26-2 A Mixed-Methods Study of Natural Hazard Interest in Introductory Geoscience Students

Session: Current Advances in Geoscience Education Research (Posters)

Presenting Author:

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Abstract:

The decision to pursue a geoscience career is partially influenced by an individual’s interest in the subject. Our mixed methods study explores introductory geoscience students’ interest in natural hazards. We chose to explore interest in natural hazards, as topics with personal relevance are likely to be of greater interest to students. We deployed a survey to identify participants with a high interest in geoscience and who had various levels of personal impact regarding natural hazards (high, medium, low/no impact). This allowed us to explore how both natural hazard experience and interest may influence geoscience interest. We also connected with students who had diverse majors and career motivations, which we classified as either personally or globally oriented, to reflect the variety of career motivations of students who take introductory geoscience courses. We interviewed six participants and additionally used the Four-Phase Model of Interest Development to place our participants into a phase of interest and to organize the emergent themes that influence said interest. Our findings suggest that interest in natural hazards is driven by 10 themes: Experience Influences Interest, Knowledge for Resiliency, Interest in the Extreme, Relevance to Self, Course Influence, Safety, Perceptions Influenced by Others, Experience Leads to Neutrality, Media Influence, and Career Interest. Overall, these results suggest that experience and personal relevance are motivating factors in a student’s natural hazard interest. Interest is also influenced by others including family, media, and instructors. We additionally found that introductory students have an interest in the safety and resiliency of themselves, their communities, and on a global scale. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing students’ interests, which can promote students’ success and ability to achieve careers that both interest and fulfil them. They also have implications for recruiting students into geoscience programs. Adjusting curriculum and recruitment strategies to emphasize the role that geoscientists have in exploring social-environmental interactions, which our participants indicated interest in, may attract more students to the field.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

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