Ocean literacy (OL) has been widely recognised as a valuable tool for raising awareness of marine environmental challenges, with many different initiatives incorporating it within their agendas. Developing teaching interventions grounded in OL can support students, as future citizens, in making informed and responsible decisions for the protection and conservation of the marine environment, as well as the sustainable management of its resources. In this context, a non-formal, site-oriented teaching intervention was implemented within the framework of the European-funded project BlueLightS, aiming to engage students in the conservation of Elounda bay, a coastal marine area in Crete. A literature review was conducted to identify the ecological features and pressures of the study area, followed by OL activities in HCMR laboratories and in the field. Students’ OL levels from primary and secondary education were evaluated and compared before and after the intervention through a structured survey, while their proposals for the conservation of the study area were collected through a stakeholders’ simulation game. The findings indicate that students were able to establish logical connections regarding conservation challenges, despite the overall moderate OL levels, and in some cases proposed measures aligned with scientific ones. Such interventions, with appropriate adaptations and long-term implementation, can strengthen OL among youth of coastal communities, enhance engagement, and promote marine citizenship.

Η παρούσα μελέτη στοχεύει στην αποτύπωση στοιχείων του Κλιματικού Γραμματισμού στα σχολικά εγχειρίδια Φυσικών Επιστημών του Γυμνασίου. Πραγματοποιήθηκε θεματική ανάλυση περιεχομένου σε κειμενικό και εικονογραφικό υλικό όλων των τύπων εγχειριδίων (βιβλία μαθητή, τετράδια εργασιών, εργαστηριακούς οδηγούς) με τα αποτελέσματα να εμφανίζουν επιφανειακές και αποσπασματικές πληροφορίες αναφορικά με τις 7 Βασικές Αρχές και τις 39 Θεμελιώδεις Έννοιες του Οδηγού του Κλιματικού Γραμματισμού με πολλές επικαλύψεις. Η αποτύπωση αυτή αναμένεται να αποτελέσει τον οδικό χάρτη για την αναμόρφωση του Προγράμματος Σπουδών των Φυσικών Επιστημών στο Γυμνάσιο και ως εκ τούτου την επικαιροποίηση των αντίστοιχων σχολικών εγχειριδίων με σύγχρονη πληροφορία.

Οι Στόχοι Βιώσιμης Ανάπτυξης της Ατζέντας 2030 επικεντρώνονται, μεταξύ άλλων, στην προώθηση της εκπαίδευσης για όλους με έμφαση στην ισότητα, την προσβασιμότητα και τη δημιουργία βιώσιμων και συμπεριληπτικών σχολικών περιβαλλόντων. Ο σχεδιασμός των σχολικών χώρων διαδραματίζει καθοριστικό ρόλο στην ενσωμάτωση των αρχών της αειφορίας, δημιουργώντας ένα περιβάλλον που ενισχύει τη μάθηση και τη συμμετοχή όλων των μαθητών, συμπεριλαμβανομένων αυτών με αναπηρία ή/και ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες. Η παρούσα έρευνα αποσκοπεί να διερευνήσει τις αρχές και παραμέτρους του αρχιτεκτονικού σχεδιασμού του σχολικού χώρου που επηρεάζουν την εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία και τις ανάγκες της σύγχρονης εκπαιδευτικής πράξης, σύμφωνα με τις αντιλήψεις εν ενεργεία εκπαιδευτικών της Πρωτοβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης. Για τον σκοπό αυτόν αξιοποιήθηκε δείγμα 139 εκπαιδευτικών και χρησιμοποιήθηκε μικτό εργαλείο συλλογής ποσοτικών και ποιοτικών δεδομένων. Τα ευρήματα της έρευνας αποκάλυψαν κάποιους κρίσιμους παράγοντες που αφορούν στον σχεδιασμό μιας σχολικής μονάδας και συμβάλλουν στην ένταξη της ετερότητας· αυτοί αναφέρονται στον καθολικό σχεδιασμό και την προσβασιμότητα, τη σχολική αίθουσα και αυλή, τον συμμετοχικό σχεδιασμό, την ευελιξία του χώρου και τη χρήση της παιδικής κλίμακας. Ως εκ τούτου, αναμένεται η ικανοποίηση αυτών των παραγόντων να αποτελέσει έναν νέο οδικό χάρτη, προκειμένου και τα σχολικά κτίρια να μπορούν να ανταποκριθούν στις προκλήσεις μιας συνεχώς εξελισσόμενης κοινωνίας και στις επίμονες περιβαλλοντικές απειλές που μας πλήττουν υπό το πρίσμα της Εκπαίδευσης για την Αειφορία.

