May 29, 2016 - PARTICIPATION. IN NATURE-BASED FIELD TRIPS: A Study from an Alberta Conservation Area. Canadian Society for Studies in Education.
UNDERSTANDING TEACHERS’ PARTICIPATION IN NATURE-BASED FIELD TRIPS: A Study from an Alberta Conservation Area Canadian Society for Studies in Education The University of Calgary May 29, 2016 Scott Hughes, Heather Ray, Sonya L. Jakubec Joe Pavelka, Michael Quinn, Ashok Kirshnamurthy
In gratitude: MRU Office of Research Services & The Institute of Environmental Sustainability
http://www.crossconservation.org/sites/default/files/Day%20Camp%20203.jpg
kids
nature & environment holistic learning
Research reminds us... Nature interactions benefit children:
Physical activity
(Cleland, et al.,
2008)
Physical health
(Kahn &
Kellert, 2002)
Mental health (Windhorst & Williams, 2015)
Decreases stress
(Wells & Evans,
2003)
Environmental stewardship ... ... ...
(Upitis & Hughes, 2013)
Children have an innate need to affiliate with nature and that this contact is essential to full development. Kahn & Kellert, 2002
Froebel’s Kindergarten: Children have a natural inclination to care for the environment. Froebel, 1832 | Brosterman 1997
“To develop a love of the environment children require frequent positive experiences with nature and an adult who shares their interest in the environment.” (Dowdell, Gray, & Malone, 2011, p. 26)
Cross Conservation Area
4,800 acres south of Calgary
Conservation of habitat for native species
Wildlife sanctuary
Educational programs
Community conservation initiatives
Two Phase Research Program Principle Investigator: Dr. Heather Ray Cross-faculty collaboration Shared interests
nature & the environment, recreation, education, and health & well-being
Connecting theory & practice
Phase 1 Study
2009–2013:
Survey Questions:
480 surveys completed by teachers participating in programs at Cross Conservation Area
Leadership, communication, preparation, experience
Findings:
Barriers: financial, time constraints, safety regulations, weather, schedule disruptions
Benefits: social, educational, environmental awareness, physical, emotional
Phase 2 Purpose To better understand the personal and systematic factors that motivate teachers to participate in nature-based activities with their students.
Phase 2 Question What is the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of nature and their motivations for planning nature-based educational experiences for their students?
Focused Research Questions
How do teachers who enroll their students in offcampus nature-based programs perceive the environment?
What impact do teachers feel nature-based programs have on children?
How do teachers perceive the administrative aspects of off-campus nature-based programs?
How does a teacher’s school environment influence the choice to engage children in nature-based programs?
Theoretical Framing Ecological Life-course Theory Early positive experiences with nature positively shapes adult environmental attitudes and values
Chawla, 1998, 2007, 2008 Wells & Lekies, 2006
Instructional Motivation Formative experience (e.g., literacy, math, nature, health & recreation) shape teachers’ proactive or passive decision-making about curriculum
Boyd, Foster, Smithj, & Boyd, 2014 Netz & Raviv, 2002 Yeo, 2010
Methodology Data Collection New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) (Dunlap, 2008)
37-Likert scale questions
Environmental attitudes Prior nature experiences Nature-based school culture
9 demographic questions 2 open-ended questions
Filled-out post field-trip by teachers
Methodology Analysis Quantitative:
Statistical analysis
MINITAB (version 16.0) Microsoft Excel
Qualitative:
Transcribed & categorized Illustrative
Findings Participants
34 classroom teachers
Majority of participants:
Female Urban up-bringing Calgary 10+ years Outdoor activity 4+ times/month Powerful experience with nature
Findings
Supports
Attitudes
Perceived Benefits
Findings Supports
Attitudes
Perceived Benefits
“My fondest memory involves walking deep in a wheat field, feeling like I was inside a globe and breathing in the peacefulness. Unforgettable.” (P24)
Environmental Attitudes:
Overall Disagree
Neutral
Overall Agree
The earth is like a spaceship with very limited room and resources.
15.15
6.06
78.78
If things continue on their present course we will soon experience a major catastrophe.
8.82
11.76
79.41
Humans are severely abusing the environment.
2.94
17.65
79.41
Plants and animals have as much right as humans to exist.
2.94
2.94
94.11
The so-called ecological crisis facing human-kind has been greatly exaggerated.
79.41
20.59
0
Findings Attitudes
Perceived Benefits
Supports
“I love how I learn more and more about how nature works every time I participate in a program. This time I learned that the powder from rubbing an Aspen tree can be used as a sunscreen!” (P12)
Compared to other non-nature school outings, I believe that nature-based programs promote:
Overall Disagree
Neutral
Overall Agree
0
6.06
93.94
2.94
2.94
94.12
0
14.71
85.29
A deeper sense of engagement in the learning experience.
2.94
8.82
88.23
A deeper understanding of curricular concepts.
0
18.87
85.29
A greater sense of freedom and ease from being surrounded by nature. A sense of calmness from being surrounded by nature. Fosters positive interactions
Findings Perceived Benefits
Supports
Attitudes
About you & Accessing this school outing:
Overall Disagree
Neutral
Overall Agree
My school administration is highly supportive of nature-based school outings.
2.94
2.94
94.12
I personally enjoy and value outdoor and nature experiences.
2.94
2.94
94.11
It is easier for us to bring students on a nature outing than a non-nature outing.
17.65
52.94
29.41
My school offers enough nature experiences at present, there is no need to have more.
