Ocean Literacy Beyond Knowledge: Investigation of Ocean Connections Among a Sample of Italian School Students

Ocean Literacy (OL), introduced in the early 2000s, refers to the essential knowledge individuals should acquire about the ocean by the end of formal education. Over time, the concept has expanded beyond cognitive understanding to include affective and behavioral dimensions that support attitudes and actions. Among these, emotional connections emerged as a significant driver of environmentally friendly behavior and represent a potential lever for educational practices. In this context, we conducted an informal survey involving 313 students (aged 8–12 and 14–15) living in a coastal area of northeastern Italy by means of a single open-ended question: “What is the sea to you?” Responses were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Emotion-related expressions were the most frequent category (60.1%), followed by descriptive comments (42.8%), references to uses of the marine environment (35.8%), and statements identifying the ocean as a source of life (21.1%). Mentions of personal memories and references to the need for ocean conservation were less frequent. These findings suggest that, in our sample, frequent exposure to coastal environments may have fostered emotional connections with the ocean. Use of alternative teaching approaches (including technology-mediated ones) and further investigations into youths’ ocean connections could enhance the diffusion of OL in education settings.