The Energy Literacy
Assessment Project
Jan DeWaters
Susan Powers, PhD
Center for the Environment
Clarkson University
Potsdam, NY
Major funding by the National Science Foundation
Distinguished Teaching Scholars Program
“The greatest potential resource for meeting
our national energy crisis is energy
literacy. Why? Because in our democracy,
government and industry can only act
responsibly on our behalf when informed citizens
empower government (with political will) and
industry (with consumer demand) to develop
truly significant policies and energy solutions in
support of a secure energy future.”
Energy Literacy Advocates, www.energyliteracy.org
“If we are to make a big change in the way
energy is produced and consumed we need
an “Energy Literacy” that gives people a
tangible sense of their energy
consumption, and of what it takes to meet
that.”
Saul Griffith, Makani Power/Squid Labs From O'Reilly Emerging
Cost of Carbon Savings (Euros/tonne CO2)
50
Carbon capture –
retrofit coal power plants
Switch – coal to
gas power plants
Solar
Forestation
Wind
Carbon capture – new
coal power plants
Cellulosic ethanol
Sugar cane ethanol
Fuel efficient vehicles
Efficient water heating
Efficient lighting
Insulation
improvements
Fuel efficient
commercial vehicles
Energy Literacy can
make a Difference
0
-50
-100
-150
(The Economist June 2, 2007)
Energy Literacy
Empowers students to make thoughtful energy-related decisions,
choices, and actions in their approach to everyday life
Cognitive: Sound
knowledge base
about energy
concepts and issues
Affective:
Appropriate attitudes
about energy
production and use
Behavioral: Appropriate intentions/actions regarding
energy consumption
Project Background
NSF-funded GK-12 program, grown over 10 years to include 11
school districts in rural Northern NY
Students teach project-based
curricula based on
environmental themes
Two energy units:
Alternative Transportation
Systems (HS)
Energy Systems and Solutions
(MS)
Project-based curricula enhances student learning
Engages students in the classroom
Shows how science is relevant to everyday life
Energy Literacy Assessment Project
Overall Research Goal:
Investigate methods for improving energy
literacy through the educational system
Energy Literacy Assessment Project
Specific objectives:
Develop valid and reliable measures of energy
literacy
Use these measures to
assess status of energy literacy
identify educational needs
understand relationship between gains in energy
literacy and different types of educational
experiences
Energy Literacy Survey
Survey Development Methodology
establish objectives – define
Energy Literacy benchmarks
identify survey items/review by
Validity Panel of Experts
two rounds of pilot testing –
item analysis and overall survey
Written quantitative survey
Appropriate for MS/HS classroom
Multiple choice knowledge (38 items HS;
30 items MS); Likert scale attitude (13 items), self efficacy (4 items),
behaviors/intentions (10 items)
Questions not intentionally related to course content
Validity, reliability
Cronbach’s α 0.75 - 0.83
Validity established through development procedures; administered
to “known group” who scored significantly higher
Attribute
(definition)
Characteristic
(descriptive)
basic energy concepts
cognitive:
knowledge
energy sources and resources
Benchmark
(measurable)
Identify units of
energy and power
env/societal impacts
affective:
attitude
behavior
Sample question:
Electric meters measure the AMOUNT of
ELECTRICAL ENERGY we use in units called…
A. Kilowatts (kW)
B. Kilowatt-hours (kW-h)
C. British Thermal Units (BTU)
D. Volts (V)
E. Horsepower (HP)
Attribute
(definition)
Characteristic
(descriptive)
Benchmark
(measurable)
Sample questions:
(A = Strongly Agree … E = Strongly Disagree)
cognitive:
knowledge •
•
affective:
attitude
behavior
Americans should conserve more energy.
America should develop more ways of using renewable
energy, even if it means that energy will cost more.
efficacy beliefs
Positive energy-related attitudes
Prevent/remediate
environ. contamination
Economic responsibility
for using renewable
resources
Potential for adapting
lifestyles to alleviate
energy problems
Attribute
(definition)
Characteristic
(descriptive)
Benchmark
(measurable)
cognitive:
knowledge
Sample questions:
(A = Always … E = Never)
affective:
attitude
•
When I leave a room, I turn off the lights.