The primary objective of this study is to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of seas by promoting Ocean Literacy. It investigates the impact of an educational program on Greek primary and secondary public school students' knowledge about coastal lagoons and attitudes towards marine environment conservation. An educational resource titled “Exploring the Coastal Lagoons” was developed to facilitate the non-formal educational intervention. The program involved classroom, fieldwork/outdoor and laboratory activities, focusing on enhancing understanding of coastal lagoons' abiotic and biotic characteristics and human interconnection. Results showed improved knowledge and slightly more positive attitudes after the didactic intervention. The study underlines the effectiveness of targeted educational interventions in marine sciences, suggesting that non-formal educational settings influence student outcomes more than family or informal sources. Younger students appeared more adaptable and responsive to educational stimuli. The study advocates for refined educational strategies integrating cognitive and emotional elements, emphasizing real nature experience.

Καθώς ο εκπαιδευτικός καλείται να οργανώσει τη διδασκαλία του με τέτοιον τρόπο ώστε να ανταποκρίνεται στις ανάγκες και τα ατομικά χαρακτηριστικά των μαθητών του, σημαντική θεωρείται η αξιοποίηση της διαφοροποιημένης διδασκαλίας με εφαρμογή σε μαθητές με αναπηρία ή άλλες εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες ή με αναπτυγμένες νοητικές ικανότητες και ταλέντα ή προέρχονται από διαφορετικά πολιτισμικά ή θρησκευτικά περιβάλλοντα. Η ένταξη των αρχών της διαφοροποιημένης διδασκαλίας γίνεται ακόμη σημαντικότερη στον χώρο των Φυσικών Επιστημών και της Εκπαίδευσης για την Αειφορία, καθώς απαιτούνται από όλους τους συμμετέχοντες στη διαδικασία της διδασκαλίας και μάθησης διαφορετικές ατομικές και συλλογικές δεξιότητες για την ικανοποίηση των στόχων που αυτά τα πεδία θέτουν. Η παρούσα έρευνα, που στοχεύει στην καταγραφή των απόψεων δασκάλων για τη διαφοροποιημένη διδασκαλία και στον τρόπο εφαρμογής της στις Φυσικές Επιστήμες και την Εκπαίδευση για την Αειφορία, φανερώνει ιδιαίτερα περιορισμένη γνώση και ως εκ τούτου μειωμένη αξιοποίηση της διαφοροποιημένης διδασκαλίας και στα δύο παραπάνω εκπαιδευτικά πεδία

The catch per unit effort (CPUE), population structure, sex ratio, and reproductive aspects of the invasive blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun were studied in Monolimni Lagoon and the adjacent coastal waters in the estuarine area of the Evros River (Northeast Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean). The CPUE varied both seasonally and spatially; higher values were recorded in summer and fall in the lagoonal stations characterized by shallow depth (<0.5 m) and a dense meadow of the angiosperm Ruppia maritima, whereas significantly lower CPUE was recorded in the adjacent coastal area. The bottom temperature was positively correlated with CPUE. Μodal progression analysis estimated a three-modal size–frequency distribution for both sexes corresponding to the 0+, 1+, and 2+ age classes. Females attained a significantly larger size (carapace width (CW)) than males. Crab size decreased from the marine area to the lagoonal stations. The sex ratio was estimated at 2.45:1 (♂/♀). Males dominated in all months, except for October, when an equal sex ratio was observed. The mean size at maturity (L50) of females was estimated at 124 mm CW. Females with mature ovaries were found from February to October. Ovigerous females were observed from May to October in the coastal area, where a spawning peak occurred in September. In the Evros River estuary, the American blue crab exhibits a life cycle that seems to conform to the general complex life-cycle pattern of the species along the mid-Atlantic coast.

