Hamline University

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School of Education Student Capstones and
Dissertations

School of Education

Spring 5-13-2016

How an Experience in Nature Affects Ecoliteracy of

High School Students
Megan Johanna Schimek
Hamline University, mschimek01@hamline.edu

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Recommended Citation
Schimek, Megan Johanna, "How an Experience in Nature Affects Ecoliteracy of High School Students" (2016). School of Education
Student Capstones and Dissertations. Paper 4133.

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HOWANEXPERIENCEINNATUREAFFECTSECOLITERACYOFHIGH
SCHOOLSTUDENTS
by
MeganJ.Schimek

AcapstonesubmittedinpartialfulfilmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofMasters
ofArtsinEducation:NaturalScienceandEnvironmentalEducation

HamlineUniversity
St.Paul,Minnesota
May2016

PrimaryAdvisor:TrishHarvey
SecondaryAdvisor:JenniferRubin
PeerReviewer:LarissaKabat

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Iwouldliketoexpressmygreatappreciationtomycapstonecommittee.Your
encouragement,support,discussionsandguidancehasmadeforasmoothjourney.I
cannotimaginecompletingthisstepofmyeducationaljourneywithoutsucha
knowledgeableandenthusiasticteam.Ithasbeenfun!Thankyou!

Iwouldalsoliketothankmystudentsthatparticipatedinthiscapstonestudy.
Theirloveforadventureandenthusiasmtowardstryingnewthingsiscontagiouseven
whenitdoesinvolvespendinganentireweekendinsubzerotemperatures.Adventureis
outthere!

Lastly,thankyoutomyfamilyandclosestfriendsforbeingmycheerleaders
throughoutthecompletionofmycapstone.Althoughitwasstressfulattimes,I
appreciateyourremindersandinvitationstogetoutoutsidetobuildsnowmen,walkin
thewoods,jumpinpuddles,searchforshootingstars,skiprocksinthelakeandclimb
trees!Lifeisgood!

"Whenwetrytopickoutanythingbyitself,
wefindithitchedtoeverythingelseintheUniverse."
JohnMuir

TABLEOFCONTENTS

CHAPTERONE:Introduction.5
Introduction...5
WhatisNext?.. 11
CHAPTERTWO:LiteratureReview ......... 12
Introduction..12
Ecoliteracy....... 12
EcoliteracyandEnvironmentalEducation.. 16
DemographicsAffectingEcoliteracy... 20
PastStudies...... 23
DevelopingEcoliteracy.... 27
MeasuringandAssessingEcoliteracy.. 32
Conclusion........ 34
WhatisNext?....... 35
CHAPTERTHREE:ResearchMethods...36
Introduction...... 36
ResearchParadigmandMethods.36
Demographics ... 37
Preparations.. 37
ActionPlan.. 38
Timeline... 39

ResearchTools.. 40
DataAnalysis.... 41
WhatisNext?42
CHAPTERFOUR:Results...........43
Introduction...43
ReviewofDataCollectionMethods..... 43
StudentPopulationDemographics... 44
EcoliteracyAssessmentData....45
StudentJournalandFocusGroupInterviewData.... 51
WhatisNext?... 60
CHAPTERFIVE:Conclusions 62
Introduction.. 62
MajorLearning......... 62
ReviewofLiterature..... 63
Limitations.... 67
Implications...... 68
FurtherResearchDirections........ 69
CommunicatingResults.. 70
LookingAhead.... 71
REFERENCES.... 73
APPENDIXA:AssessmentTools........ 78
StudentSurvey. 78

PreandPostAssessment.... 80
APPENDIXB:DailyJournalPrompts.... 82
Day1.... 82
Day2.... 83
Day3.... 84

APPENDIXC:FocusGroupInterviewQuestions...86

LISTOFTABLES

Table1:ComparisonofPreandPostTestResults...... 46

LISTOFFIGURES

Figure1:Studentpopulationdemographics.....45
Figure2:Preandposttestscorecomparison... 46
Figure3:Changeinecoliteracyscores.47
Figure4:Gradedifferencesinecoliteracy....48
Figure5:Genderdifferencesinecoliteracy..49
Figure6:Ethnicitydifferencesinecoliteracy....... 50
Figure7:Firsttimeparticipantvs.returningparticipantecoliteracyscores..51

