Education Commons^™

An Evaluation Of Environmental, Social, And Governance Standards On Fund Performance: Comparison Of Esg Funds In The United States And The European Union, Gracie V. Del Real

Honors Program Projects

The growing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies in global industries has attracted special attention from investors seeking to evaluate companies beyond traditional financial metrics. Given the evolving social climate, investors are seeking ways to utilize their money not only for financial success but for societal change. ESG offers the opportunity to retain money in the market while being responsible concerning the environmental and societal impact companies are having on the communities in which they operate. Being a responsible investor can go beyond making strong returns. This study aims to determine if there is a statistically significant difference …

Exploring The Importance Of Values, Place, And Perceptions In Conservation Decision-Making In Maine: A Mixed Methods Approach, Alyssa R. Soucy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conservation inherently involves intertwined ecological systems and human societies. In Maine, USA conservation decision-making brings together many viewpoints, values, motivations, and experiences to balance diverse goals. Socio-cultural, experiential, financial, and ecological factors can all influence an individual’s ability to make or support a decision. This dissertation aimed to broadly explore how people perceive their role in conservation decision-making in Maine. In doing so, we articulate a diverse set of perspectives, experiences, and values. We used a mixed methods approach which enabled an in-depth understanding of the complexity of conservation decision-making while providing the opportunity for different voices to be heard. …

Exploring Collective Impact: A Developmental Program Evaluation Of A College Access Program, Diana C. Zakhem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Partnership was established in 2015 when the Arbor Glen School District, Brook Heights Community College, and Remarkable Outcomes rallied around their common priorities of increasing college matriculation rates in their community. The Partnership created programming that promotes the preparation and transition of students into postsecondary education and the completion of a postsecondary credential. The COVID-19 global pandemic directly impacted The Partnership, including the loss of grant funding, changes in data reporting systems, changes in the delivery method of its services to students, and significant staff turnover. The combination of these factors caused The Partnership’s organizational structure, measurement systems, activities, …

Confluence: Evaluating The Individual Learning Outcomes Of A Combined Citizen Science And Environmental Education Project, Evan A. Harms

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Citizen Science has moved beyond a methodological tool for ecologists to crowdsource data to a novel platform for environmental and informal science education. However, few studies document the individual learning outcomes of citizen science as an educational tool, particularly in youth or extension education. This quantitative study focused on evaluating the individual learning outcomes of an environmental education and citizen science non-formal learning experience about water quality.

In this study, an existing lesson plan using four sequenced activities was adapted for use with West Virginia 4-H summer camps in 2022. Potential outcome areas were first identified from foundational environmental education …

Stewardship Of Mathematics: Essential Training For Contributors To, And Users Of, The Practice Of Mathematics, Rochelle E. Tractenberg

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A steward of the discipline was originally defined as an individual to whom “we can entrust the vigor, quality, and integrity of the field”, and more specifically, as “someone who will creatively generate new knowledge, critically conserve valuable and useful ideas, and responsibly transform those understandings through writing, teaching, and application” [8]. Originally articulated for doctoral education, in 2019 the construct of stewardship was expanded so that it can also be applied to non-academic practitioners in any field, and can be initiated earlier than doctoral education [18]. In this paper, we apply this construct to the context of mathematics, and …

Defender Crops Sow Seeds Of Growth, Bethany Van Voorst

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Getting Your Hands Dirty, James C. Schaap

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Pack It Out Utah: Usu Water Quality Extension Leads Utah’S Statewide Trails And Waterways Cleanup, Lauren Houskeeper, Hope Braithwaite

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah’s public lands have experienced a surge in outdoor recreation which has led to an increase in garbage on trails, parks, neighborhoods, and eventually, in our waterways. In response, Utah State University Water Quality Extension initiated an annual statewide cleanup to raise awareness and facilitate the proper disposal of litter. During the cleanup events in 2020 and 2021, over 11,000 pounds of trash were removed from our public lands and waterways.

Winter Wings: An Introduction To Environmental Education, Samuel G. Mothner

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

No abstract provided.

Being Stewardly With Dordt's Resources, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Riverology: Promoting Stewardship Of Rivers Through Youth Participation In Science And Art, Robin R. Dunbar

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This project focuses on mentoring children to help reduce marine debris in their local river by implementing one of ten lessons from an inquiry-based Riverology curriculum to empower youth voice, increase geo-literacy, and spatial thinking. Eighteen participants aged seven and eight, piloted Riverology Lesson 2: What Do I Know or Imagine about the Elizabeth River? that includes six steps: inquire, visualize, draw, share, act, and reflect. The children were asked to make drawings before and after viewing an Elizabeth River Story Map presentation (Dunbar, 2021a). The drawings were then compared to see if the participants included marine debris, stewardship solutions, …