82.35
14.71
2.94
I think nature-based programs are overrated and do not necessarily produce positive results.
90.91
15.15
24.24
Key Findings Supports
Attitudes
The majority of participants can be described as having a pro-ecological attitude.
Perceived Benefits
The majority of participants perceived that they worked in a school community supportive of naturebased field trips.
The majority of participants agreed or strongly agreed that nature programs afford a variety of benefits: Sense of freedom & calmness Positive social interactions Deep curricular connections
First Discussion Point Teachers Past
Contex t
Perceptions
Present
Values
Complex interactions inform instructional decision-making
“It is important that teachers to learn how to get (back) in touch with their core qualities.” (Korthagen, 2004, p.93)
Second Discussion Point Schools Strong leadership promoting embodied learning experiences Professional and personal learning
Third Discussion Point Children
The “upward spiral of happiness.” (Stiglbauer, Gnambs, Gamsjägerm& Batinic, 2013)
Limitations Not generalizable (small sample size) Participant bias
Possibilities Further inquiry into the factors that motivate teachers to choose naturebased programming. Further inquiry into the emotional and curricular benefits of nature interactions to children.
“None of us can predict or control the career or
avocational choices of our children. All we can do is introduce, try to prevent prejudice, battle gender stereotypes, teach by the example of our own attention and wonder. All we can do is recite from the Scripture of maps and field guides. Give names to the mountains and rivers, give names to the trees. Give voice to the emotions that storms and tundra flowers, young bison and soaring ravens can pull from us. As parents, we can take our children with us to the land. We can be there with them as they climb on rocks, play in streams and waves, dig in the rich soil of woods and gardens, putter and learn. Here, on the land, we learn from each other. Here, our children’s journey begins.” (Nabhan & Trimble, 1994, p. 31)
References Brosterman, N. (1997). Inventing Kindergarten. New York, NY: Abrams. Chawla, L. (1998). Significant life experiences revisited: A review of research on sources of environmental sensitivity. The Journal of Environmental Education, 29(3), 11–21. Chawla, L. (2007). Childhood experiences associated with care for the natural world: A theoretical framework for empirical results. Children, Youth and Environments. 17(4), 144–170. Chawla, L. (2008). Participation and the Ecology of Environmental Awareness and Action. In A. Reid, B. Jensen, J. Nikel, & V. Simovska (Eds.), Participation and Learning: Perspectives on Education and the Environment, Health, and Sustainability (pp. 98–110). Netherlands: Springer. Cleland, V., Crawford, D., Baur, L. A., Hume, C., Timperio, A., Salmon, J. (2008). A prospective examination of children’s time spent outdoors, objectively measured physical activity and overweight. International Journal of Obesity, 32, 1685–1693. Dowdell, K., Gray, T., & Malone, K. (2011). Nature and its influence on children's outdoor play. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education,15(2), 2435. Dunlap, R. E., (2008). The new environmental paradigm scale: From marginality to worldwide use. Journal of Environmental Education, 40(1), 3– 18. Kahn, P. H., & Kellert, S. R. (2002). Children and nature: Psychological, sociological, and evolutionary investigations. Boston, MA: MIT Press. Nabhan, G. P., & Trimble, S. (1994). The geography of childhood: Why children need wild places. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Stiglbauer, B., Gnambs, T., Gamsjäger, M., & Batinic, B. (2013). The upward spiral of adolescents’ positive school experiences and happiness: Investigating reciprocal effects over time. Journal of School Psychology, 51(2), 231–242.
Upitis, R., Hughes, S., & Peterson, A. (2013). Promoting environmental stewardship through school gardens: A case study of children’s views of an urban school garden. The Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 11(1), 92–135. Wells, N. M., & Evans, G. W. (2003). Nearby nature: A buffer of life stress among rural children. Environmental Behaviour, 35, 311-–330. Wells, N. W., & Lekies, K. S. (2006). Nature and the life course: Pathways from childhood nature experiences to adult environmentalism. Children, Youth and Environments, 16(1), 1–24. Windhorst, E., & Williams, A. (2015). Growing up, naturally: The mental health legacy of early nature affiliation. Ecopsychology, 7(3), 115–125. Yeo, M. (2007). Teacher conceptualizations and con(texts) of language and literacy. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada: ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
UNDERSTANDING TEACHERS’ PARTICIPATION IN NATURE-BASED FIELD TRIPS: A Study from an Alberta Conservation Area
Questions? Comments? Thank you for your attention so early in the morning! Scott Hughes, Heather Ray, Sonja Jakubec Joe Pavelka, Michael Quinn, Ashok Kirshnamurthy In gratitude: MRU Office of Research Services & The Institute of Environmental Sustainability
field trip
Holistic Education • • • •
Aims to educate the whole person Mutually respectful relationships Is concerned with experience Is aligned with creative, ecological & spiritual worldviews Miller (2000)
“A primary defining characteristic of all holistic
educators is their profound respect for a spontaneous, creative life force or energy, which manifests the ultimate unity of the universe. Whether they use traditional religious language (‘God,’ ‘soul,’ ‘spirit,’ ‘divine’) or more modern psychological terms (‘individuation,’ ‘selfactualization,’ ‘higher self’) to describe this ineffable life force, holistic educators have always recognized this creative energy, this ultimate source of human unfolding which transcends biological and cultural influences.” (Miller, 2000, p. 366)
“A holistic
worldview is a profound respect for the diversity of life, of cultures, of species and a profound understanding of their subtle but vital interconnections.” (Miller, 2000, p. 391)