Καθώς τα σημάδια διατάραξης στη σχέση ανθρώπου και θαλάσσιου περιβάλλοντος γίνονται τελευταία ολοένα και εντονότερα, ο ρόλος του εκπαιδευτικού αναδεικνύεται ακόμη περισσότερο στις μέρες μας. Η παρούσα έρευνα, η οποία πραγματοποιήθηκε σε δείγμα 40 νηπιαγωγών και δασκάλων μέσω ημι-δομημένης συνέντευξης, επιχειρεί να αποτυπώσει την αίσθηση της αυτο-αποτελεσματικότητάς τους στη διδασκαλία ζητημάτων Επιστημών της Θάλασσας. Τα αποτελέσματα φανερώνουν αφενός ελλιπή γνωστική και παιδαγωγική επάρκεια και αφετέρου αναδεικνύεται σειρά παραγόντων που πρέπει να τροποποιηθούν ή να καλλιεργηθούν περαιτέρω, τόσο από τη μεριά των ίδιων των εκπαιδευτικών όσο και από τη μεριά της κουλτούρας της σχολικής μονάδας, των μαθητών, των οικογενειών τους και της τοπικής κοινωνίας προς την κατεύθυνση ενός βιώσιμου θαλάσσιου περιβάλλοντος.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of an intervention on primary school students’ construction of knowledge on ocean acidification and the development of their systems thinking. Eighty-five 11 to 12-year-old students from five different classes of two public primary schools in Greece participated in the 8-h intervention. The intervention included inquiry-based and knowledge-integration activities, and students worked in groups during all activities. Rich pictures, made by the groups at the beginning and the end of the intervention, were used to evaluate their progress in their knowledge concerning the carbon cycle, as well as in their systems thinking. Our findings showed that the intervention contributed to primary students’ conceptual knowledge of the carbon cycle and the inclusion of ocean acidification in the carbon cycle. It also helped them improve their systems thinking, indicating that students’ systems thinking at this age could be developed through formal instruction with interventions which emphasize content knowledge and use an earth systems approach. Moreover, our findings indicate that the systems thinking perspective can serve as an effective approach to help children better understand and critically engage with complex environmental issues, such as ocean acidification.

Recreational SCUBA diving is currently a nature-based USD multibillion tourism industry across the globe. However, degradation of many recreational diving destinations all over the world due to "soft" ecotourists necessitates the adoption of innovative management measures. Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) developed an innovative technology for the creation of artificial underwater ecotourism attractions ("oases") to divert visitors away from sensitive marine natural areas of high ecological and aesthetic value. This innovative technology includes specially constructed artificial reefs in an attempt to simulate the functional and morphological characteristics and the aesthetics of the natural rocky reefs. In this study, a pilot survey was conducted in three diving centres of Crete Island, one of the most important tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, involving the participation of 144 SCUBA divers from all over the world. The survey aimed at investigating SCUBA divers' profiles and perceptions concerning recreational diving activities and artificial reefs technology. Findings of this study indicate that large naval shipwrecks combined with innovative man-fabricated constructions simulating natural rocky reefs meet the preferences of the majority of the participants of the survey and they can be used as an alternative tool for relevant marine ecotourism sustainable applications.

The Mediterranean Sea is characterized by rich biodiversity, and its region hosts people living in several countries with a rich variety of cultures, but – at the same time – it is “under siege”, due to anthropogenic pressures. To address these pressures, many actions are needed aiming, among others, at establishing Ocean Literacy (OL) across the Mediterranean countries and preparing the future generation of Mediterranean Sea-literate citizens. Towards this aim, the present cross-national study investigated OL issues in relation to content knowledge, possible common misconceptions, attitudes, and the self-reported behavior of 2,533 middle school students from eight Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, and Turkey), as well as certain background elements (e.g., gender, grade level, environmental education experience, sources of relevant information). The results of this study revealed that middle school students of all studied countries possess a moderate level of ocean sciences content knowledge, while they showed satisfactory pro-environmental attitudes and behavior. These findings along with further research are expected to function as a baseline for the design, implementation, and launch of specifically targeted programs, educational activities, teaching resources, curricula, and school textbooks, which will be achieved through close collaboration between schools, universities, research institutes, and Ministries of Education, thus contributing to the future protection and sustainable development of the Mediterranean Sea region.

The aim of this study was (a) to estimate 24 vocational students’ knowledge on a specific principle of ocean literacy, which concerns the great diversity of marine life, before and after a 6-h teaching intervention, and (b) to examine whether and how the teaching intervention actually helped the students. A structured questionnaire was used, covering all nine fundamental concepts of the Ocean Literacy Principle 5 (OLP5). A teaching intervention concerning concepts of OLP 5 was developed for the age group of the present study, based on the Ocean Literacy Framework. The intervention helped students understand the concepts of OLP 5, which concern marine life while indicating that concepts regarding physicochemical factors and deep-ocean ecosystems should be further supported. Students’ fascination with marine life and their preference for the internet as a source of information should be thoroughly considered in an ocean literacy teaching intervention. The results of this study will help researchers and practitioners in their design and implementation of programmes concerning principles of ocean literacy, which can be integrated into their educational practice.