Taste Of Place And Provenance, Alison Stevens

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Bioregionalism is a framework that could serve to bridge the gap between humans and the land that they inhabit. A bioregional food system exemplifies the reduction of large scale agriculture and economy to one that falls within climatologically and geographically determined regions, superseding anthropogenic and political borders. Not only would a bioregional food system encourage mindfulness of the ecosystem that surrounds a community, but create a secure, community-based economy scaled to match the bioregion. The valuation of products and crops of local farmers and artisans would reflect the reliance on bioregionally specific wares, as well as ground members in their …

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary: An Exploration Of Changing The Discourse On Conservation, Arielle Ben-Hur

Pitzer Senior Theses

In 2015, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council submitted a National Marine Sanctuary Nomination to establish the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary– a means by which to ensure the protection of one of the most culturally and biologically diverse coastlines in the world. On October 5, 2015, John Armor of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) responded to the nomination, adding it to the inventory of areas NOAA may consider in the future for national marine sanctuary designation.

In my thesis, I explore how the nomination of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary acts as a platform from which Traditional …

Exploring The Influence Of Servant Leadership On Teacher Satisfaction And Retention, Rachelle J. Wong

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Given the importance of qualified teachers, research has explored teacher retention. One of the most influential ways to retain qualified teachers is through teacher satisfaction. Research has consistently indicated that leadership can influence teacher satisfaction positively or negatively. This qualitative case study explored the influence of one leadership style: servant leadership. Among the many leadership styles, servant leadership is well-suited for the education setting, which naturally focuses on serving and growing people. Therefore, this study used 10 principles of servant leadership (Greenleaf 1970, 1996, 2002) as the conceptual framework, exploring the influence of servant leadership on teacher satisfaction and longevity. …

Taylor: A Magazine For Taylor University Alumni, Parents And Friends (Spring 2019), Taylor University

The Taylor Magazine (1963-Present)

The Spring 2019 edition of Taylor Magazine, published by Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

Responsibility And Technology, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

A Model For Outdoor Creation Education, Jonathan L. Albert

Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism

Outdoor creation education is critical for encouraging and equipping the saints. A well-organized wilderness classroom opens the eyes of the learner in a unique and inspiring way. The learner gains the heart to love God and others more deeply. The learner also develops the skills necessary to impact others with humble confidence. There are many opportunities right outside our doors to help others engage the wonder of God’s creation. With the proper structure, outdoor creation education empowers the teacher and the learner in profound ways, oftentimes unachievable within the traditional classroom.

Taylor: A Magazine For Taylor University Alumni, Parents And Friends (Fall 2017), Taylor University

The Taylor Magazine (1963-Present)

The Fall 2017 edition of Taylor Magazine, published by Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

Taking Climate Action, Lydia Marcus

The Voice

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of Engagement: Land Stewardship And Invasive Weeds In Amenity Landscapes, Peter Klepeis, Nicholas J. Gill

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In New South Wales, Australia, rural landscapes are undergoing profound change as a result of exurbanization. Newcomers-amenity migrants-are drawn to the scenic beaches, forests, and open landscape character of this part of Australia near Sydney and they join existing communities of long-term residents, notably ranchers involved in dairy, beef, and other types of primary agricultural production. The rural to exurban transition is stimulating both intended and unintended socio-ecological changes, especially the proliferation of invasive weeds, which are considered to be a top national priority as they threaten Australia's agricultural economy. Drawing on interview and survey research from three case studies …

Common Ground: Uniting Archaeology And Secondary Social Studies Curricula, Jeremy Allen Haas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeologists have been attempting to establish stronger connections with communities for several decades. Concepts such as stewardship can be presented to a larger audience, and archaeology can be a valuable tool for public education. Public schools across the nation are struggling to improve with limited resources. Archaeology can provide teachers with inexpensive resources that improve student learning while simultaneously helping teachers meet more rigorous standards. Using historical, archaeological, and cultural resources from the World War II Japanese American internment camp, Amache, I created a new supplementary curriculum that focused on the experience of Japanese and Japanese Americans during that era. …

Building A Community Art Garden: A Participatory Eco-Arts Based Educational Research Project, Beryl R. Cohen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study is to explore how a community comes to understand their sense of place as they create a school art garden, and then consider their relationship to it, and to the natural world. Using qualitative arts-based methods of inquiry and A/r/tography, I weave and construct text and visual images, which portray human actions and experiences within the framework of Environmental Inquiry. As a participant, I also respond to the project through the creation of artwork.

