Fostering Systems Thinking in High School Environmental Engineering through Engagement of Coastal Communities

该项目是一项创新的探索性研究，重点是开发高中环境工程课程，以应对气候变化带来的挑战。该课程遵循模型-验证-验证的设计范式，学生对动态现实世界系统进行建模，使用数据验证他们的模型，并创建多个迭代来探索系统随时间的变化。该项目旨在培养新一代的环境工程师，他们拥有分析复杂系统的必要技能，与不同的社区合作，并开发创造性的解决方案。通过整合系统思维（ST）和批判性科学机构（CSA），课程将弥合课堂学习和现实世界的应用之间的差距。通过与学生（主要来自少数民族背景）、教师和社区合作伙伴的合作，该项目将创造一种引人入胜的参与式STEM学习体验。该项目的成果将为学生从事环境工程职业做好准备，并使他们能够以创造力、有效性、公平和正义应对气候变化相关的挑战，从而为国家利益做出贡献。跨学科研究团队--包括加州大学欧文分校的教育学院、工程学院、和生物科学--将与来自橙子县教育部的非正式科学教育工作者、当地学区的教师和少数民族社区的学生以及非营利和社区合作伙伴合作，共同设计课程。该项目将调查海岸变化以及沿着加利福尼亚州橙子县的圣安娜河的洪水问题。课程将在三个班级（约100名学生）中进行测试，这些班级来自代表性不足的少数群体和社会经济背景较低的学生。研究问题将探讨设计过程和学习过程以及相关的学生成果：1。如何设计环境工程课程和学习活动，以有效的方式整合对ST和CSA的关注？不同的利益相关者（即，研究人员;非正规科学教育工作者;高中生;社区成员）参与并贡献他们的观点和专业知识的设计过程？2.来自不同背景的学生如何参与共同设计的学习活动？他们在多大程度上发展了ST和CSA？ 该项目将分为三个阶段：第一年的参与式共同设计，第二年的课程测试和第三年的数据分析。数据来源将包括与社区成员的访谈，设计会议的录音，现场笔记，和设计工件，前/后工程ST措施，课程录音和与学生的子样本和学生反馈调查的访谈。本研究将采用混合方法，透过以公平为中心的参与式研究观点，分析设计过程，并检视学生的学习过程及自我评估的发展。回归分析将被用来检查学生的学习成果。研究结果将通过同行评审的学术期刊和面向专家的会议上的出版物传播。参与的高中生将被邀请向他们的社区介绍并与同龄人网络分享。该课程将通过项目网站免费提供给教师和非正式教育工作者。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This project is an innovative exploratory research study focused on developing a high school environmental engineering curriculum that addresses the challenges posed by climate change. The curriculum follows a model-validate-iterate design paradigm, where students model dynamic real-world systems, validate their models using data, and create multiple iterations to explore changes in the system over time. The project aims to cultivate a new generation of environmental engineers who possess the necessary skills to analyze complex systems, collaborate with diverse communities, and develop creative solutions. By integrating systems thinking (ST) and critical science agency (CSA), the curriculum will bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world applications. Through collaborative efforts with students-largely from minoritized backgrounds-, teachers, and community partners, the project will create an engaging and participatory STEM learning experience. The outcomes of this project will contribute to the national interest by preparing students for environmental engineering careers and empowering them to address climate change-related challenges with creativity, effectiveness, equity, and justice.Using a design-based implementation research approach, the interdisciplinary research team--including the University of California-Irvine's Schools of Education, Engineering, and Biological Sciences--will partner with informal science educators from the Orange County Department of Education, teachers from a local school district and students from minoritized communities, and non-profit and community partners to co-design the curriculum. The project will investigate coastal changes as well as flooding concerns along the Santa Ana River in Orange County, CA. The curriculum will be tested with three classes (approximately 100 students) from underrepresented minority groups and low socio-economic backgrounds. Research questions will explore the design process and learning process and related student outcomes: 1. How can an environmental engineering curriculum and learning activities be designed to integrate a focus on ST and CSA in a way that is impactful? How do different stakeholders (i.e., researchers; informal science educators; high-school students; community members) participate and contribute their perspectives and expertise to the design process? 2. How do participating students from diverse backgrounds engage in co-designed learning activities? To what extent do they develop ST and CSA? The project will be structured in three phases: participatory co-design in Year 1, a curriculum testing in Year 2, and data analysis in Year 3. Data sources will include interviews with community members, recordings of design sessions, fieldnotes, and design artifacts, pre/post engineering ST measures, lesson recordings and interviews with a sub-sample of students and a student feedback survey. A mixed-method approach will be employed to analyze the design process through equity-centered participatory research perspectives and to examine students' learning process and development of CSA. Regression analysis will be employed to examine student learning outcomes. Findings will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed scholarly journals and practitioner-oriented conferences. Participating high-school students will be invited to present to their community and share with peer networks. The curriculum will be made available to teachers and informal educators for free through the project website.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.