Digital Commons Network^™

A Participatory Approach To Learning Sustainability

Sandra Wooltorton

Environmental Desirability Responding: One Possibility In Addressing The Attitude-Behavior Gap, Alan Ewert, Graeme Galloway

Research in Outdoor Education

One of the underlying assumptions made by many outdoor education programs is that a student's attitude toward the natural environment can be modified toward more pro-environmental beliefs through the acquisition of new knowledge and direct experiences with or in those environments. In tum, these attitudes can lead to behavior changes that possibly lead to more pro-environment actions, such as recycling, reduced consumption patterns, or even advocacy. Thus, using a properly sequenced set of knowledge and experiences in order to develop informed and pro­-environment attitudes and behaviors has become one' standard way to design both outdoor education activities and curricula.

One …

Environmental Sensitivity And Outdoor Recreation Setting Preferences, Tinelle Bustam, Anderson B. Young, Sharon Todd

Research in Outdoor Education

Over the last 30 years, researchers have considered the complexities of "environmental sensitivity," specifically, the factors that cause people to care or be concerned about the environment. Such research emerges from the notion that environmental sensitivity is the first step in a developmental process that leads persons toward environmental literacy or what Chawla (1998) calls a sense of "ownership" and "empowerment" (p. 11) regarding protection of the environment. In this sense, environmental sensitivity becomes the foundation on which environmental educators can build. By exploring the relationship between environmental sensitivity and other variables, environmental educators may be provided with means of …

The Influence Of A Wilderness Experience Program On Students' Attitudes Toward Wilderness, Betsy R. Lindley

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of the study was to examine how a wilderness education program (WEP) influenced students' attitudes towards wilderness and to understand what part of the experience students perceived led to changes in their attitudes toward wilderness protection and preservation. Developing a better understanding of how education influences environmental beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors is important in the wilderness education and resource management fields as they seek the best methods to preserve wildland resources.

Inclusion At Residential Outdoor Environmental Education Centers: A Survey Of Current Practices, Kendra Liddicoat, Jim Rogers, Lynn Anderson

Research in Outdoor Education

In recent decades, persons with disabilities have become increasingly integrated into all aspects of society, including education and-recreation programs. In schools, this change has resulted from an understanding that provision of "a least restrictive environment," as mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is often a regular education classroom rather than a segregated special education one. On a broader level, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has spurred recreation and social programs to make their facilities welcoming and accessible to all. As providers of school-sponsored as well as public programs, residential outdoor environmental education centers are also expected …

Environmental Awareness Of Waterville Junior High School Students, Jenna Morrison

Honors Theses

An environmental awareness survey was designed to assess the influences of gender and grade level on the relationships among outdoor experience, environmental knowledge, and environmental behavior at Waterville Junior High School, Waterville, ME. Environmental awareness indicates a fundamental understanding of the natural world, which is essential for developing future sustainable development. The foundation and acquisition of environmental knowledge of Waterville Junior High School students was determined using the multiple-choice survey. A total of 125 sixth graders and 136 eighth graders were surveyed. 61% of sixth graders and 73% of eighth graders indicated that their most common source of environmental information …

Environmental Education In Action For The Future, Sandra Wooltorton, Dora Marinova

Sandra Wooltorton