CHAPTERONE
Introduction
Introduction
Unlesssomeonelikeyoucaresawholeawfullot,nothingisgoingtogetbetter.
Itsnot(ascitedbySeuss,1971,p.58).Thesewords,spokenbyDr.SeussinTheLorax,
serveasthefoundationformyroleasaneducator.Mypastexperiences,rolemodels,and
dedicationtonaturehavecontributedtomebecomingabiologyteacher.Thisroleallows
metosharemypassionswithnewstudentseachyear.
Intheinterestofunderstandingmoreaboutthepositiveeffectsofnatureon
studentswellbeing,Idecidedtoresearchthefollowingquestion:Howdoesan
experienceinnatureaffectecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents?
Inthischapter,Isharemyresearchquestionanditssignificancetomeasa
scienceteacherandalsotothegreatercommunity.Iprovidebackgrounddetailsfrommy
childhoodthateventuallymorphedintomypassionforspendingtimeinnatureandthe
problemsthatoursocietyisfacingwithhavingmorescreentimeandlessgreentime.I
includemypreviousexperienceswithtravelingtoaresidentialenvironmentallearning
centerlocatedinnorthernMinnesotawithhighschoolstudentsandtheeffectsthatithas
ontheirappreciationforthenaturalworld.
AsIsetoutonmycapstonejourney,Iaminsearchoffindingouthowan
extendedexperienceinnatureaffectsecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.Theconceptof
ecologicalliteracywascreatedinthe1990sbyDavidOrr,anAmericanbiologist,in
responsetotherealizationthatourchildrenwillbechargedtosolvecomplexecological

crisesthathavebeencreatedbypastgenerations.Asitstands,manychildrenknow
moreabouttheplantsandanimalsinfarawayplaces,suchastherainforest,thantheydo
aboutthenatureintheirownbackyards(ascitedinRhines,2012,para.2).Wehear
aboutglobalenvironmentalproblemsonaregularbasis,butareblindtocatastrophesin
ourowncommunities,suchaschemicalspills,fishkillsanddecliningbeepopulations.
Growingup,IwasanavidreaderofRangerRick(NationalWildlifeFederation,
n.d.)andwasfoundplayingoutsideeverychanceIhadwhetheritwasmakingtrailsand
treefortsinthewoods,catchingfrogsandfireflies,skippingstonesinlakesandrivers,or
searchingforshootingstarsinthenightsky.Igrewupinthecountryandonesummer,
spenttimewiththeneighborkidsandmyoldersistersmakingwhatwecalledCamp
JuneBug.Weturnedanunusedwoodedareaintoanultimatenatureoasis.Wespent
daysmakingstickshelters,survivalkits,notrespassingsigns(foradultsofcourse),afire
ringandhikingtrails.Wespentmanynightsmakingsmoresatthecampfire,camping
underthestars,climbingthetreesandsharingtopsecretswithoneanother.
Myparentshelpedfostermylovefornaturebyalwaysencouragingmetoget
involvedinthethingsthatIloved.IwasabletoparticipateinsummercampsatQuarry
HillNatureCenterinRochester,MNallthroughmyelementaryyears,attendaweeklong
WildTurkeycampatEagleBluffEnvironmentalLearningCenterinLanesboro,
Minnesota,andwasabletotraveltoBelizeinhighschooltoexperiencetherainforest,
marineecosystemsandanewcultureallatthesametime.Mydadevengotmetogodeer
huntingIshotadeerandhavenevercriedsohardinmylife.Needlesstosay,Ihave

