Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Community-Engaged Research Projects in School Settings: Science Teachers’ Practices and Reflections

Not relevant to microplastics — this education research study analyzes how nine teachers implemented community-engaged research projects addressing environmental justice issues in their classrooms, focusing on pedagogy, student empowerment, and institutional challenges.

2024 Social Sciences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Facilitating Learning of Socio-scientific Issues through An Adaptive Critical Pedagogy Module

A two-day workshop using Foldscope microscopes engaged Grade 9 students in Mumbai with microplastic pollution as a socio-scientific issue, finding that hands-on inquiry shifted students from passive to active engagement, with cultural context shaping how they related to the topic.

2025 Proceedings.
Article Tier 2

A self‐reported instrument to measure and foster students' science connection to life with the CARE‐KNOW‐DO model and open schooling for sustainability

Researchers developed and validated a self-reported instrument to measure students' connection to science using the CARE-KNOW-DO model combined with an open schooling approach for sustainability. The study involved students working on real-world environmental problems including microplastic pollution alongside families and scientists. Evidence indicates that this approach can strengthen young people's engagement with science and sustainability topics.

2024 Journal of Research in Science Teaching 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Detecting, sensibilization and measuring microplastics in the environment: a guidebook of practical activities for primary and secondary schools

Researchers developed a practical guidebook for primary and secondary school students to detect, measure, and understand microplastic pollution using table salt as a simple, accessible study matrix. The activities integrate scientific, technological, chemical, and geological concepts while addressing four UN Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to raise environmental awareness about microplastics in the educational system.

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

School science activities with contributions from STEM practices: A study to address complex problems in elementary school classes, in the case of microplastics and their harmful effects

Researchers developed a theoretical and explanatory framework identifying which aspects of STEM education can strengthen the design of school science activities addressing complex problems such as microplastic pollution in elementary school settings. The study proposes a model for integrating STEM practices into classroom activities to build students' capacity to engage with real-world environmental challenges.

2025 Repositorio Universidad Distrital
Article Tier 2

Sustainability Matters

This paper is not about microplastics; it is a longitudinal study of engineering students' evolving awareness of and engagement with sustainability issues during their studies.

2023 Journal of Problem Based Learning in Higher Education 6 citations
Article Tier 2

High School Sustainable and Green Chemistry: Historical–Epistemological and Pedagogical Considerations

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a chemistry education paper discussing how to better integrate sustainable and green chemistry into high school curricula, tracing the history of the Science, Technology, and Society movement and advocating for systems thinking approaches.

2023 Sustainable Chemistry 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing Moral Responsibility of Grade 9 Students Through an Active Learning on an Online Platform

This Thai education study used an active learning approach on an online platform to develop moral responsibility in Grade 9 students. The research focuses on pedagogical methods and has no direct connection to microplastics or environmental science.

2023 Journal of Educational Issues
Article Tier 2

Chemistry inquiry conducted by secondary school students into material degradation in the context of sustainability

Despite its title referencing material degradation and sustainability, this paper describes a chemistry education project in which ninth-grade students investigated how materials break down in the environment using inquiry-based learning — not original microplastic research. It examines green chemistry principles at the secondary school level, and is not relevant to microplastic pollution or human health impacts.

2025 RSC Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplásticos no corpo humano: um percurso investigativo no ensino médio para despertar a consciência ambiental

This experience report describes a secondary school investigative didactic sequence in Brazil on microplastics in the human body, guiding 10th-grade students from initial hypothesis through flipped classroom activities to experimental investigation. The project successfully engaged students with environmental science and raised awareness of personal microplastic exposure.

2025 Health and Biosciences
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Science Studies teachers’ selection of content when teaching for Sustainable Development

This paper is not about microplastics; it investigates how Swedish Science Studies teachers select content when teaching for Sustainable Development, finding that most teachers struggle to take a truly holistic approach that integrates social, economic, and environmental perspectives. The study is an education research paper with no relevance to microplastic science.

