OPTIMIZING EARTHCACHE SITE SELECTION TO ENGAGE STUDENTS AND THE PUBLIC

Whether your focus is geoscience education, communication, or outreach, the choice of EarthCache site is critical to the type and level of participant engagement. In an informal environment, EarthCaching participants choose when, where, how, how long, and if they will engage; and the characteristics of the EarthCache can significantly impact this engagement. Bringing EarthCaching into a formal educational setting allows for more control over students’ activity, but the EarthCache site itself still plays a large role in how students engage in the experience.

We conducted a mixed-methods study that examined, in part, aspects of EarthCaching and EarthCaches that participants found most valuable and most preferable. Data included semi-structured interviews of thirteen highly experienced EarthCachers, open-ended questions from an online survey of over 400 EarthCachers, and 42 follow-up interviews of the survey respondents. Using qualitative thematic analysis, we examined participants’ perceptions about EarthCaching including characteristics of the best EarthCaches, features of EarthCaches that are most valued, EarthCaching experiences that were most memorable, and aspects that limit or prevent participation.

Most EarthCachers stated that the best EarthCaches showed them a rare or unusual Earth feature and/or asked them to think about their local area in a new way. Likewise, the majority of participants felt that seeing a new or unusual feature was an aspect of their most memorable EarthCaching experience. Participants also indicated that desirable sites expose EarthCachers to earth science concepts that are new to them. One of the most valued characteristics of an EarthCache was its ability to provide a learning experience that was not too complicated to achieve. Many EarthCachers cited the importance of the right question level: neither too low nor too high. EarthCache features that limited or prevented participation included weather, vague questions, a complex logging process, physical limitations, and travel distance, while social aspects of EarthCaching were frequently associated with a positive experience. The study findings indicate that optimal EarthCaches cultivate curiosity, facilitate exploration and discovery, and trigger positive emotions such as interest and awe.