COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF EARTH’S NATURAL RESOURCES: IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPROVED INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES FOR ENRICHED GEOLITERACY

Humans benefit from a multitude of Earth’s natural resources. Using Gallagher and Say’s (2012) results, we probed college students’ understanding of the top eight key terrestrial resource categories, and their economic importance as determined via direct and remote sensing, and data-driven rankings. We randomly ordered the eight major natural resource categories, and asked college students in introductory geology courses (N=6) to rank the list in order of economic importance. Students (N=232) also justified their top (most important) and bottom (least important) selections, and predicted the next natural resource category in terms of economic importance.

Using a mixed methodological approach, we compared students’ responses with those of the experts. Our analyses documented that non-science majors recognized the economic importance of water, and correctly ranked fossil fuels as a category of significance. However, non-science majors placed greater emphasis on food crops and animals than scientific experts. Students had difficulties recognizing the breadth of resources contained within a category; this applied directly to fossil fuel categories and timber. Students also had difficulty recognizing the applications of Earth’s resources in order to effectively judge and rank their economic importance.

Our research facilitated the identification of four concise geoscience education improvement recommendations: 1) Educators must make explicit to students the links between the differences among human necessities, natural resources, and the world economy to effectively address sustainability; 2) Investigative assignments can focus attention on the components of our favorite devices, as well as the implications for Earth sustainability; 3) Increased attention to the breadth of resource categories can result in greater geoliteracy; and 4) Integrated geology-biology instruction can increase student awareness on the interdependency of animals—including humans—and the planet.