Shifts in student attitudes towards science while monitoring marina water quality in Friday Harbor, Washington

Abstract

The Friday Harbor Marina water quality project incorporates 5th grade educational outreach and the scientific testing of how anthropogenic development can increase concentrations of fecal pollution in the Friday Harbor Marina. Learning how outreach efforts are changing 5th graders’ attitudes towards science may help revise future outreach projects. Additionally, understanding how development in Friday Harbor is influencing the health of the marina can target pollution management to highly-impacted areas. An attitudinal before and after survey was administered to test if students’ scientific interests changed while testing six sites within the marina for fecal coliform contamination. Predictions concerning the increase in student attitudes were unfounded because before and after survey results were not statistically different. Fecal coliform levels were highest near sites of non-point and point source pollution, which corresponds with predictions about the degradation of water quality from development.