This PATHWAYS project, OUTSIDE: Over Under and Through, Students Informally Discover the Environment, is a descriptive study focusing on an informal environmental education program for underrepresented middle school students in Mississippi. The project is a collaboration between the University of Southern Mississippi's Biological Sciences Learning Center, the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, and the Hattiesburg Public School District. The partners will develop a training program for volunteer naturalists and, using an ethnographic approach, capture patterns in learning and interactions among the students and naturalists. They will answer the following research questions: 1) In what ways do students interact with naturalists, nature, and technology supplements while participating in OUTSIDE informal environmental programs? and 2) What are students' ideas about the environment and environmental awareness? Deliverables will include rich descriptions of participant experiences during the program; identification of environmental factors that may influence learning; a Beta version of the etrek app to supplement learning; a curriculum plan for post-secondary students and teachers; publications and presentations focused on research findings within broader review of literature and programs.
OUTSIDE will help advance the informal science education (ISE) field by providing empirical support for pedagogical decision making among environmental educators who work with underrepresented and underserved STEM learners in high needs communities; offering insight into how ISE professionals can leverage local resources and embed sustainability in project designs; and developing technology that can serve a broader community.
