Collaborative Research - Characterization and Training of Spatial Skills in Hydrogeology

Abstract

Overview: Hydrogeology, a sub-discipline of the geosciences, deals with fluid flow through the subsurface and connections to surface water bodies. A typical classroom exercise in hydrogeology is to develop a conceptual model of a contaminated site, identify groundwater flow direction(s), and predict the location and mass of a contaminant plume. This task requires knowledge of key hydrogeological concepts such as aquifers and aquitards, hydraulic head, groundwater flow, characterizing and understanding site specific aquifer and groundwater properties, and contaminant transport. It is also highly visuospatial in nature; the hydrogeologist must mentally synthesize discrete points of data from well logs, stratigraphic columns, aerial maps, geologic cross sections, water level data, and contaminant concentrations to produce a scientifically plausible conceptual model of groundwater flow and contaminant migration in the subsurface. At present, we do not know which discrete spatial thinking skills (for example, mental rotation, disembedding, penetrative thinking, or perspective taking) may play a role in this task, nor do we know how success may hinge on spatial thinking skill versus knowledge of hydrogeology. Leveraging prior research in the domains of structural geology and meteorology, we propose to tackle two related research questions: (1) What spatial thinking skills are essential to successfully completing a site characterization and contaminant plume task in hydrogeology? (2) How do students utilize these skills while completing this task in classroom and field settings? To address the first question, we propose a dominantly quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional expert-novice study. Upper-level undergraduate students, graduate students, and industry and academic experts in hydrogeology will complete a suite of spatial thinking and knowledge tests, plus a site characterization hydrogeology task based on typical classroom exercises. Expert review of the task will yield a suite of spatial thinking skills perceived to be integral to the task, and regression analysis will identify which discrete spatial thinking skills contribute significantly to success at the task. To address the second question, we propose a qualitative investigation of how students complete the hydrogeology task. Research will include classroom and field observations as well as student and instructor interviews to investigate how key spatial thinking skills identified by the first study are used (or not used) to solve the hydrogeology task.

Intellectual Merit: This project directly addresses grand challenges identified by the Geoscience Education Research (GER) community. We propose investigating the primary defining skills and tasks necessary to learning hydrogeology in support of challenges related to temporal and spatial reasoning (Ryker et al., 2018), in particular: What skills and tasks are essential to the different specialties within the geosciences? What spatial and temporal reasoning skills map onto these specific tasks? Characterizing the underlying skills important for learning hydrogeology is a necessary first step for building curricula that can more effectively teach students these skills and train future hydrogeologists. Identifying spatial thinking skills that are significant to practicing hydrogeology also adds to the body of spatial thinking research by providing additional data for understanding the role of spatial thinking in STEM learning. The project will include the development of a hydrogeology knowledge test that may subsequently be used as a valid and reliable measure of hydrogeological conceptual understanding.

Broader Impacts: Current labor projections predict greater than average growth in the demand for hydrogeologists. Research in other STEM domains demonstrates that targeted training of spatial thinking skills increases student persistence and retention. The potential for attracting and retaining diverse students in hydrogeology will increase with effective interventions that meet student needs. This research will benefit undergraduate geoscience programs and students by strengthening the pedagogical foundation of hydrogeology instruction with evidence from cognitive science. An additional goal of this project is to enhance interdisciplinary research between education, cognitive science, and hydrogeology.