notgonehuntingagain.However,Istilllovenatureandthebeautyandrecreational
opportunitiesthatitprovides.
Itisexperienceslikethesethathavefosteredmyloveandappreciationforthe
environmentanditsresources.Unfortunately,wenowliveinanagethatisdefinedby
strangerdangeranddwindlingopenspaces(Edgar,2008,para.1).Childreninteractmore
withscreensthanwithnaturalplaces(Sobel,n.d.).Asahighschoolteacher,whenIwalk
throughtheschoolhallways,Iseeverylittleinteractionbetweenstudents.Instead,each
ofthemismoreconnectedtotheelectronicdevicethattheyholdintheirhand.
Theneedtoconnectwithotherlifeformsisinnate,whetherthislifeisapet,a
garden,oraforest,forexample.Spendingtimeintheoutdoorsishealthyforour
physical,mentalandemotionalwellbeing.EdwardO.Wilson,namedthisaffinityfor
otherlifebiophilia(KellertandWilson,1993).Unfortunately,todaymanystudents
connectnaturewithfear,whichhasbecomeknownasecophobia,orafearof
ecologicalproblemsandthenaturalworld(Sobel,n.d.,para.7).Thesefearscouldbe
fromearlyexposuretodevastationsandgloomornegativity,suchasspeciesextinction,
oceantrashgyres,rainforestdestruction,globalwarming,acidrain,ozonedepletion,
lymedisease,andthelistgoesonandon.Somehaveafearofsimplygoingoutside.
Thisfearneedstobeaddressedandtheanswertoovercomingthisfearissimple.
Sobel(n.d.),authorofBeyondEcophobia:ReclaimingtheHeartinNatureEducation,
suggestedthatwecancurethemalaiseofecophobiawithecophilia,orsupporting
childrensbiologicaltendencytobondwiththenaturalworld(p.2).Sobel(1998)stated
thatmostenvironmentaliststhatweresurveyedattributedtheircommitmenttoa

combinationoftwosources:manyhoursspentoutdoorsinakeenlyrememberedwildor
semiwildplaceinchildhoodoradolescence,andanadultwhotaughtrespectfornature
(para.8).Notoneoftheenvironmentalistsexplainedhisorherdedicationasareaction
againstexposuretoanuglyenvironment.Whatasimplesolution.Norainforest
curriculum,noenvironmentalaction,justopportunitiestobeinthenaturalworldwith
modelingbyaresponsibleadult(Sobel,1998,para.9).
InaninterviewthatHenley(2010)hadwithRichardLouv,authorofLastChildin
theWoods,Louvstated:
Plus,who'sgoingtobebotheredlookingaftertheplanetifthere'snooneleftwith
anyunderstandingof,interestinorconnectiontotheirnaturalenvironment?What
we'redoinginsteadisinstillinginkidsakindofecophobia.We'reoverloading
themwithscenariosoffearanddisasterworryaboutthe'environment'is
crushingkids'relationshipwithnature.(para.14)
Inordertohaverespectandappreciationforthenaturalworldinwhichwelive,
childrenneedtobeprovidedwithopportunitiestomakepersonalconnectionswithit.I
feelthattheseexperiencesandmemorieswillcontributetogreaterappreciationand
knowledge,andwillthenpromotemorepositiveattitudesandbehaviorstowards
protectingtheenvironment.RachelCarson,anenvironmentalactivistand
conservationist,commentedthat:
Isincerelybelievethatforthechild,andfortheparentseekingtoguidehim,itis
nothalfsoimportanttoknowastofeel.Iffactsaretheseedsthatlaterproduce
knowledgeandwisdom,thentheemotionsandtheimpressionsofthesensesare

thefertilesoilinwhichtheseedsmustgrow.Theyearsofearlychildhoodarethe
timetopreparethesoil.Oncetheemotionshavebeenarousedasenseofthe
beautiful,theexcitementofthenewandtheunknown,afeelingofsympathy,pity,
admirationorlovethenwewishforknowledgeaboutthesubjectofour
emotionalresponse.Oncefound,ithaslastingmeaning.Itismoreimportantto
pavethewayforthechildtowanttoknowthantoputhimonadietoffactsheis
notreadytoassimilate.(Carson,2011,p.19)

