Democratizing education: Open schooling engaged the less privileged in environmental sciences.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science Education
• Informal Learning
• Open Schooling

Background:

• Democratizing education is key for environmental sustainability, particularly in less privileged regions.
• Informal education holds potential but struggles to reach marginalized groups and document learning outcomes.
• The EDU-ARCTIC project addresses these challenges in European environmental science education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an informal open schooling course in environmental science.
• To assess the reach and engagement of teachers from less privileged areas in Europe.
• To measure the impact of the course on pupils' science and environmental literacy.

Main Methods:

• An informal open schooling course, EDU-ARCTIC, was offered to European teachers with teenage pupils.
• Participant demographics were analyzed, focusing on gender and national origin (UN Human Development Index).
• Teacher participation in project activities and reported learning outcomes were tracked.

Main Results:

• The course enrolled 1,181 teachers, with 73% females and 43% from less privileged nations.
• Teachers from less privileged nations showed higher participation in project activities.
• Teachers reported significant increases in pupils' learning outcomes across all measured categories.

Conclusions:

• Informal courses like EDU-ARCTIC can enhance teenagers' science and environmental literacy, especially in underserved areas.
• Targeted outreach is necessary to engage less privileged groups who may not join voluntarily.
• The study demonstrates the potential of open schooling to democratize environmental education.