The Mediterranean Sea is recognized as a key component in the development, economy, and culture of European, North African, and Middle East countries. With respect to heterogeneity across the region in different sectors, Ocean Literacy, though still in its infancy, is nevertheless a requisite for a better understanding of the two-way interaction between the Sea and its people. In the present study, marine issues in relation to the content knowledge of 154 high school students from the Mediterranean region were investigated by using a structured questionnaire based on the recently published Mediterranean Sea Literacy guide. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics to portray frequencies and knowledge scores of the participants, and inferential statistics to assess the effects of grade level on students’ knowledge. The study which focused for the first time on the unique features of the Mediterranean marine ecosystems, found the level of content knowledge of the participants to be low to moderate. It is therefore of the utmost importance for the organizations and networks working on marine issues in the Mediterranean Sea to develop synergies and coordinate research programmes to broaden engagement with human societies in the region.

This study aims to investigate the presence of ocean sciences issues in Greek secondary education (grades 7-12) science textbooks, in respect of the Ocean Literacy Framework. Content analysis was undertaken concerning both textual and pictorial materials of the Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Geography – Geology courses. Results revealed that the textbooks under study contain limited and fragmented information with regard to the seven essential principles of the framework, while a comparison with the Ocean Literacy Scope & Sequence evidences inconsistencies. The suggestions arising from this study could help curriculum designers, textbook authors, marine educators, and marine scientists to cooperate on a wider scale towards the inclusion of ocean literacy topics into national curricula worldwide.

Background Investigations of evolution knowledge and acceptance and their relation are central to evolution education research. Ambiguous results in this field of study demonstrate a variety of measuring issues, for instance differently theorized constructs, or a lack of standardized methods, especially for cross-country comparisons. In particular, meaningful comparisons across European countries, with their varying cultural backgrounds and education systems, are rare, often include only few countries, and lack standardization. To address these deficits, we conducted a standardized European survey, on 9200 first-year university students in 26 European countries utilizing a validated, comprehensive questionnaire, the “Evolution Education Questionnaire”, to assess evolution acceptance and knowledge, as well as influencing factors on evolution acceptance. Results We found that, despite European countries’ different cultural backgrounds and education systems, European first-year university students generally accept evolution. At the same time, they lack substantial knowledge about it, even if they are enrolled in a biology-related study program. Additionally, we developed a multilevel-model that determines religious faith as the main influencing factor in accepting evolution. According to our model, knowledge about evolution and interest in biological topics also increase acceptance of evolution, but to a much lesser extent than religious faith. The effect of age and sex, as well as the country’s affiliation, students’ denomination, and whether or not a student is enrolled in a biology-related university program, is negligible. Conclusions Our findings indicate that, despite all their differences, most of the European education systems for upper secondary education lead to acceptance of evolution at least in university students. It appears that, at least in this sample, the differences in knowledge between countries reflect neither the extent to which school curricula cover evolutionary biology nor the percentage of biology-related students in the country samples. Future studies should investigate the role of different European school curricula, identify particularly problematic or underrepresented evolutionary concepts in biology education, and analyze the role of religious faith when teaching evolution.

Ocean Literacy (OL) is considered to be important for raising awareness of the people concerning conservation, restoration and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources. Addressing environmental issues related to the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea and increasing OL can be the first step to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 (focusing on the ocean) within the UN Agenda 2030 in the Mediterranean region. The adaptation of the Ocean Literacy Framework to the specificities of the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea can introduce knowledge about different natural, geographical and social components of its marine life and society. This can help different stakeholders (e.g. teachers, educators, scientists, policy- and decision-makers, private sector) to better understand the influence that people have on the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea, and the influence that the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea has on them. This chapter gives an insight into the main pressures on the natural environment of the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea, the legal framework for its protection and sustainability, the importance of integrated coastal zone management and marine protected areas in relation to ocean literacy and the role of education in the creation of an ocean-literate society right across the Mediterranean region. The geographical approach contributes significantly to the exploration and understanding of the relationship between the environment and human communities. Formal and non-formal education in different scientific fields, e.g. geography, biology, etc., as well as increased awareness about the interrelation between people and the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea, could lead to increased protection and conservation of marine wildlife, sustainable management of Mediterranean marine resources and therefore sustainable blue development of the region.