WhenIfirststartedteachingAdvancedPlacement(AP)EnvironmentalSciencein

2010,Iwasinspiredtogetmystudentsoutsidesotheycouldexperiencenatureandthe
environmentfirsthandversusonlyreadingaboutitinabook.Inadditiontocreatingan
outdoorclassroomthatincludedanaturalwoodedareaandasmallpondthatwasused
forhandsonlabsandinvestigations,Iwasapprovedtotakemystudents,alongwith
membersofourRootsandShootsenvironmentalclubtoWolfRidgeEnvironmental
LearningCenterinFinland,Minnesota.WolfRidgesmissionistodevelopacitizenry
thathastheknowledge,skills,motivationandcommitmenttoworktogetherforaquality
environment(WolfRidge,2015,para.4).Thisisaccomplishedby,
1.)fosteringawareness,curiosityandsensitivitytothenaturalworld,2.)
providinglifelonglearningexperiencesinnature,3.)developingsocial
understanding,respectandcooperation,4.)modelingvalues,behaviorsand
technologieswhichleadtoasustainablelifestyle,and5.)promotingtheconcepts
ofconservationandstewardship(WolfRidge,2015,para.4).

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WolfRidgeisaplacewheremindsopentothejoyandwonderofdiscoveryof
ournaturalworld.Studentsareinvolvedindirectobservationandparticipationinoutdoor
activities,whichstimulatesanunderstandingofandoftenlovetowardsnature.
Throughouteachoftheclassesthattheyteach,selfawarenessandleadership
developmentisalsopromoted.

OnmyfirsttriptoWolfRidgein2010,wespentthreefrigiddaysinFebruary

learningaboutthatGreatLakes,wintersurvival,wildlifemanagement,orienteering,
renewableenergy,andconqueringaropescoursechallengeandrockclimbingwall.
Eveningswerespentaroundthecampfire,roastingmarshmallowsandreflectingupon
eachday.

IhavetakengroupsofstudentsbacktoWolfRidgethreemoretimessinceour

firstfieldtrip.Ihaveseenfirsthandhowanextendedexperienceintheoutdoorschanges
students,throughtheirmaturationoftheirappreciationfortheenvironmentaswellasfor
themselvesandotherswhosharedintheexperience.Beingabletoobservestudentswalk
onafrozenlakeforthefirsttime,buildafirewithouttheuseofmatchesandgasoline,
andcheereachotheronastheyattempttocrossasinglewireontheropescourse
challengeareexperiencesthatIwouldnottradeforanything.Theseexperiencesare
immeasurableandeverlasting.Theseexperiencescontributetoecoliteracy.
Becominganecologicallyliterateindividualcanbeassimpleasmaking
observationsandlearningaboutthenature,andonesconnectionstoit,inourbackyards.
Ecoliterateindividualsnoticepatternsandsystemswithinnature,howpeopleaffectthose

11

patternsandsystems,andhowwecanusethesystemsresourcesthatnatureprovidesina
sustainableway.
Asaneducator,itismyresponsibilitytoprovidemystudentswithopportunities
tomakeconnectionswiththenaturalworld.Itistheseconnectionsthatwillprovide
relevance,andwillinturnnurtureacaringforandcommitmenttotheirenvironment.
WhatisNext?
ThereviewofliteratureinChapterTwoprovidesinformationonstudiesthathave
beenconductedonecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.Specifically,Iresearchedthe
methodsforassessingecoliteracy,aswellashowecoliteracycanbetaughtinbothformal
andinformalsettings.Anadditionalcomponentidentifiesthecorrelationbetweentimein
natureandhowitaffectsecoliteracyinallagegroups.Thisbackgroundresearchhas
helpedformulatemyresearchapproachtounderstandhowanexperienceinnatureaffects
ecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.

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CHAPTERTWO
LiteratureReview
Introduction

Ecologicalliteracyistheunderstandingoftheprinciplesoforganizationthat

ecosystemshaveevolvedtosustaintheweboflife,andisthefirststepontheroadto
sustainability.(Capra,1996,p.297).AccordingtoMcGinn(2014),knowledgealoneis
notenoughtoconstituteecologicalliteracy(p.5).Knowledgeisinfluencedbyhandson
experiencesandmustbefusedwithbehaviorandafeelingofconnectednesstonature.
Thefocusofthiscapstoneprojectwillbeonthequestion:Howdoesanextended
experienceinnatureaffecttheecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents?

