D2C2 (Dinosaurs Denver and Climate Change) is a Track 1 Proof-of-Concept proposal that uses learning about dinosaurs and fossils as the hook for underrepresented youth to learn about geology and climate change and to engage them in green community-based projects. The proposed project provides the resources for underserved youth to learn about geoscience by directly experiencing it through Colorado's and Wyoming's natural resources, through participation in six-week Saturday Summer Academies that incorporate both field- and classroom-based experiences. STEM-based and community-based partners, which include African American and Latino churches, will collaborate in informal settings to provide African-American and Latina/o youth with place-based pedagogy to advance public Earth science system (ESS) literacy. The project team is applying place-based pedagogy to develop science and mathematics literacy and to increase green space in underserved communities. Students engage in place-based science by exploring historical data. Use of this critical pedagogy enables students to engage in border-crossing between geoscience and green energy conservation. Youth also use science process skills learned from a field-based geology course to engage in green projects that will sustain local communities and inform the public about climate change. This kind of engagement allows students to contextualize community well-being using both historical and contemporary geoscience knowledge. In this way, underrepresented minority students also tap the cultural capital of their communities. The project is focused on increasing public understanding of ESS and its relevance by (1) improving the quality of informal geoscience education at the secondary level (and beyond); (2) encouraging and facilitating the engagement of geoscientists in efforts to strengthen STEM education; and (3) communicating the importance of the geosciences to the public and increasing public literacy regarding ESS.
Abstract. Results from a two-year study known as Dinosaurs, Denver and Climate Change (D2C2) allowed children (aged 8-12) to participate in multi-aged groups to learn science within the context of paleontology and climate change. The goals of the project were to increase science content knowledge among underrepresented minority students and to positively impact their interest in science. Professionals in geology and soil science implemented field-based lessons relative to their disciplines. Results of paired t-tests revealed student science knowledge increased significantly in Phase 1 (Saturday academy) of the study and on two of three content tests in Phase 2 (summer camp). Overall, qualitative data revealed student interest in science was more positive in Phase 1. We conclude the D2C2 program was moderately successful in terms of its goals to develop specific science content knowledge related to paleontology and climate change and science interest among underrepresented students. The research questions that guided this study were the following: How did study participants’ content knowledge compare and contrast as a result of participating in a four-week Saturday academy to learn about paleontology versus a weeklong summer camp to learn about climate change? How did the study participants’ interest in science differ after participating in the Saturday academy and summer camp? What themes emerge in each setting to inform teachers and researchers about the benefits of informal science learning? We used mixed methods—quantitative and qualitative—to examine student learning and interest in science in this two-year study, which took place in two phases. Phase 1 focused exclusively on learning about dinosaurs and activities related to geology and dinosaur tracks. This phase took place during fall 2012. Phase 2 focused on climate change, emergency preparedness, and activities that related to recycling and soil science. This phase of the study took place during summer 2013. The quantitative aspect of this study utilized quasi-experimental design to determine whether science content knowledge increased significantly during each phase of the study. Content tests were developed and administered on paleontology in Phase 1; emergency preparedness, composting, and soil tests were administered in Phase 2. These tests were administered to participants on a pre-post basis. Scores were analyzed using the T-test statistic, which is appropriate for small sample sizes. An external evaluator, who developed a questionnaire and facilitated focus group sessions with five or six students during both phases of the program, collected qualitative data. These data were analyzed for themes using the constant comparative method (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Researchers read and coded the data following the open coding techniques outlined by Strauss and Corbin (1998). All of the data were examined multiple times looking for evidence and/or events of participants’ learning and attitudes during project activities. The results of this study reveal two important findings in regard to examining two different types of informal science education settings—Saturday academy and summer camp. The first finding is that participants’ science content knowledge increased significantly in both settings, with the exception of soil content knowledge during the summer camp. Success on the dinosaur and composting tests could be attributed to actually measuring dinosaur tracks and the temperature of the compost bin, respectively. The most plausible reason for this is that interacting with actual artifacts helped students to develop specific science content knowledge. Thus, each setting contributed to substantial student learning. The results also suggest that STEM educators and teachers should use rich, place-based activities to ensure that science is meaningful to students. Given students’ responses during focus groups, the second finding in this study is that student attitudes toward science were more positive during the Saturday academy compared to the summer camp. Children’s reflections during the summer were varied depending on their perspectives and prior experiences, revealing both positive and negative attitudes relative to the field trips. One student commented that he liked "walking around and actually getting to do stuff…instead of just standing there and looking at stuff." Others were fearful of the outdoors because of wild animals and inclement weather. One student claimed, "I don’t like to get out. I’m not an outdoor person." Yet, without exposure to outdoor settings, such fears cannot be assuaged or placed into perspective alongside other experiences. The results of affective data revealed the salience of place and informal learning among the participants in this study. Many had never been to Dinosaur Ridge or Estes Park prior to this experience. Some students did not like the botanic garden or the mountains while others did. Nevertheless, actually touching the artifacts and being up close and personal with real scientists were new experiences that presumably influenced interest as students had a context for the science they were learning. Our work is ongoing; we believe place-based and informal science experiences like those described in this paper are steps in the right direction to create a more diverse STEM workforce.
