6 Meulaboh Aceh Barat

This Indonesian-language paper describes an educational program that taught elementary school students about the impacts of plastic waste on the marine environment. The program aimed to build environmental awareness and responsible waste behaviors in young people. Early environmental education about plastic pollution is important for reducing future plastic waste generation.

2021 Marine Kreatif
Article Tier 2

Public awareness and perceptions of ocean plastic pollution and support for solutions in the United States

A 2021 nationally representative survey of 1,960 U.S. adults assessed public knowledge, perceptions, and concerns about ocean plastic pollution, comparing responses between the general public and engaged Ocean Conservancy advocates. The survey revealed that while concern about plastic pollution is high across groups, knowledge specifically about microplastics was lower than awareness of visible marine debris.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)