Something Very Fishy: An Informal STEAM Project Making a Case for Ocean Conservation and Climate Change

Abstract

This paper reports about an informal learning experience – Something Very Fishy (SVF) – which is focused on ocean conservation and climate change. Results from 49 elementary school student workbooks indicated that experiencing SVF improved their understanding of ocean conservation, increased their interest in pursuing science careers, but did not affect their actions towards conservation. Survey results from 40 undergraduate students who helped run SVF indicated that the more efficacious they felt about communicating marine science and the more identified they felt with the scientific community, the more inclined they were to choose careers involving science communication. Survey results from 27 elementary school teachers, who accompanied their students to SVF, indicated perceived norms around teaching marine science and climate change affected their intentions to teach those topics in their classrooms. The paper concludes with implications of these findings on the future of SVF and programs alike, and research directions for environmental conservation in informal settings.