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Learning and Belonging in a Museum-School Environmental Stewardship Partnership

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  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      Journal of STEM Outreach. PMB 0367, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203. e-mail: jstemoutreach@vanderbilt.edu; Web site: https://www.jstemoutreach.org/
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      13
    • Sponsoring Agency:
      National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (DOC)
    • Education Level:
      Secondary Education
      High Schools
    • Subject Terms:
      Museums; Urban Schools; Partnerships in Education; Ecology; Water; Consciousness Raising; Career Pathways; Sense of Belonging; Learning Activities; Field Trips; Faculty Development; Secondary School Science; High School Students; Biology; Environmental Education; Disadvantaged; Water Pollution
    • ISSN:
      2576-6767
    • Abstract:
      Students in urban, low-income communities can lack access to environmental science outreach in natural settings. As a result, they may face barriers to applying course content to real-world contexts and developing an agentic, hopeful stance towards environmental stewardship. In this paper, we describe a partnership between a maritime museum and park, an urban school district, and ecology experts. The project aimed to increase students' knowledge of aquatic ecosystems, develop awareness of stewardship-related actions and career pathways, and support a sense of belonging to the museum. Activities included classroom visits by experts, field trips to plant classroom-grown grasses in the museum's lake, and teacher professional development. A single-group, pre-test/posttest design investigated changes in N=148 high school students' knowledge, along with post-program environmental stewardship attitudes and sense of belonging to the site. A paired t-test revealed a significant increase in knowledge scores. Changes were evident in students' ability to identify environmental problems and solutions. Post-program, environmental hope was significantly correlated with scientific knowledge and sense of belonging. Open-ended responses revealed elaborative processing of STEM content, students' sense of agency towards environmental action, and self-perceptions as an environmental steward. Implications for the conceptualization and design of field-based STEM outreach are discussed.
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Publication Date:
      2025
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1462961