Session T1A 978-1-4244-1970-8/08/$25.00 ©2008 IEEE October 22 – 25, 2008, Saratoga Springs, NY 38 th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference T1A-1 Energy Literacy among Middle and High School Youth Jan DeWaters, Susan Powers Clarkson University, dewaters@clarkson.edu , sep@clarkson.edu Abstract - An energy literacy survey for middle and high school students has been developed according to established psychometric principles and methodologies. The survey measures energy-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors and is correlated to established benchmarks that define energy literacy as determined by a panel of energy- and energy-education specialists. Results from a pilot of the survey among 955 New York State students indicate low levels of energy-related knowledge, with fewer than 1% of the students scoring above 80%. Attitude and behavior scores are slightly better, suggesting that while students may recognize the existence of an energy problem, they generally lack the knowledge and capabilities to effectively contribute toward a solution. Results support the need for development and implementation of energy education programs as part of the regular school curriculum. Index Terms – Energy, Energy literacy, Education. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Energy is the “underlying currency that governs everything humans do with each other and with the natural environment that supports them.”[1]. Our reliance on energy-rich sources of fossil fuels has created the underpinnings of modern society, enabling mobility, industrial growth, domestic comfort, unprecedented lavish food supply, and economic prosperity. Inarguably, energy is one of the most important issues of the 21 st century. As we move into a future with limited fossil fuel resources and worsening environmental conditions, our society is faced with defining new directions with respect to energy consumption, resources, and independence. An informed, energy-literate public is more likely to be engaged in the decision making process, and will be better equipped to make thoughtful, responsible energy-related decisions, choices, and actions. Unfortunately, a number of studies have shown that Americans are generally ill-prepared to actively contribute to solving our energy problems, largely because they lack energy-related knowledge and awareness (e.g., [2-4]). For example, the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF) found in a 2001 survey among young adults over the age of 18 that, while many Americans tended to overestimate their energy knowledge, just 12% could pass a basic energy quiz [3]. More recent findings from an internet-based public opinion survey on climate change and the environment developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) revealed that most of the 1200 respondents had not heard or read about hydrogen cars, wind energy, or nuclear energy. In fact, 17% of those surveyed had not heard of any of the listed items [4]. One avenue for change is through effective energy education programs. The children sitting in our classrooms today are the voters and consumers of tomorrow, and effective energy education will help them understand the relevance and implications of their own actions within their community and the wider world as they become adults. Effective energy education will improve energy literacy by improving students’ broad, citizenship-based understanding of energy that includes content knowledge as well as energy-related attitudes and behaviors. Adequate energy-literacy assessment is needed to ensure that quality education programs are available. Except for a few general studies that address energy-related knowledge and attitudes (e.g., [2, 5]), assessment directed toward middle and high school students has most commonly been in the form of a written test or survey following student participation in an energy curriculum or unit. This type of assessment is typically limited to conceptual knowledge, somewhat narrowly focused on specific curricular objectives (e.g., [6]). Thus, the assessment results do not necessarily reflect energy literacy levels but, rather, student achievement with respect to pre-determined, specific energy-related content, which may or may not be representative of a holistic approach to energy literacy. Alternatively, energy surveys have been administered to more broadly assess energy-related knowledge, attitudes, and/or behavior among consumers [3, 4], yet while many of these are more general in scope, many are designed for verbal or telephone administration, many of the questions are inappropriate for school-aged students, and most are too lengthy and mature for practical classroom application. There is a need for effective assessment tools that will help measure energy literacy in terms of valid conceptual benchmarks that comprehensively define energy literacy with respect to students’ content knowledge as well as energy-related attitudes and behavior. A broad, efficient measure of energy literacy for middle and high school students may prove useful for determining baseline energy literacy levels among groups of students, as well as to assess the effectiveness of energy education programs for improving energy literacy. Such assessment would provide