자료유형 | 학위논문 |
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서명/저자사항 | Examining a Sense of Place and Environmental Stewardship through Place-Based Education. |
개인저자 | Crosier, Scott James. |
단체저자명 | University of California, Davis. Educational Leadership. |
발행사항 | [S.l.]: University of California, Davis., 2019. |
발행사항 | Ann Arbor: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2019. |
형태사항 | 192 p. |
기본자료 저록 | Dissertations Abstracts International 81-04A. Dissertation Abstract International |
ISBN | 9781085795517 |
학위논문주기 | Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of California, Davis, 2019. |
일반주기 |
Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 81-04, Section: A.
Advisor: Ballard, Heidi. |
이용제한사항 | This item must not be sold to any third party vendors. |
요약 | Given the current lack of connection between people and the natural environment, the goal of this research was to explore if and how an educational program could impact an individual's sense of place, and environmental stewardship attitudes and behaviors. To address this question, I examined these impacts with a cohort of participants in the UC California Naturalist Program by analyzing a pre-program survey and three in-depth interviews subsequent to their program participation, which took place post-course, 6 months pos-course, and 12 months post-course. Through qualitative analysis I identified changes in participants' sense of place and environmental stewardship, the impactful program and instructional features which may have influenced that change, and the barriers to environmental stewardship actions faced by the cohort of participants. While the program attracted participants already interested in natural settings and having previously participated in various pro-environmental activities, overall I found that many aspects of sense of place and pro-environmental behavior were positively impacted for these participants. Specifically, most participants developed a deeper sense of place through repeated and prolonged site visits and investigations of the same nature preserve. These site visits were specifically targeted to themed learning objectives or development of naturalist skills such as observation, field journaling and analysis. Participants' increased familiarity with the study site, their knowledge of the habitats and organisms, and their appreciation for the intricate details and overall aesthetics of the ecosystems they studied, led them to describe a deeper connection and identity with that place. With respect to environmental stewardship, many of the participants entered the program already expressing pro-environmental stewardship attitudes and behaviors. However, there were several aspects of these attitudes and behaviors that were influenced by program participation. Participants described learning both knowledge of the environment, such as details of the ecosystems as well as the human impacts on those systems. They reported learning field observation, data recording and other naturalist skills as well as increased confidence in applying those skills in new situations. During the program, participants were also introduced to projects and organizations where they might contribute as volunteers at the end of the program, helping with data collection, ecological restoration and outreach activities. Participants reported that their environmental stewardship activities subsequent to program participation became more focused specifically on projects that allowed them to pursue interests in particular taxa or topics they had learned in the program. Many of the participants also took on greater leadership roles with their activities. The longitudinal nature of this study as well as the open-ended interview questions helps to highlight the elements of the program which had the greatest impact on participants' sense of place and environmental stewardship. Participants identified the value of field journaling, applying their classroom content in the field, small group discussions in the field and the nature of field-based learning as well as the expertise and accessibility of their professors and presenters as having the greatest impact on their subsequent ideas, attitudes and actions. The participants also reported a range of barriers to their being able to pursue environmental stewardship activities after the program, despite the attitudes and confidence to do so. With such an emphasis on connecting and learning about one specific place, once some of the participants moved to a different region within California, their activity decreased. The fact that this was a community college course may have made this program more accessible to young people rather than the typical retiree audience for such volunteer programs, however post-course several participants began attending universities and their volunteer stewardship activities decreased. Some also identified financial, time, and transportation challenges. This study illustrates how the sense of place and environmental stewardship of adult learners can be positively impacted through a carefully designed program and has implications for other community college or adult educational programs seeking to increase adults' connection to nature, their sense of place and environmental stewardship. The impact may vary based on the personal background and attitude of the individual participants. The targeted natural history knowledge and skills may be taught in a formal, classroom setting, but should be strongly supported by outdoor, place-based education activities. Place-based education activities should emphasize a social and supportive outdoor learning environments, environmental science content (including naturalist and scientific field skills) modeled by experienced field researchers and instructors, and extended, repeated experiential and inquiry-based learning opportunities in an outdoor setting. |
일반주제명 | Environmental education. Adult education. Geography. Educational evaluation. Educational psychology. Educational leadership. Educational sociology. |
언어 | 영어 |
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