Entomologists in the K-12 Classroom: A Scoping Review
Engaging the public is a common practice in science disciplines and is deeply rooted in the discipline of entomology. These efforts to engage specific target groups within the general public are well studied, especially extension efforts to engage farmers and agricultural stakeholders, but this is n...
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MDPI AG
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/10/742 |
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| author | Christopher B. Brown Peter J. T. White |
| author_facet | Christopher B. Brown Peter J. T. White |
| author_sort | Christopher B. Brown |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Engaging the public is a common practice in science disciplines and is deeply rooted in the discipline of entomology. These efforts to engage specific target groups within the general public are well studied, especially extension efforts to engage farmers and agricultural stakeholders, but this is not the case for K-12 educational spaces. Here, we conducted a scoping review to (1) determine the characteristics of entomology outreach efforts engaging K-12 populations and (2) identify opportunities for improvement based on the synthesis of those characteristics. We systematically searched five databases to identify 42 publications relevant to the parameters of this project. Analysis of characteristics indicated that entomology outreach efforts in K-12 classrooms tend to be reflective, are more often published in educationally focused journals, and rarely evaluate the interventions employed. Opportunities for improvement were identified from these trends, and from them we suggest that the practice of K-12 outreach benefits from (i) publishing in entomology-focused journals, (ii) including non-academic authors, (iii) evaluating interventions, (iv) including student data, and (v) considering axes of diversity and inclusion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7e9ae90394ca46609da7c55a46714913 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-7e9ae90394ca46609da7c55a467149132025-08-20T02:11:13ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502024-09-01151074210.3390/insects15100742Entomologists in the K-12 Classroom: A Scoping ReviewChristopher B. Brown0Peter J. T. White1Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USADepartment of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USAEngaging the public is a common practice in science disciplines and is deeply rooted in the discipline of entomology. These efforts to engage specific target groups within the general public are well studied, especially extension efforts to engage farmers and agricultural stakeholders, but this is not the case for K-12 educational spaces. Here, we conducted a scoping review to (1) determine the characteristics of entomology outreach efforts engaging K-12 populations and (2) identify opportunities for improvement based on the synthesis of those characteristics. We systematically searched five databases to identify 42 publications relevant to the parameters of this project. Analysis of characteristics indicated that entomology outreach efforts in K-12 classrooms tend to be reflective, are more often published in educationally focused journals, and rarely evaluate the interventions employed. Opportunities for improvement were identified from these trends, and from them we suggest that the practice of K-12 outreach benefits from (i) publishing in entomology-focused journals, (ii) including non-academic authors, (iii) evaluating interventions, (iv) including student data, and (v) considering axes of diversity and inclusion.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/10/742entomology educationSTEM educationK-12outreach |
| spellingShingle | Christopher B. Brown Peter J. T. White Entomologists in the K-12 Classroom: A Scoping Review Insects entomology education STEM education K-12 outreach |
| title | Entomologists in the K-12 Classroom: A Scoping Review |
| title_full | Entomologists in the K-12 Classroom: A Scoping Review |
| title_fullStr | Entomologists in the K-12 Classroom: A Scoping Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Entomologists in the K-12 Classroom: A Scoping Review |
| title_short | Entomologists in the K-12 Classroom: A Scoping Review |
| title_sort | entomologists in the k 12 classroom a scoping review |
| topic | entomology education STEM education K-12 outreach |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/10/742 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christopherbbrown entomologistsinthek12classroomascopingreview AT peterjtwhite entomologistsinthek12classroomascopingreview |