2024 Nordic Studies in Science Education 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Scientific literacy through Problem-Based Learning focusing on the occurrence and consequences of microplastics in the environment

Researchers implemented a Problem-Based Learning approach to develop scientific literacy skills in students by focusing on the occurrence and environmental consequences of microplastics. The study, conducted in a Portuguese-language educational context, used microplastics as a real-world science topic to cultivate critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making competencies.

2024 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Sustainable Development Issues in Chemistry Learning as Educational for Sustainable Development Implementation: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review synthesized research on integrating sustainable development issues into chemistry education. While not directly about microplastics, it identified microplastic pollution as one of the sustainability topics being incorporated into chemistry curricula to help students understand real-world environmental challenges.

2026 Jurnal Pendidikan Matematika dan Sains
Article Tier 2

Integrating STEM Curriculum Across the Schools' Learning Environment to Reflect & Impact Life Practices

This paper is not about microplastics. It discusses integrating STEM curriculum across school environments to promote sustainability education and critical thinking, referencing UN Sustainable Development Goals. While it mentions environmental challenges broadly, the paper focuses on educational pedagogy rather than microplastic pollution or environmental contamination research.

2023 KnE Social Sciences 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Curriculum development for student agency on sustainability issues: An exploratory study

Researchers developed an exploratory middle-school sustainability curriculum designed to foster student agency by challenging students to analyze real-world data, construct scientific arguments, and engage in activism around sustainability issues framed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

2022 Frontiers in Education 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Desenvolvimento da literacia química de alunos do ensino básico

A Portuguese citizen-science project engaged over 500 middle-school students in testing coastal water quality and learning about microplastic pollution through hands-on chemistry investigations. The program significantly improved students' attitudes toward chemistry and their conceptual understanding of water parameters and polymers compared to a control group, demonstrating that microplastic science can be an effective hook for building broader scientific literacy in young people.

2024 Educación Química 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Observing Microplastics in the Environment through Citizen-Science-Inspired Laboratory Investigations

This paper describes three hands-on laboratory activities developed for high school students to extract, count, and identify microplastics from personal care products, water, and sediment samples, inspired by citizen science methods. The activities aim to increase students' environmental literacy and motivate engagement with the microplastics problem through direct experimentation. Engaging young people in microplastics science is important for building the next generation of environmentally aware citizens and researchers.

2023 Journal of Chemical Education 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Aligning classroom assessment with engineering practice: A design‐based research study of a two‐stage exam with authentic assessment

This education research paper describes the design of a two-stage exam incorporating authentic engineering assessment tasks. It is not related to microplastics or environmental health.

2021 Journal of Engineering Education 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Increasing knowledge and awareness of microplastic pollution in United States middle school students in a hybrid-classroom setting through science education

Researchers assessed microplastic pollution knowledge and awareness among middle school students in the United States, finding significant gaps in understanding of microplastic sources, pathways, and human health implications. The study highlights an educational opportunity and suggests targeted curriculum integration could improve scientific literacy around plastic pollution in younger generations.

2024 Journal of Geoscience Education 5 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

Science Literacy Profile of High School Students: Implications of PBL Didactic Design on the Topic of Microplastics

This education research paper is not primarily about microplastic risks; it studies Indonesian high school students' scientific literacy after a problem-based learning curriculum using microplastics as a teaching topic, assessing students' ability to explain phenomena, evaluate investigations, and interpret data within the PISA framework.

2026 Hydrogen Jurnal Kependidikan Kimia
Article Tier 2

Educating for environmental transition: the summer school on microplastics

Researchers developed a summer school curriculum on micro- and nanoplastics to train students at the intersection of environmental science, toxicology, and sustainability. The program used MNPs as a case study for interdisciplinary education about complex environmental challenges requiring both scientific and policy responses.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Article Tier 2

Pedagogical Purposes of Scientifical and Technological Literacy within Sustainable and Green Chemistry in the High School

This paper distinguishes between environmental, sustainable, and green chemistry and discusses how these frameworks can be integrated into high school science education. Teaching students about plastic pollution and its chemical impacts is part of developing scientifically literate citizens.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations