The ocean is almost absent from Swedish school science curricula
The ocean plays a crucial role in the climate, biodiversity, and life on Earth. Despite this, it is barely mentioned at all in Swedish school science curricula. This is shown by a new study from the University of Gothenburg.
In the study, researchers analyzed 182 learning objectives in the Swedish curriculum for science subjects and geography in primary and secondary school. The aim was to investigate the extent to which the learning goals relates to the concept of ocean literacy. The results show that the ocean is almost entirely absent from the curriculum. Only 13 of the analyzed learning objectives contain words related to aquatic environments, and only two mention the ocean directly.
“It was surprising to see how little the ocean actually appears in the curricula. Even though the ocean covers 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, only 7 percent of the school’s learning objectives mention water,” says Géraldine Fauville, a researcher in educational science at the University of Gothenburg.
Ocean knowledge is central to science education
At the same time, the analysis shows that knowledge about the ocean is actually relevant to a large part of the curriculum. In over three-quarters of the learning objectives, examples from the ocean could be important for understanding scientific processes, such as climate, ecosystems, and the evolution of life.
Despite this, the ocean is not mentioned at all in the upper secondary school curricula for science and geography.
“To understand how our planet works, students need to understand the ocean. Without that knowledge, students risk getting an incomplete picture of the Earth as a system,” says Géraldine Fauville.
A blind spot about the ocean in science education
The researchers argue that the absence of ocean-related examples can create a blind spot regarding the ocean in students’ understanding of science. For example, the ocean is crucial to global carbon and energy cycles, climate regulation, and the planet’s biological productivity. If instruction focuses primarily on land-based examples, these connections risk becoming unclear.
The study also presents a method for systematically analyzing how ocean-related knowledge appears in education systems. The researchers hope that the method can be used internationally to compare curricula and help strengthen ocean education.
“We hope the study can contribute to the discussion on how the ocean can be better integrated into education, both in Sweden and internationally. We have already begun collaborating with researchers in France,” says Géraldine Fauville.
About the study
The study Ocean Literacy in Science Curriculum: A Quantitative Content Analysis in Sweden has been published as a chapter in the book Ocean Literacy: The Foundation for the Success of the Ocean Decade, Volume I.
The authors are Géraldine Fauville, Department of Education, Communication, and Learning, University of Gothenburg, Craig Strang, Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley; Jens Bjelvenmark, biology and chemistry teacher at Gullmarsgymnasiet; Anne Solli, Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg; and Ewa Skantz, Department of Education, Communication, and Learning, University of Gothenburg.
Text: Karl-Johan Nylén
Ocean literacy is about understanding the ocean’s importance to life on Earth and how human activities affect the ocean. The concept describes the knowledge needed to make informed decisions about the future of the ocean. Ocean literacy is a priority area for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030.