Thischapterfocusesonthedevelopmentoftheconceptofecoliteracyandits

connectionstoenvironmentaleducation.Theeffectofvariousschoolandstudent
attributesonecoliteracyisexploredinthedemographicssectionandtheconclusionsof
severalpreviouslyconductedstudiesarepresented,followedbyasectiononhowskillsin
ecologicalliteracycanbedeveloped.Thelastsectionofthisliteraturereview
investigatesthewaysinwhichecoliteracyismeasuredandassessed.
Ecoliteracy
Whenstudentsbegintounderstandtheintricateinterplayofrelationshipsthat
sustainanecosystem,theycanbetterappreciatetheimplicationsforsurvivalthatevena
smalldisturbancemayhave,ortheimportanceofstrengtheningrelationshipsthathelpa
systemrespondtodisturbances(Goleman,Bennett&Barlow,para.27).DavidOrrfirst
identifiedtheconceptofecologicalliteracyinresponsetotheacknowledgementthatour

13

childrenwouldbechallengedtosolvecomplexecologicalcrisesthathavebeencreated
bypastgenerations.
AccordingtoOrr,anecologicallyliteratepersonshouldhaveabasic
understandingofecologyandsustainabilityinadditiontothedesireandtoolstosolve
environmentalproblems(ascitedbyMcGinn,2014,p.4).
Sustainabilityisaqualitativeandquantitativeconditiondemonstratingthehuman
capacitytosurviveovertime.Itisqualitativeinthatwewantwellbeingaswellas
survivalandwellbeingishardtomeasure.Butitisalsoquantitativeinthatnatural
capitalandecologicalcarryingcapacitycannowbemeasuredwithfootprinting
tools(EcoLabs,2014,para.3).
McGinn(2014)analyzedastudythatwasconductedbyMcBridein2011entitled,
EssentialElementsofEcologicalLiteracyandthePathwaystoAchieveit:Perspectives
ofEcologistswhichgatheredtheperspectivesofover1,000ecologistsandother
environmentalscientistsonecologicalliteracy.Sixcommondimensionswerefoundand
discussedthatunderlietheparticipantsperceptionsofecologicalliteracy.These
dimensionsincludecyclesandwebs,ecosystemservices,negativehumanimpacts,
criticalthinkingandapplications,thenatureofecologicalscience,andbiogeography
(McGinn,2014,p.4).Cherrett(1989)studiedthemisconceptionsthatstudentshad
relatingtoenvironmentaleducationandconcludedthatanecologicallyliterateperson
shouldhaveanunderstandingofimperativeecologicalconceptssuchasecosystem
succession,energyflow,materialscycling,ecologicaladaptation,foodwebs,carrying
capacity,andspeciesdiversity(ascitedbyMcGinn,2014,p.5).Bruyere(2008)analyzed

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thedefinitionsforecologicalliteracyandidentifiedcommonthemesexistbetweeneach
ofthem.Threesimilaritiespresentinmanyofthestandingdefinitionsareknowledge,
affect,andbehavior.McGinn(2014)notedthatthesethreecomponentsofknowledge,
affectandbehaviormustblendinordertomakeanecologicallyliterateperson(p.5).
Throughoutevolutionaryhistory,humanshavepossessedaninnateneedto
affiliatewithotherformsoflife(Rogers,n.d.,para.1).EdwardO.Wilsondescribedthis
affiliationasbiophilia,atermthatliterallymeansloveoflife(ascitedinNova,2008,
para.1).Rogers(n.d.)describedherinterpretationofthehumanrelationshipwithnature
inthefollowingpassage:
Anecdotalandqualitativeevidencesuggeststhathumansareinnatelyattractedto
nature.Forexample,theappearanceofthenaturalworld,withitsrichdiversityof
shapes,colours,andlife,isuniversallyappreciated.Thisappreciationisoften
invokedasevidenceofbiophilia.Thesymbolicuseofnatureinhumanlanguage,
inidiomssuchasblindasabatandeagerbeaver,andthepervasivenessof
spiritualreverenceforanimalsandnatureinhumanculturesworldwideareother
sourcesofevidenceforbiophilia.(para.2)
Additionally,Nisbet,ZelenskiandMurphy(2009)havepointedoutthatevidence
ofthisbiophiliacanbeobservedbythepopularityofoutdoorwildernessactivities,zoos
andgardening,andbyourrelationshipwithanimalsandfondnessfornaturalscenery.
Therearealsowelldocumentedhealthbenefitsassociatedwiththenaturalenvironment,
someofwhichincludedecreasedstresslevelsandreducedsymptomsofdepressionand

