Stewards of Swan Bay: Curriculum diversity in place-based environmental science education

This paper derives from a marine science curriculum development project, where a partnership between a primary school and a university has been an important vector to empower students to develop understandings and take environmental action focused on an internationally significant wetland. To investigate the students’ attitudes towards environmental issues, a bespoke survey instrument asked them to make judgements about human interactions with environment. In this paper, the science program and survey instrument are described and discussed. Survey responses illustrate a breadth of science knowledge and also how students make connections between school subject areas when making sense of complex socio-scientific issues. The analysis demonstrates the richness of familiar everyday human−environment interactions as objects of concern that complement integrated, place-based science education.