Finding 2 - A Deeper Understanding of the Local Issues and Effects
“I didn't realize the huge impact that the oil industry had on the cities and towns near it -- not only economically, but socially. The homelessness, the glut of people applying for positions, and the addiction problems...were all completely new for me.” (student survey response)
I also wanted to gauge student learning in a number of areas - again, not merely focusing on the obvious national/global environmental and economic implications, but expanding to include topics such as the local demographics, social issues, and politics (note: students could rate their understanding on five-point scale with 1 meaning “no knowledge at all” and 5 meaning a “very strong understanding”).
I observed differences in the student's ratings of their general understanding of the oil sands between the pre and post surveys (see Figure 3 above). For example, In the pre-survey, only 19% of the students rated their overall understanding of the oil sands as a 4 or 5 out of 5 whereas in the post-survey, about two thirds (67%) rated their understanding as a 4 or 5. Overall, the average response for the pre-survey was 2.5 and 3.7 for the post-survey.
The students reported differences in their understanding of the economic impact of the oil sands before and after playing Fort McMoney. At the national level, for example, 23% of the students rated their understanding as a 4 or 5 out of 5 in the pre-survey, while 63% rated their understanding as a 4 or 5 in the post-survey.
At the local level, however, the results are more stark (see Figure 5 above). With regards to their understanding of the local economic impact on Fort McMurray, in the pre-survey, only 6% of the students rated their understanding as a 4 or 5 out of 5 whereas in the post-survey, 82% rated their understanding as a 4 or 5. The average for the pre-survey was 1.6, while the average for the post-survey was 4.1.
At the local level, however, the results are more stark (see Figure 5 above). With regards to their understanding of the local economic impact on Fort McMurray, in the pre-survey, only 6% of the students rated their understanding as a 4 or 5 out of 5 whereas in the post-survey, 82% rated their understanding as a 4 or 5. The average for the pre-survey was 1.6, while the average for the post-survey was 4.1.
As with the economic impacts, I observed a more stark difference in the pre- and post-surveys for the students’ understanding of the local environmental impacts compared to the national/global environmental effects on climate change. For example, for the pre-survey question focusing on the oil sands’ effect on global climate change, 8% of the students rated their understanding as a 5, while 11% of the students rated their understanding as a 5 for the post-survey (see Figure 6 above). The average response for the pre-survey was 2.4, while the average was 3.3 for the post-survey.
For the question focusing on the local environmental impacts of the oil sands, however, only 5% of the students rated their understanding as a 5 in pre-survey, while 25% gave themselves the same rating for the post-survey (see Figure 7 above). The average response for the pre-survey was 2.2, while the average was 3.7 for the post-survey.
For the question focusing on the local environmental impacts of the oil sands, however, only 5% of the students rated their understanding as a 5 in pre-survey, while 25% gave themselves the same rating for the post-survey (see Figure 7 above). The average response for the pre-survey was 2.2, while the average was 3.7 for the post-survey.
I observed some of the most interesting differences between the pre- and post-surveys for the questions dealing with the local level social impacts, demographics, and politics. For example, for the comprehension of the local social impacts less than 1% of the students gave themselves a 5 in the pre-survey, while 41% gave themselves a 5 for the post-survey (see Figure 8 above). The pre-survey average was 1.6, while the post-survey average was 4.2.
For the understanding of the demographics of Fort McMurray and the surrounding region only 5% of the students gave themselves a 4 or 5 in the pre-survey, while 71% scored themselves a 4 or 5 for the post-survey (see Figure 9 above). The pre-survey average was 1.4, and the post-survey average was 3.8.
For the understanding of the demographics of Fort McMurray and the surrounding region only 5% of the students gave themselves a 4 or 5 in the pre-survey, while 71% scored themselves a 4 or 5 for the post-survey (see Figure 9 above). The pre-survey average was 1.4, and the post-survey average was 3.8.
Finally, for the local politics of Fort McMurray 9% of the students rated their comprehension as a 4 or 5, while 52% gave themselves a 4 or 5 for the post-survey (see Figure 10 above). The average for the pre-survey was 1.6 and the average for the post-survey average was 3.5.
