| Ocean Literacy | Educational Research | Introductory Oceanography | Regional Issues | Cynthia Cudaback |
| Ocean Literacy | Educational Research | Introductory Oceanography | Regional Issues | Cynthia Cudaback |
Given the declining quality of the marine environment, ocean educators have the responsibility to teach not only the science of the ocean, but also the interdependence between humans and the ocean. This interdependence is at the heart of ocean literacy, as recently defined by a national consensus of marine scientists and educators. An ocean-literate person understands ocean science, can communicate about the ocean, and is able to make informed decisions about ocean policy (COSEE, 2005). College level introductory oceanography courses represent one of our last chances to promote ocean literacy through formal education.
But what is ocean literacy? A list of Essential Principles (COSEE, 2005),
a measure of the depth of your understanding (NEETF, 2005),
or content knowledge and attitudes that empower you to work for the good of the ocean? I prefer the
last definition, and organize my ocean literacy learning objectives using a 2x2 matrix like the one below. I want my
my students to understand ocean science and also human impacts upon the ocean (cognitive domain). I also want them to
perceive science as a useful tool that can be used to protect the ocean (affective domain).
| Science Content | Stewardship Content |
| Science Attitudes | Stewardship Attitudes |
Preliminary survey results reveal that students entering my class are semi-literate in oceanography(Cudaback, 2006). They know that water covers 3/4 of the earth, but have no idea how deep the ocean is or how much water it contains. They know about the effects of pollution (thanks to Captain Planet), but have little knowledge of other human impacts. They are interested in coral reefs, exotic vacation areas and their own backyard, but cannot describe the ecosystems in those areas. However, they report a strong personal connection with and interest in the ocean, and are eager to learn about human impacts. Furthermore, they report learning about the ocean from friends and family, and that they enjoy telling friends and family what they learn in my class. This informal communication network means that the impact of our teaching may extend beyond our own students.
I now have a quantitative survey measuring student content knowledge and attitudes. Marine educators have taken my survey, and confirmed my a priori notions of what attitudes experts are likely to share - they are generally confident in their understanding of science and marine issues, and very concerned about the health of the environment. When students enter my class, their content knowledge is weak, and their attitudes slightly positive. A priori, content and attitudes are not singnificantly correlated. However, change in content is significantly correlated with change in attitudes -- the more they learn, the more their attitudes improve. Expert marine