Rich community narratives and data analysis resulted in the following themes: Teaching and Learning; Activism; Connection to Nature; Health and Healing; …

A Multi-Institutional Project To Develop Discipline-Specific Data Literacy Instruction For Graduate Students, Sarah Wright, Michael Fosmire, Jon Jeffryes, Marianne Stowell Bracke, Brian Westra

Michael Fosmire

What data stewardship skills are needed by future scientists to fulfill their professional responsibilities and take advantage of opportunities in e-science? How can academic librarians contribute their expertise in information organization, dissemination and preservation to better serve modern science? With support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), four research libraries have formed a partnership to address these questions. The aims of the partnership are to identify the data stewardship skills, including data management and curation, needed by graduate students at the research discipline level, to identify trends that extend across the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) …

Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps Resource Education Curriculum, Kristen Schulte, Ana Houseal

Kristen A Schulte

Our country’s first National Park is home to the Yellowstone’s Youth Conservation Corps (YELL-YCC), a residential youth employment program founded on service learning concepts implemented through stewardship projects. Education is an integrated into all projects, through the Resource Education Curriculum (REC). This curriculum consists of 17 one-hour lessons developed to enhance the YELL-YCC experience.

The REC was developed for 8th-12th grade students in outdoor settings, divided into groups of 4-6 students each, highlighting specific concepts related to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but is adaptable in group size, level, and content. The REC is divided into five themes: leadership, cultural heritage, …

Making Country Good: Stewardship And Environmental Change In Central Australian Pastoral Culture, Nicholas Gill

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Rural stewardship has been a focus of much natural resource management policy in Australia and elsewhere. Despite landowners professing stewardship, some researchers have cast doubt on the utility of the concept due to its vagueness and difficulties of associating attitudes with behaviour. In contrast I argue that stewardship should remain an important concept for understanding rural cultures, landholder practices and the politics of land. Stewardship, however, needs to be understood as emergent, as a 'dwelt achievement', as having temporal depth and as being part of the production of socio-natures. Moreover, as a key vernacular practice, its capacities and vulnerabilities require …

Kingswood Lake Management Plan, Sarah Martina Tierney

Honors Theses and Capstones

High water quality and natural buffers exist on Kingswood Lake located in Brookfield, New Hampshire. A comprehensive lakes inventory (CSI) was recorded and health of the land, wildlife, and waterways were observed. Educational outreach was taken to inform the local community and to instruct them on proper stewardship of the land. A completed watershed management plan was constructed including key recommendation of limiting nitrogen loading in the area, checking septic systems for leaching, stabilizing shoreline from erosion, and establishing man-made rain gardens to help preserve water quality. The Kingswood watershed management plan acts as a guide for the town of …

An Ecofeminist Perspective On The Influences That Promote And Restrict Three Early Childhood Educators' Inclusion Of Open-Ended Outdoor Learning, Anne K. Mackiewicz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore the influences that promoted and restricted three women early childhood educators' inclusion of open-ended outdoor learning in a Head Start center. With the recorded history of human's impact on nature, along with the majority of women in the early childhood workforce, I chose a theory, ecofeminism, that looked at both the domination of women and nature in the early childhood setting.

The methods included participant interviews, observations, and a study of the site's documents. Four themes were identified as promoting or restricting open-ended outdoor learning. These themes included: (a) participant's attitudes, (b) …

Developing An Understanding Of Data Management Education: A Report From The Data Information Literacy Project, Jake Carlson, Lisa Johnston, Brian Westra, Mason Nichols

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This paper describes the initial results from the Data Information Literacy (DIL) project designed to identify the educational needs of graduate students across a variety of science disciplines and respond with effective educational interventions to meet those needs. The DIL project consists of five teams in disparate disciplines from four academic institutions in the United States. The project teams include a data librarian, a subject-specialist librarian, and a faculty member representing a disciplinary group of students. Interviews of the students and faculty members present a detailed snapshot of graduate student needs in data management education. Following our study, educational programs …

A Multi-Institutional Project To Develop Discipline-Specific Data Literacy Instruction For Graduate Students, Sarah Wright, Michael Fosmire, Jon Jeffryes, Marianne Stowell Bracke, Brian Westra

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

What data stewardship skills are needed by future scientists to fulfill their professional responsibilities and take advantage of opportunities in e-science? How can academic librarians contribute their expertise in information organization, dissemination and preservation to better serve modern science? With support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), four research libraries have formed a partnership to address these questions. The aims of the partnership are to identify the data stewardship skills, including data management and curation, needed by graduate students at the research discipline level, to identify trends that extend across the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) …

Religious Educators: Promoting An Ecological Balance, Shane D. Lavery

Shane D Lavery

This article explores the role of religious educators in developing young people as ecologically responsive citizens. Underpinning this role is an appreciation that creation is a gift from God, that one must act as a responsible steward of creation, and that the world’s resources are to be used ethically. The article initially presents a Catholic approach to environmental concerns with particular reference to the statements of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. It then draws on statements from the publication Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church that relate to the protection of the environment. These statements provide …