Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Development And Validation Of The Leave No Trace Peak Assessment Scale (Pas), Jennifer Miller, Amy Shellman, Eddie Hill, Ron Ramsing, Ben Lawhon

Research in Outdoor Education

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics developed the Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids (PEAK) program to teach children the seven Leave No Trace principles. The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool for Leave No Trace to assess the effectiveness of the PEAK program. Quantitative analyses of the data were used to determine the psychometric properties of the PEAK Assessment Scale (PAS) and children's knowledge of the Leave No Trace principles before and after participation in the PEAK program. Results supported the use of the PAS as a sound measurement tool for …

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 …

Understanding The Role Of Spirituality And Theology In Outdoor Environmental Education: A Mixed-Method Characterization Of 12 Christian And Jewish Outdoor Programs, Gregory E. Hitzhusen

Research in Outdoor Education

This paper examines the role of spirituality in some explicitly religious outdoor environmental programs. As fitting for such a complex research topic that is not yet well understood, a mostly descriptive and narrative mixed methodology is used to characterize a set of Christian and Jewish outdoor programs that demonstrate an original combination of outdoor and environmental education within their spiritual context. Such analysis can help broaden the base of outdoor education spirituality research, can increase awareness of traditionally religious perspectives operative in outdoor education and environmental education and can suggest models for. outdoor educators within religious traditions. Finally, it can …

Analyzing Student Journals To Identify Themes From A Summer Field Study, Amy L. Sheaffer

Research in Outdoor Education

Student joumal entries were analyzed from a two-week field study offered as a college-level course through a natural resource and environmental management program. The course content for the field course incorporated natural resource management, park management, and environmental history with the western United States. Students enrolling in the course were from a midwestem unlversity, and, for many, it was their first experience in the western states. Students were required to maintain a journal throughout the two-week field study. They were also required to read texts for the course and to make presentations to the group as experts on specific topics. …

Cultural History Interpretation In Adventure Education: Promoting "Landfull" Experiences, Molly A. Baker

Research in Outdoor Education

This study was designed to investigate inter­pretation as a potential method of promoting "landfull" experiences. To date, no studies have explored the application of cultural history in­terpretation in adventure-based programming. This study investigated the use of interpretive activities that focus on the cultural history of the area during an adventure-based trip and evalu­ated the impact of this interpretation on partici­pants' experiences. As an exploratory effort, the purpose of this study was threefold: To provide a rationale for the use of cultural history inter­pretation in adventure-based programming; to create a prototype for integrating cultural history interpretation in adventure programming; and to …

The Effects Of Environmental And Adventure Education Programs On The Wilderness Attitudes Of Japanese Early Adolescents, Taito Okamura

Research in Outdoor Education

The conceptual framework for this study is that outdoor education represents the integration of environmental education and adventure edu­cation (Bisson, 1998; Bunting, 1990; Donna, 1996; Priest, 1986). The purpose of the study was first to compare the effects of environmental and adventure education programs in a resident camp setting on the wilderness attitudes of Japa­nese early adolescents.

Responsible Environmental Behavior: Metaphoric Transference Of Minimum-Impact Ideology, J. Porter Hammitt, Wayne A. Freimund

Research in Outdoor Education

This abstract represents a thesis research project that studied changes in National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) students' attitudes, intentions, and behavior, as they pertain to the environment, resulting from participation in NOLS' Wind River Wilderness course. It was hypothesized that an increase in these concerns would result from the metaphoric transference of minimum-impact ideology to daily life. Prominent theories from the fields of social psychology and environmental education relating attitudes, intentions, behavior, and other considerations were incorporated into the theo­retical framework of the study.

Research In Outdoor Education: Our Place On The Porch, Alan Ewert

Research in Outdoor Education

This article is an edited version of the transcript from Dr. Ewert's videotaped presentation at the Symposium.

Evaluating The Impact Of Environmental Interpretation: A Review Of Three Research Studies, Doug Knapp

Research in Outdoor Education

This paper reviews three research studies that looked at the impact an intexpreti;e experience has on kno􀀟ledge, atti_ 􀀠de, and/or behavior of a park visitor. research methodologies, limitations, and conclusions were discussed for all three studies.

On Evaluating Environmental Education, Ilka List

Research in Outdoor Education

Are we doing what we think we are doing in our outdoor environmental education programs? We need answers in order to improve our programs, as well as to convince funding organizations that we de­serve their money. Although most funding agencies know how difficult it is to evaluate qualitative experience, they still ask us to try. I think that children's art can provide such a tool. Although many people are not at all familiar with interpreting children's art, the skill is not difficult to learn, and the artwork reveals a great deal.