WHAT DO STUDENTS FIND RELEVANT IN AN INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY COURSE? IMPLICATIONS FOR CHANGING STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES ABOUT THE RELEVANCE OF GEOSCIENCE IN SOCIETY

Geoscience education plays a vital role in achieving the goal of cultivating a scientifically literate citizenry that can make informed decisions for a sustainable future. This study investigated undergraduates’ attitudes about and perceptions of the relevance of geoscience in society. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected over the course of a semester in an active-learning introductory geology course. Course structure, instructor pedagogical practices and student demographic profile characteristics were described. Students’ (n=144) attitudes in three sections of MEA 101 were quantitatively measured with the Changes in Attitudes about the Relevance of Science (CARS) instrument. No significant difference in students’ attitudes about the relevance of science among sections was found. Statistical analysis provided evidence that students’ average CARS scores significantly increased (p=0.018) over the course of the semester. This signified that students were increasingly more agreeable to statements about the application of science in daily decision-making. Students’ change in CARS scores showed a significant positive relationship with two of the three performance measures. The strongest relationship (R²=0.16, p<0.001) was with a short-answer score that assessed students’ ability to describe the application of geoscience content in society. Qualitative data from open-ended questions provided insight into students’ perceptions of the relevance of geoscience in society. Analysis of responses showed that students identified similar geoscience concepts relevant to society as described by the Earth Science Literacy Principles human-Earth related Big Ideas. These concepts included topics related to natural hazards, water and energy resources, and climate change. Student responses revealed the link between perception of relevance and application of the geoscience content in a real-world situation.