A Framework for the Assessment of the Effectiveness of Ocean Literacy Initiatives

Abstract

Central to the design of good tools and initiatives to increase ocean literacy is the problem of how to measure their effectiveness. In this paper, we introduce the different aspects or dimensions of ocean literacy and the importance of fostering a system understanding of human–ocean interaction and the use of cause-and-effect models, such as DPSIR, to capture such systems knowledge. We then proceed to show how this model can be used to actors with specific tools designed to bring about specific responses such as behaviour change, and present a framework developed to formalise the measurement of effectiveness of ocean literacy tools and initiatives based on this approach. The application of this framework to evaluating the effectiveness of specific initiatives and our initial findings are presented.