The Concept of Ocean Sustainability in Formal Education—Comparative Ocean Literacy Coverage Analysis of the Educational Standards of India and the USA

Abstract

The concept of marine environmental sustainability is essential, and ocean literacy is currently at the core of its development. Comparing ocean literacy principles in curriculum standards is an important thing to do. Ocean literacy (OL) is a key and emerging topic, and its study has adopted a qualitative approach and follows the content analysis approach. It was observed that, on average, OL concepts covered in the educational standards of the USA (Next Generation Science Standards, NGSS) are higher than those of India (Indian National Standards, INSs). The study revealed that the 6th principle is highly accentuated in both countries’ educational standards out of the seven essential principles. Moreover, the results indicate variation in OL alignment across India’s grade bands and the USA’s educational standards. Based on the results mentioned above, the proposed study intends to provide references to marine education researchers, curriculum developers, and educational policymakers in India to suitably adjust OL coverage concepts in schools to cultivate ocean-literate citizens.