Promoting STEM Interest and Connections to Nature Through a Soundscape Ecology Camp for Students With Visual Impairments

Graphical Abstract

The Center for Global Soundscapes developed a five-day camp program for students with visual impairments that follows an inquiry-based learning approach to explore concepts fundamental to soundscape ecology.

Abstract

Education research since the 1980s has documented a lack of broad participation across all STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and a decline in STEM interest, especially among differently abled youth who have been historically marginalized and excluded from these fields (Falk et al. 2016; Fraser and Maguvhe 2008). Despite landmark legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which was designed to support students with disabilities and promote their access to quality education through classroom accommodation, these students are still significantly underrepresented in higher education (Moon et al. 2012). According to Moon et al. (2012), individuals with disabilities account for 13.7% of the school-age population, but only represent 9%–10% of students pursuing undergraduate STEM degrees and only 5% of students pursuing graduate STEM degrees (pp. 10–11). The high reliance of nearly all STEM fields on visual communication inhibits accessibility for youth with visual impairments (Moon et al. 2012). For example, the use of visuals such as graphs and diagrams often plays an important role in cognitive development and engagement of students, which may exclude students with visual impairments and make them feel inadequate and uncomfortable in such situations (Erwin et al. 2001; Jones et al. 2006; Moon et al. 2012). Therefore, accommodating all STEM students according to their abilities (e.g., using a multisensory approach including tactile models and audio cues for youth with visual impairments) is potentially a powerful way to reframe the concept of disability and engage a broader audience to promote equitable access to all knowledge sources.

Keywords:

• Informal Education

Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning program (NSF AISL #1323615). We thank Perkins School for the Blind for supporting this study by allowing and assisting with camp implementation and data collection. Specifically, we would like to thank Jeff Migliozzi, Kate Fraser, Betsey Sennott, and Betsy Bixler for their help in conducting the soundscape camp as well as their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript.

Author Contributions

Maryam Ghadiri ([email protected]) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Community and Citizen Science at University of California, Davis, in Davis, California.

Dante Francomano ([email protected]) is a PhD graduate research assistant at the Center for Global Soundscapes and the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Kristen Bellisario ([email protected]) is a PhD graduate research assistant at the Center for Global Soundscapes and the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Bryan Pijanowski ([email protected]) is director of the Center for Global Soundscapes and professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maryam Ghadiri

Maryam Ghadiri ([email protected]) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Community and Citizen Science at University of California, Davis, in Davis, California.

Dante Francomano

Dante Francomano ([email protected]) is a PhD graduate research assistant at the Center for Global Soundscapes and the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Kristen Bellisario

Kristen Bellisario ([email protected]) is a PhD graduate research assistant at the Center for Global Soundscapes and the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Bryan Pijanowski

Bryan Pijanowski ([email protected]) is director of the Center for Global Soundscapes and professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.