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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to An appreciative inquiry of youths’ experiences in the national service-learning program Ocean Bridge
ClearHow to Increase Ocean Literacy for Future Ocean Sustainability? The Influence of Non-Formal Marine Science Education
This study examined whether non-formal marine science education programs improve ocean literacy in students, finding that hands-on marine experiences significantly increased knowledge and environmental awareness. Improving ocean literacy is considered essential for building public support for policies to reduce marine plastic pollution.
What Kind Of World Do I Want To Live In?
Researchers document student participation in marine conservation service-learning activities including microplastics research, mangrove planting, and oyster reef census work in the Indian River Lagoon, examining how community engagement shapes perspectives on the kind of world students wish to inhabit.
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.
Can we investigate microplastic pollution with school students? Experiences from eight years of citizen science research
Researchers reported on eight years of citizen science microplastic research conducted with school students through the Plastic Pirates program, sharing methodological experiences and lessons learned from involving more than 24,000 participants across Germany and other European countries in rigorous environmental monitoring.
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.
The role of youth adventure programs for shaping a conservation ethic
This research examined how youth outdoor adventure programs foster conservation ethics and pro-environmental behaviors in participants that persist into adulthood. Environmental education that builds emotional connections to nature is important for developing the next generation of advocates for reducing plastic and microplastic pollution.
Integrating Community Service into Student Learning: A Model Event of a Plastic Waste Cleanup
Despite its title referencing plastic waste, this paper describes an educational outreach program combining beach cleanup events with classroom lectures on plastic recycling and sustainability — not original scientific research on microplastic pollution. It examines how community service can be integrated into student learning experiences and is not relevant to microplastics science or human health impacts.
From Microplastics to Mangroves: My Journey Through Environmental Service
Researchers describe a community-engaged service-learning course in which students conducted microplastics fieldwork, participated in mangrove restoration, and contributed to oyster reef projects, demonstrating how environmental service activities develop scientific research and communication skills.
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.
Taking care of our planet: measuring and managing the environmental impact
This educational project engaged high school students in measuring and analyzing environmental impacts related to ocean health as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The project aimed to raise awareness about marine pollution, including plastic waste, among young citizens.
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.
Sea of plastic: representations of the sea and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors regarding marine plastic pollution in Peru and Chile
Researchers explored pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors regarding marine plastic pollution through 44 semi-structured interviews with Peruvian and Chilean citizens, examining how sea-related representations shape environmental engagement. The study found that positive connections to the sea were associated with stronger motivation to reduce plastic pollution.
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.
Creative-Motivated Citizen Science After-School STEAM Programme for Motivating Actions Related to the Oceanic Microplastics Problem
Researchers designed and evaluated a nine-week citizen science STEAM after-school programme for primary school children focused on microplastic sampling and local ocean pollution solutions, finding that creative and motivational activities sustained family engagement for at least 10 months beyond the programme's conclusion.
Qualitatively recognizing the dimensions of student environmental identity development within the classroom context
This study qualitatively identified eight dimensions of environmental identity development in elementary school students engaged in a pollution-focused science curriculum, finding that emotional responses and personal meaning emerged as distinct dimensions not previously captured in adult environmentalist research.
Can Coral Reef Restoration Programmes Facilitate Changes in Environmental Attitudes? A Case Study on a Rural Fisher Community in North Bali, Indonesia
This paper is not directly about microplastics — it is a qualitative study of how a coral reef restoration programme in north Bali, Indonesia influenced environmental attitudes and waste management behaviors among local fishing communities.
Microplastics Outreach Program: A Systems-Thinking Approach To Teach High School Students about the Chemistry and Impacts of Plastics
An outreach program for high school students used a systems-thinking approach to teach the chemistry of plastics, microplastic pollution, and environmental impacts. Student participants showed improved understanding of how plastic production and disposal connect to ocean ecology and human health.
Sharing communication insights of the citizen science program Plastic Pirates—best practices from 7 years of engaging schoolchildren and teachers in plastic pollution research
The Plastic Pirates citizen science program in Germany engaged schoolchildren and teachers in monitoring plastic pollution in rivers over seven years, and this paper shares the communication strategies that made the program work at scale. Effective participant recruitment, guidance, and feedback loops enabled the program to generate peer-reviewed scientific data while building environmental literacy. The lessons offer a replicable model for using citizen science to expand microplastic monitoring coverage beyond what professional researchers can achieve alone.
Can we investigate microplastic pollution with school students? Experiences from eight years of citizen science research
Researchers shared eight years of experience from the Plastic Pirates citizen science program involving over 24,000 school students and teachers in microplastic research across Germany, addressing challenges of contamination prevention, particle size, and sample processing in non-laboratory settings. The study evaluated the feasibility and scientific validity of engaging young citizen scientists in standardized riverine microplastic monitoring.
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.
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.
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.
Lessons From the Trenches: Students’ Perspectives of Their Own Marine Transdisciplinary Education
This study surveyed students' perspectives on their experiences in marine transdisciplinary research programs, examining how crossing disciplinary boundaries prepares future scientists to address complex ocean-human system interactions. Students reported both challenges and benefits from integrating deep disciplinary expertise with broad problem-solving approaches.
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.