Stream ecology as place-based education

Abstract

Much of modern-day education is not related the lives of students. Place-based education has been noted to increase academic performance, and students' connection to the place they live. This study used the local stream to investigate the impact of place-based education in an Earth and Space science class. Student summative assessment scores and Likert-style surveys were used in both treatment and non-treatment units to analyze academic growth, sense of place, and self-efficacy regarding scientific skills. A questionnaire was given at the end of the treatment unit and used to collect qualitative data to support the conclusions. Normalized gains and percentages of summative assessment scores identified student growth in all areas studied.