•
I am willing to buy fewer things in order to save
energy.
intends to conserve
behavior
thoughtful decisions
advocates change
Energy consumption
behavior patterns
Pilot Survey Results:
A Glimpse at Energy Literacy
knowledge
100
attitude
90
behaviors
77%
80
Average Score
71%
70
66%
65%
60
48%
50
40
41%
30
20
10
0
Middle School (n=1365)
High School (n=292)
20% of students (overall) strongly agreed or agreed that
they “know a lot about energy”
Knowledge Scores: Frequency Distribution
Response Frequency, %
30
25
75th percentile scores:
20
Middle School
15
High School
MS = 54
HS = 62.5
10
5
Students scoring over
80:
0
1-10
11-20 21-20 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100
MS = 1%
HS = 3%
Scores generally low; very few students show high degree
of broad energy knowledge
Scores high in a few specific areas:
Realize light bulbs convert electric energy into
light and heat
Define renewable energy, identify renewable
energy resources
HS
MS
77% 69%
76% 55%
Knowledge lacking in may other areas:
HS
MS
Electricity usage is measured in kilowatthours (misconception: 40% said “volts”)
32% 13%
The major energy consumer in average
American household is space heating/cooling
(misconception: 29% said “lighting”)
36% 22%
Realize we cannot build a machine that
produces more energy than it consumes
48% 37%
Attitudes
% agree/strongly agree
HS
MS
There is [no] energy problem in the region
where I live (reversed scoring)
53% 53%
Americans should conserve more energy
85% 76%
Attitudes
% agree/strongly agree
HS
MS
There is [no] energy problem in the region
where I live (reversed scoring)
53% 53%
Americans should conserve more energy
85% 76%
83% 67%
We should make more of our electricity from
renewable resources
America should develop more ways of using
renewable energy, even if it means that
energy will cost more
64% 43%
Attitudes
% agree/strongly agree
HS
MS
There is [no] energy problem in the region
where I live (reversed scoring)
53% 53%
Americans should conserve more energy
85% 76%
83% 67%
We should make more of our electricity from
renewable resources
America should develop more ways of using
renewable energy, even if it means that
energy will cost more
64% 43%
Energy education should be an important
part of every school’s curriculum
70% 61%
The way I personally use energy [does not
58% 45%
really make] a difference to the energy
problems that face our nation (reversed scoring)
Behaviors/Intentions
% frequently/always
HS
I try to save water
When I leave a room, I turn off the lights
I turn off the computer when it is not being
used
MS
54% 54%
72% 61%
33% 38%
Behaviors/Intentions
% frequently/always
HS
I try to save water
When I leave a room, I turn off the lights
I turn off the computer when it is not being
used
MS
54% 54%
72% 61%
33% 38%
My family buys compact fluorescent light
bulbs
57% 45%
I am willing to encourage my family to buy
compact fluorescent light bulbs
67% 53%
Behaviors/Intentions
% frequently/always
HS
I try to save water
When I leave a room, I turn off the lights
I turn off the computer when it is not being
used
MS
54% 54%
72% 61%
33% 38%
My family buys compact fluorescent light
bulbs
57% 45%
I am willing to encourage my family to buy
compact fluorescent light bulbs
67% 53%
Many of my everyday decisions are affected
by my thoughts on energy use
16% 24%
Overall Conclusions
Written survey provides an efficient, broad
measure of energy related knowledge, attitudes,
and behaviors/intentions – valuable tool
Pilot results indicate that students are
sympathetic to the energy problems we face,
desire to change, but may lack the knowledge or
capabilities to do so
Better education needed to improve broad
understanding of basic energy concepts and
issues related to everyday life
Current Research
Benchmark Study:
Final Energy Literacy Survey
Completed by approximately 3700 MS/HS students, in 75 NYS
classrooms
Preliminary results indicate scoring trends similar to pilot
Educational Research Study:
Focus on 700 middle school students
Measure gains in energy literacy
pre/post Energy Literacy Survey (quantitative)
post-questionnaire (quantitative/qualitative)
Correlate with teacher’s approach (depth/breadth of coverage)
to energy education, and overall teaching strategies
(rigor/relevance)
Implications for Energy Education
Benchmark survey: identify topics and
areas that need to be better addressed by
curriculum
Educational study: identify
types of educational
experiences that may be
more beneficial for
improving students’ energy
literacy (teaching styles as
well as depth and breadth
of energy topics covered)
For more information …
www.clarkson.edu/k12
Clarkson’s educational outreach programs
Project-based energy curricula
www.clarkson.edu/cses/research/education.html
Energy Literacy Assessment Project background,
publications, surveys
Jan DeWaters: [email protected]
315-268-2001
Susan Powers: [email protected]