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The Blue School Program: A Model for Holistic Ocean Literacy Education

Author

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  • Raquel Lorenz Costa

    (A UIDEF-Research and Development Unit in Education and Training, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Cláudia Faria

    (A UIDEF-Research and Development Unit in Education and Training, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal)

Abstract

The Blue School Program is an educational initiative to enhance ocean literacy (OL) by fostering understanding and awareness of the ocean’s importance among students, teachers, and local communities. Through a holistic, interdisciplinary, and intercultural approach, it integrates scientific, cultural, and ethical dimensions of ocean education. This perspective paper examines the program’s implementation in Portugal, emphasizing its contribution to crucial educational domains such as sustainability education, scientific literacy, and citizenship education. The findings highlight notable achievements, including increased school and community engagement and the establishment of robust public-private partnerships, while also addressing challenges such as resource constraints and geographic disparities. By situating the Blue School Program within broader educational frameworks and analyzing its limitations and enablers, this paper offers insights and recommendations to support the collaborative development of Blue School networks and OL initiatives in diverse educational contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Raquel Lorenz Costa & Cláudia Faria, 2025. "The Blue School Program: A Model for Holistic Ocean Literacy Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:2:p:661-:d:1568191
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yen-Ling Lin & Liang-Yu Wu & Liang-Ting Tsai & Cheng-Chieh Chang, 2020. "The Beginning of Marine Sustainability: Preliminary Results of Measuring Students’ Marine Knowledge and Ocean Literacy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    2. McKinley, Emma & Fletcher, Stephen, 2012. "Improving marine environmental health through marine citizenship: A call for debate," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 839-843.
    3. Susanne C. Moser, 2010. "Communicating climate change: history, challenges, process and future directions," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 1(1), pages 31-53, January.
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