Ocean literacy remains underdeveloped among the general public in China, where educational initiatives typically emphasize factual knowledge transmission over the cultivation of systems-level thinking. This study aimed to evaluate the Ocean Collage as an educational intervention compared with conventional outreach methods, and to track whether any observed changes in ocean-related values and real-world actions.

We employed a mixed-methods design that integrated three components: a quantitative survey, a controlled comparative intervention, and longitudinal qualitative tracking. A baseline survey was first administered during public recruitment to establish the general public's existing ocean literacy levels and to identify the target population. Participants were subsequently assigned to one of two conditions. The intervention group (n=16) experienced the Ocean Collage, a facilitator-guided, hands-on collective intelligence workshop in which small groups physically manipulate cards to collaboratively debate causal links and construct a systemic visual map of the ocean. The control group received conventional ocean science communication activities including an expert lecture, educational videos, and ocean-themed books. These activities were designed to represent the standard, predominantly one-way knowledge delivery approaches commonly employed in ocean education settings. Both groups' ocean literacy was assessed immediately following their respective interventions. To investigate the depth and durability of impact, semi-structured interviews were conducted with typical-case samples from each group within one week of the intervention. Participants were tracked for a minimum of three months post-intervention through follow-up interviews and observational check-ins designed to document evidence of sustained shifts in ocean-related values and observable real-world behavior.

Preliminary findings indicate that the Ocean Collage demonstrated distinct advantages over conventional methods in fostering systems-level understanding. Participants in the intervention group showed a measurably stronger ability to articulate interconnected human-ocean relationships and to trace causal chains across multiple domains. The longitudinal data further revealed how different educational approaches influence sustained behavioral change. This presentation will share both the comparative outcomes between the intervention and control conditions and the methodological lessons learned in designing culturally sensitive, longitudinally robust evaluations of innovative ocean education interventions.

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