Global carbon cycling describes the movement of carbon through atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere; it lies at the heart of climate change and sustainability. To understand the global carbon cycle, students will require "interdisciplinary knowledge." While standards documents in science education have long promoted…

This research examined lifelong science learning reported by amateur astronomers and birders. One hundred seven adults who reported engaging in an informal (out-of-school) science interest were interviewed as part of an ongoing series of studies of lifelong science learners. The goal of the study was to gain insight into how and why amateur…

Providing model-based accounts (explanations and predictions) of water and substances in water moving through environmental systems is an important practice for environmental science literacy and necessary for citizens confronting global and local water quantity and quality issues. In this article we present a learning progression for water in…

Explores hypothesized interrelationships between levels of moral valuing (Kohlberg) and three aspects of environment-related behavior: environmental knowledge, emotionality, and activity. Four standardized instruments were administered to 140 college students. Findings revealed that subjects were more emotionally involved with the environment than…

Examined how science content knowledge, moral reasoning ability, attitudes, and past experiences mediate the formation of moral judgments on environmental dilemmas. Environmental science majors (N=86) and nonmajors (N=105) participated in the two-phase study which found that moral reasoning is influenced by the context (setting) of a moral…

Twenty-seven elementary teachers participated in a National Science Foundation-sponsored energy education in-service program and 27 elementary teachers served as a control group. Results from the "Energy Inventory," developed by BSCS, indicated significant changes in knowledge possessed and opinions held about energy were achieved by…

Reports a significant correlation between environmental knowledge and environmental attitude, and significant differences between BSCS (Biology Sciences Curriculum Study) and nonbiology students' ecology comprehension and environmental attitudes. (CP)