15

anxiety(Nisbet,Zelenski,&Murphy,2009,p.717).Rosen(2013)sharedthisadvicein
hisarticle,RxNature:
Imagineatreatmentthatwouldimproveyourmood,makeyousmarter,keepyou
healthierandimproveyourrelationships.Howmuchwouldyouinvestinthat
therapy?Itturnsoutthereissuchathing,andbestofall,itsfree.Itscalled
nature.(para.2)
Unfortunately,accordingtoSobel(n.d.),todaymanystudentsconnectnaturewith
fear,whichhasbecomeknownasecophobia,afearofecologicalproblemsandthe
naturalworld(para.7).Thesefearscouldbefromspeciesextinction,oceantrashgyres,,
rainforestdestruction,globalwarming,acidrain,ozonedepletion,lymedisease,andthe
listgoesonandon.Theworstfearofall?Justbeingoutside!
Theanswertoreversingthisfearissimple.Sobel(n.d.)suggestedthatwecan
curethemalaiseofecophobiawithecophilia,orsupportingchildrensbiological
tendencytobondwiththenaturalworld(para.7).Sobel(n.d.)statedthatmost
environmentalistsattributedtheircommitmenttoacombinationoftwosources:many
hoursspentoutdoorsinakeenlyrememberedwildorsemiwildplaceinchildhoodor
adolescence,andanadultwhotaughtrespectfornature(para.8).Notoneofthe
conservationistssurveyedexplainedhisorherdedicationasareactionagainstexposure
toanuglyenvironment.Whatasimplesolution.Norainforestcurriculum,no
environmentalaction,justopportunitiestobeinthenaturalworldwithmodelingbya
responsibleadult(para.9).

16

Sobel(n.d.)wroteifwewantchildrentoflourish,tobecometrulyempowered,

thenletusallowthemtolovetheEarthbeforeweaskthemtosaveit.Perhapsthisis
whatThoreauhadinmindwhenhesaid,themoreslowlytreesgrowatfirst,thesounder
theyareatthecore,andIthinkthatthesameistrueofhumanbeings(para.45).
Inordertohaverespectandappreciationforthenaturalworldinwhichwelive,
childrenneedtobeprovidedwithopportunitiestomakepersonalconnectionswithit.I
feelthattheseexperiencesandmemorieswillcontributetogreaterappreciationand
knowledge,andwillthenpromotemorepositiveattitudesandbehaviorstowards
protectingtheenvironment.
EcoliteracyandEnvironmentalEducation
In1944,notedconservationistAldoLeopoldwrote,Actsofconservationwithout
therequisitedesiresandskillarefutile.Tocreatethesedesiresandskills,andthe
communitymotive,isthetaskofeducation(ascitedinCoyle,2005,p.1).This
educationcannotsolelyhappenwithinthewallsofaschoolbuilding.Rather,skillsand
conceptsmaybetaughtinaclassroom,butstudentsneedtohavetheopportunityto
practiceandapplythoseskillsandconceptsinanaturalsettingtoeffectivelylearnand
adoptaconservationperspective.
InOctober,1977,theworldsfirstintergovernmentalconferenceon
environmentaleducationwasorganizedbytheUnitedNationsEducation,Scientific,and
CulturalOrganization(UNESCO)(UNESCO,1977).TheTbilisiDeclarationwas
adoptedatthecloseoftheconference,demonstratingtheimportantroleofenvironmental
educationinthepreservationandimprovementoftheworldsenvironment.TheTbilisi

