Assessing a non-formal science education program for GK-12 students

Background/Question/Methods
Educational systems in the Unites States today are not including major concepts needed for the society to be ocean  or ecologically literate. In recent years there has been a push to get students out of the class room and back outside to learn ecology. Non-formal programs can increase hands-on science learning and improve the student’s attitudes on science. In 1981, the University of Texas Marine Science Institute pioneered the “floating classroom” concept to offer schools a hands-on learning experience. Students in grades 4-12 aboard the R/V Katy learn about local marine ecosystems and human impacts on them.  The program aims to correlate with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) that are being taught in the classroom, as well as the Ocean Literacy Principles, and to positively affect the student’s attitudes towards science.
Results/Conclusions

To evaluate and improve the program, various classes from different schools in grades 6-12 were assessed for science content and attitude gained from the program with a pre and post test, containing 15 multiple choice questions and 12 Likert Scale questions.  According to TEA regulations all of the visiting schools were academically acceptable. Results indicate that when non-formal science programs are used in conjunction with classroom instruction students receive greater content knowledge towards ecology. A simple paired t-test showed that there was a significant (p<<.05) difference between the pre-test and post-test in content, but not in attitude. This may be because attitudes were already so high.