Marine science is an interdisciplinary field in which a range of expertise often work together on a single project to answer questions from multiple angles. However, in secondary schools, disciplines are siloed and application to local context is often difficult. This paper presents a case study where Year 10 and 11 students participated in a 3-day programme to investigate ocean currents. Following the scientific method, students asked questions and formed hypotheses about the currents along their local coastline. Using common household items, students constructed drifting devices out of buckets that would follow ocean currents to test their hypothesis. Through testing their design in the school pool and deployment of these bucket drifters in Otago Harbour, students gained practical experience with the principals of ocean physics. The impact of this experience was measured through post programme surveys in which the students identified the benefits to both their learning at school and their personal development. Students reported improvement in their problem solving, scientific, and practical skills. Key aspects of the programme that the students valued included working in teams, working alongside experts and field-based study. Guidance for building simple scientific equipment, as described in this paper, supports teachers to investigate aspects of their local environment and further extend students in their learning.
Carson et al. (Mon,) studied this question.