Collective intelligence for advancing ocean literacy

Abstract

Ocean literacy is an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean. A lack of ocean literacy presents a significant obstacle for citizens to engage in environmentally sustainable behaviour, and thus is acknowledged as a ‘complex problem’ that requires deliberative participation and joint-action by stakeholders across domains. The aim of the article is both to demonstrate the value of Collective Intelligence (CI) as a methodological tool to advance and enhance the promotion of environmental literacy, and to share outcomes from using the CI approach. The participatory context behind CI illustrates that working ‘with’ a range of stakeholders across marine education, outreach, regulation and policy, to debate how to better promote ocean literacy among young people, improves ocean literacy and broadens society’s awareness of sustainable marine environments. Findings reveal a hierarchical barrier structure localised to each country, a valuable order of echelon toward environmental change.

Keywords:

• Ocean literacy
• marine education
• collective intelligence
• argumentation
• participatory research

Notes

Acknowledgements

This publication reflects the views of the authors, and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which might be made of the information contained therein.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors

Notes

1 Ocean literacy is defined as understanding the importance of the ocean to humankind; being able to communicate about the ocean in a meaningful way; and being able to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources (Cava et al. 2005; Mogias et al. 2015).

2 The number in square brackets indicates the barrier number inputted into the ISM software, in this case it ranges from 1 to 128, in line with the barriers identified in online Phase 1.

Additional information

Funding

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (H2020-BG-2014-1) under grant agreement No. 652644.

Notes on contributors

Veronica McCauley

Veronica McCauley is a Lecturer in Science Education. Within the sphere of science education, she has carried out research on interactive learning environments, assessment techniques, technology in teaching and learning, mobile technology in the classroom, science hooks, peer instruction, STEM outreach, STEM innovation (social and behavioural change at individual, educational and policy level), mentoring, self-directed learning, and initial teacher education at the University of Limerick (Ireland), Harvard University (Cambridge, USA) and the National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland), where she currently resides.

Patricia McHugh

Patricia McHugh is a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Whitaker Institute at NUI Galway, Ireland. Patricia’s passion for achieving change and societal impact has led her to spend the last 10 years designing and implementing a Co-Creation Toolkit and an Impact Assessment Framework for Environmental Behaviour Change and Engagement. Patricia’s roles on European Funded Projects SOPHIE, Sea Change and Sea for Society involve designing and implementing Social Innovation Participation Processes (SiPP) for Change. Patricia has published her work in the Journal of Social Marketing, Social Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Marketing Management, Social Indicators Research, and Marine Policy.

Kevin Davison

Kevin Davison is a Sociologist of Education, formerly a Senior Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University, in Melbourne Australia, and is now with the School of Education at the National University of Ireland, Galway. In addition to researching innovative approaches to science engagement, he also teaches and publishes in the area of gender and education and qualitative research methods. He is the author of multiple peer-reviewed publications, and the author of two books: Negotiating Masculinities and Bodies in Schools: The Implications of Gender theory for the Education of Boys (2007), and Masculinities and Schooling: International Practices and Perspectives (2007).

Christine Domegan

Christine Domegan is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the National University of Ireland, Galway; Visiting Professor, Florida Prevention Research Center; and Fellow and Associate of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Social Marketing and Social Change at the University of South Florida; Adjunct Professor, Griffith University and Honorary Associate Professor, Institute of Social Marketing (ISM), Scotland. Christine is the European editor for the Journal of Social Marketing and co-author of Social Marketing: Rebels with a Cause, 2018, which draws upon her work as lead social innovation methodologist on a number of European Union (EU)-funded projects, including Sea for Society and Sea Change.