MEDIATING EQUITY IN SHARED WATER BETWEEN COMMUNITY AND INDUSTRY: THE EFFECTS OF AN AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM THAT ADDRESSES ADOLESCENTS' KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PERCEPTIONS OF WATER SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

• Main Author: Patton, Mary Chandler
• Other Authors: Molly Weinburgh
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: Texas Christian University 2011
• Subjects: School of Education
• Online Access: http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-05042011-111216/

This critical ethnography deconstructs how one participant researcher came to understand young adults' changing knowledge about water science and environmental issues in an after school program in Colombia. The program intended to empower self-identified young community leaders by teaching participants to engage community members in discourse related to how environmental factors impact one's level of health and quality of life. The data presented in this study illustrate how student participants responded to long-term teacher engagement and to particular curricular components that included hands-on science teaching and social justice coaching. I assessed how student interest in and knowledge of local water ecology and sanitation infrastructure changed throughout the program. Students' responses to the use of technology and digital media were also included in the analysis. The data demonstrates a dramatic change in student's attitudes and perceptions related to their environment and how they feel about their ability to make positive changes in their community.