Program on the Environment

Currently, there is a scarcity of environmental and place-based education taught in K-12 school districts. Utilizing Place-Based Scientific Inquiry (PBSI) Education is an effective way to bridge theory and hands-on practice by having students dive into intricate real-life environmental scenarios (Soucy et al. 2024). It stimulates curiosity, allows them to engage and gain lived experience, and supports students in becoming leaders of change for a sustainable planet and future.

The primary focus of my capstone research was to analyze whether environmental pedagogical methods, such as PBSI, increase students’ levels of environmental stewardship. To achieve this, I collected data through human-subjects research by interviewing ORCA Pierce County Environmental Educators and conducting a UW student survey. Additionally, I did independent research by analyzing literature on the challenges and impacts of using Place-Based Education (PBE) for students.

Through my research, I discovered that there are many difficulties and challenges in the current-day educational system in teaching environmental education. Teachers in school districts are not provided with the proper environmental education, training, or materials. This leaves many educators with low confidence in their ability to teach environmental topics to students. Thus, throughout my time as an Environmental Education Intern for Pierce County’s Office of Resilience and Climate Action (ORCA), I assisted my Site Supervisor in curating a school curriculum that integrates marine ecology and PBSI Education to help provide future teachers with additional environmental education resources and materials to aid in improving students’ environmental knowledge in efforts to increase their environmental stewardship.