Air Toxics Under the Big Sky: examining the effectiveness of authentic scientific research on high school students’ science skills and interest

ABSTRACT

Air Toxics Under the Big Sky is an environmental science outreach/education program that incorporates the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 8 Practices with the goal of promoting knowledge and understanding of authentic scientific research in high school classrooms through air quality research. This research explored: (1) how the program affects student understanding of scientific inquiry and research and (2) how the open-inquiry learning opportunities provided by the program increase student interest in science as a career path. Treatment students received instruction related to air pollution (airborne particulate matter), associated health concerns, and training on how to operate air quality testing equipment. They then participated in a yearlong scientific research project in which they developed and tested hypotheses through research of their own design regarding the sources and concentrations of air pollution in their homes and communities. Results from an external evaluation revealed that treatment students developed a deeper understanding of scientific research than did comparison students, as measured by their ability to generate good hypotheses and research designs, and equally expressed an increased interest in pursuing a career in science. These results emphasize the value of and need for authentic science learning opportunities in the modern science classroom.

KEYWORDS:

• Environmental science
• NGSS 8 Practices
• open inquiry
• secondary education
• authentic science research

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Ray Hamilton for his assistance in statistical analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Tony Ward is an Associate Professor at the University of Montana. He has both a BS (Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas) and an MS (The University of Houston – Clear Lake, Houston, Texas) in Environmental Science, and received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Montana in 2001. In addition to conducting research within the Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS), he is a core faculty member in the University of Montana’s School of Public and Community Health Sciences, and is an adjunct faculty with the University of Montana’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Naomi Delaloye serves as the Education Coordinator at the Center for Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Montana, where she currently manages the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky program. She holds an MEd in Secondary Education and is a certified secondary science teacher with experience in classroom instruction, school curriculum development, and academic advising.

Earle Adams is a research assistant professor in the Chemistry Department at The University of Montana (UM) in Missoula. He has both a BS and an MS in Chemistry, and received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry. Earle was the recipient of two postdoctoral fellowships: one for five years at Yale University School of Medicine and the second for two years at Grinnell College in Iowa. Earle serves as the departmental coordinator for technology and tribal outreach and is the primary contact for the UM Research Experience for Undergraduate program, which supports active research participation by undergraduates in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation.

Desirae Ware is a research lab and project manager at the Center for Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Montana. She has a master’s in Public Health and has had an active role in many projects with a wide range of focus from community awareness and health campaigns for people with disabilities to education outreach in rural communities through the Air Toxics program.

Diana Vanek is the outreach coordinator for the UM Center for Environmental Health Sciences and serves as co-investigator on the ‘Environmental Health Science Education for Rural Youth’ project funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (NIH Grant #1R25 RR020432). The Big Sky Model is drawn from one of the four main subprojects under this grant. Diana has a bachelor’s and master’s in anthropology, and has worked with advocacy, education, and workforce training programs serving disadvantaged populations in rural Montana communities. Her role at the UM CEHS involves promoting meaningful collaborations between university-based scientists and communities to enhance the public’s role in identifying biomedical research priorities with the goal of improving environmental public health.

Dr Randy Knuth, president of Knuth Research, Inc. of Spokane, Washington, is the former science education evaluation specialist for Air Toxics Under the Big Sky project. He was actively involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating instructional systems for over two decades. Randy began his career in education as a high school teacher in Montana and completed graduate work in instructional technology and learning theory at Indiana University. This led to a research and development position at an educational research laboratory in Chicago where he developed instructional videos and Web sites, conducted research, and directed national projects. In addition to serving as the overall evaluator on the UM Environmental Health Science Education for Rural Youth program, Randy was involved with projects in the Northwest on geospatial science, biotechnology, health science, bullying prevention, and school-based mentoring.

Carolyn Hester serves as a Research Specialist III at the Center for Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Montana where she assists the Education Coordinator with the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky program and performs air quality research. She has a BS in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California at Davis and a secondary science teaching certificate from the University of Montana. Carolyn has experience teaching high school science and working in the environmental consulting field.

Nancy Noel Marra is the former Education Coordinator for the Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) at the University of Montana. Nancy has been involved in the field of education for over 25 years in many different capacities: classroom teacher, environmental education specialist, gifted education specialist, Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement facilitator, differentiated instruction trainer, and student teacher supervisor. She has a master’s degree in Education and was a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching in 1996.

Dr Andrij Holian is the director of the UM Center for Environmental Health Sciences and is the principle investigator of the Environmental Health Science Education for Rural Youth project. Dr Holian received a PhD in Chemistry from Montana State University in 1975. He held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova University before joining the faculty of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1984. During his tenure in Houston, he was also director of research for the Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center. In 2000 he arrived at the University of Montana to establish the Center for Environmental Health Sciences within the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. His current immunotoxicology research focuses on developing treatments to prevent lung inflammation and fibrosis resulting from exposure asbestos, silica, and nanoparticles.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Center for Research Resources and the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives of the National Institute of Health (NIH), through grant number [R25RR020432]. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.