A shortage of professional mariners to work onboard commercial vessels exists in the United States and in the world commercial fleets. State maritime academies graduate third mates and third assistant engineers ready to take up these positions, yet even after their training, not all choose to do so. The purpose of this study was to understand how…

American lobster, "Homarus americanus," H Milne Edwards 1837, are an ecologically, economically, and culturally valuable marine resource for the coastal communities in the Gulf of Maine (GoM). The American lobster fishery is the most valuable commercial fishery in the United States, supporting thousands of jobs and generating hundreds of…

There is growing interest to develop programs and pedagogies focused on increasing representation of underrepresented minority (URM) students within the scientific community. URM students face many pedagogical, societal, and institutional barriers that lead to disproportionately lower levels of entering and higher levels of attrition from Science,…

This applied dissertation was conducted to provide the graduate program in marine sciences a valid predictor for success in the admissions scoring systems that include the general Graduate Record Exam. The dependent variable was persistence: successfully graduating from the marine sciences master's programs. This dissertation evaluated other…

Although careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have expanded in the United States, science literacy skills for K-12 students have declined from 2001 to 2011. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of science enrichment programs on the science literacy skills of K-12 students, particularly in marine science. The…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine fishery degree programs at colleges and universities associated with the Sea Grant program in the Pacific region of the United States and to describe how each addresses protecting, rebuilding, and maintaining healthy oceans. Methodology: The study was a qualitative institutional case study that…

This single subject case study followed a high school student and his use of a simulation of marine ecosystems. The study examined his metaworld, motivation, and learning before, during and after using the simulation. A briefing was conceptualized based on the literature on pre-instructional activities, advance organizers, and performance…

Urban high-school students' low average level of academic achievement is a national problem. A lack of academic progress is a factor that contributes to students failing to graduate. In response to these urban high school student problems, a growing number of urban charter high schools have opened as an alternative to the traditional public high…

The present study investigated the extent to which providing students with individualized performance feedback informed and directed their learning behavior. Individualized performance feedback was delivered to students using curriculum-based measurement progress indicators, either as a visual representation of ongoing performance in the form of a…

Marine education aims to educate a citizenry capable of making astute decisions about the impact of human activities, and encourage ecologically sensitive practices. Coral reefs are critically important, and are in serious decline. This research explores high school students' reef experiences with respect to specific learning outcomes. Queensland…