Soil Science Education Practices Used in Canadian Postsecondary, K-12, and Informal Settings

摘要

This study explored practices that Canadian soil scientists use to educate postsecondary students, K-12 students, and the general public. The most commonly used type of educational activities described by survey respondents, regardless of the settingsand the type of target audience, were field-based hands-on activities. The other two commonly used educational activities were lectures and laboratory activities; and they were predominandy implemented at the postsecondary institutions. Educational activities in K-12, outreach, and professional development settings were generally delivered through one-time events (e.g., workshops, school visits, field days), offering less opportunities for a greater variety of practices relative to the postsecondary settings. At postsecondary institutions, where soil science education is delivered in a more structured manner, there are more opportunities for educators to implement a range of educational practices (e.g., lectures, laboratory activities, games, case studies, quizzes). The learning objectives of the field-based hands-on activities and lectures were to describe specific soil properties or to describe and classify soils, whereas for laboratory activities, the learning objectives focused more on the application of those concepts. The insights offered by this study on educational practices used by Canadian soil scientists to encourage more students to study soil science and raise awareness about the importance of soil are valuable teaching resources for both new and seasoned educators within Canada and abroad.