Geoscience Education in an Irish Context: A Need for Research
Citation:
Neenan, E. & Roche, J., Geoscience Education in an Irish Context: A Need for Research, Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 4, 2016, 1 - 8Download Item:
Abstract:
Perception and understanding of geoscience in Ireland by non
-geoscientists
ha
ve
no
t been
studied
in depth, and an improvement in understanding how geoscience is perceived and engaged with
will have significant impact on Ireland
’s ability to meet a range of challenges, including hotly d
e-
bated geoscience issues such as fossil fuel dependency, ra
w mineral management, water security,
and shale gas extraction (particularly fracking). Geoscience plays an important role in society, and
the understanding of geoscience of an average Irish person will be based on
formal education (at
primary and secondar
y level) and informal education through public outreach and news media.
Geoscience is expanding in formal education and informal education is increasingly delivered o
n-
line. Geoscience education in Ireland has not been studied in detail, and a better unders
tanding of
the state of geoscience education could improve connections between geoscientists and non
-
geoscientists. This paper discusses the scope of potential research into geoscience education in
Ireland that could and should be undertaken in order to b
est understand and describe the state of
geoscience education, and geoscience in society.
Mixed
-method research should be undertaken to
study geoscience education at multiple levels and targeting multiple publics. This research into
the state of geoscience
education in Ireland would be valuable,
to geoscientists and educators
.
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/rochej9Description:
PUBLISHED
Author: ROCHE, JOSEPH
Type of material:
Journal ArticleCollections:
Series/Report no:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection;4;
Availability:
Full text availableKeywords:
Geoscience Education, Scientific Literacy, Geoscience in Society, Geoscience Outreach, IrelandSubject (TCD):
Smart & Sustainable Planet , Geoscience Education , GeosciencesDOI:
10.4236/gep.2016.46001Licences: