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

本项目是一项创新性的探索性研究，旨在开发一门高中环境工程课程，以应对气候变化带来的挑战。课程遵循模型-验证-迭代设计范式，学生对动态的现实世界系统建模，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环境工程师，他们具备分析复杂系统、与不同社区合作以及开发创造性解决方案的必要技能。通过整合系统思维（ST）和批判性科学代理（CSA），该课程将弥合课堂学习与现实应用之间的差距。通过与学生（主要来自少数族裔背景）、教师和社区合作伙伴的共同努力，该项目将创造一种引人入胜和参与式的STEM学习体验。该项目的成果将通过培养学生从事环境工程职业，并使他们能够以创造性、有效性、公平和正义应对与气候变化相关的挑战，为国家利益做出贡献。采用基于设计的实施研究方法，跨学科研究团队——包括加州大学欧文分校教育学院、工程学院和生物科学学院——将与奥兰治县教育部的非正式科学教育者、当地学区的教师、少数族裔社区的学生、非营利组织和社区合作伙伴合作设计课程。该项目将调查加利福尼亚州奥兰治县圣安娜河沿岸的沿海变化和洪水问题。课程将在三个班级（大约100名学生）中进行测试，这些学生来自代表性不足的少数群体和低社会经济背景。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：如何设计环境工程课程和学习活动，以一种有影响力的方式整合对技术和环境安全的关注？不同的利益相关者（如研究人员、非正式的科学教育者、高中生、社区成员）如何参与并贡献他们的观点和专业知识到设计过程中？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：一年级的参与式共同设计，二年级的课程测试，三年级的数据分析。数据来源将包括对社区成员的采访、设计会议的记录、现场笔记和设计工件、工程前/后ST测量、课程记录和对学生子样本的采访以及学生反馈调查。本研究将采用混合方法，透过以公平为中心的参与性研究视角，分析设计过程，并检视学生的学习过程与文化建构的发展。回归分析将被用来检验学生的学习成果。研究结果将通过同行评议的学术期刊和面向从业者的会议的出版物进行传播。参与的高中生将被邀请向他们的社区展示并与同伴网络分享。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。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.