17

Declarationconstitutestheframework,principles,andguidelinesforenvironmental
educationatalllevelslocal,national,regional,andinternationalandforallagegroups
bothinsideandoutsidetheformalschoolsystem(UNESCO,1977,para.4).
TheTbilisiDeclarationidentifiedthegoalsofenvironmentaleducation:
1.Tofosterclearawarenessof,andconcernabout,economic,social,political,and
ecologicalinterdependenceinurbanandruralareas
2.Toprovideeverypersonwithopportunitiestoacquiretheknowledge,values,
attitudes,commitment,andskillsneededtoprotectandimprovetheenvironment
3.Tocreatenewpatternsofbehaviorofindividuals,groupsandsocietyasa
wholetowardstheenvironment(para.6).
ThecategoriesofenvironmentaleducationobjectivesasoutlinedintheTbilisi
Declarationare:
Awarenesstohelpsocialgroupsandindividualsacquireanawarenessand
sensitivitytothetotalenvironmentanditsalliedproblems.
Knowledgetohelpsocialgroupsandindividualsgainavarietyofexperiencein,
andacquireabasicunderstandingof,theenvironmentanditsassociated
problems.
Attitudestohelpsocialgroupsandindividualsacquireasetofvaluesand
feelingsofconcernfortheenvironmentandthemotivationforactively
participatinginenvironmentalimprovementandprotection.
Skillstohelpsocialgroupsandindividualsacquireskillsforidentifyingand
solvingenvironmentalproblems.

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Participationtoprovidesocialgroupsandindividualswithanopportunitytobe
activelyinvolvedatalllevelsinworkingtowardresolutionofenvironmental
problems(UNESCO,1977,para.7.)

ThesecontributionsthathavebeenmadebytheTbilisiDeclarationhavelaida

solidfoundationonwhicheducators,schoolsandenvironmentallearningcenterscan
buildastrongfoundationthatpromotesecoliteracyinstudentpopulations.
Morrone,ManclandCarr(2001)analyzedtheworkofaHungerfordandVolk
(1990)thatfocusedonusingenvironmentaleducationcurriculatoraiseenvironmental
literacybyencompassingknowledgethatgoesbeyondanunderstandingofthe
environment.Theysuggestedthatenvironmentaleducationcurriculashouldconsistof
fourgoallevels,whichweredesignedtoproducecitizensthatwereenvironmentally
literate.Morrone,ManclandCarr(2001)identifiedthesegoalsas:
LevelI:Focusingonbuildingecologicalfoundationsinareassuchasinteraction
andinterdependence,energyflowandmaterialcycling,andecosystem
succession.
LevelII:Curriculawillhelpstudentsunderstandhowhumansperceiveandvalue
theenvironment.
LevelIII:Theinvestigativeandevaluativecurricula,developsstudentsabilityto
investigateenvironmentalissuesanddevelopalternativesolutionsto
environmentalproblems.
LevelIV:Teachstudentsskillsneededtotakenecessaryenvironmentalaction.(p.
34)

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HungerfordandVolk(1990)suggestedthattraditionalthinkinginthefieldof
environmentaleducationwasthatonecanchangebehaviorbymakinghumanbeings
moreknowledgeableabouttheenvironmentanditsassociatedissues.Morrone,Mancl
andCarr(2001)arguedthatknowledgealoneisnotenoughdevelopersof
environmentaleducationcurriculashouldfocusonhelpingcitizensincreaseknowledge,
expandingawareness,anddevelopskills,whichwillallowthemtoparticipateinsolving
environmentalproblems(p.3).Theyalsopointedoutthatresearchsuggeststhat
teachersarenotfocusingonLevelIgoalsrather,theyareemphasizingvaluesand
attitudesorLevelIIgoalsintheirattemptstopromoteenvironmentallyresponsible
behaviors,beforeteachingthefoundationalconceptsandconnections.
Orr(1992)alsoarguedthatteachersarefailingtodevelopliteracybynot
integratingecologicalconceptsintoothersubjects.Orrbelievedthatateverylevelof
learning,kindergartenthroughpostgraduateeducation,partofthecurriculashouldbe
dedicatedtothestudyofnaturalsystemsroughlyinthemannerinwhichweexperience
them.Orr(1992)suggestedthat:
Theideaissimplythatwetakeoursensesseriouslythroughouteducationatall
levelsandthatdoingsorequiresimmersioninparticularcomponentsofthe
naturalworldariver,amountain,afarm,awetland,aforest,aparticular
animal,alake,andislandbeforeintroducingstudentstomoreadvancedlevels
ofdisciplinaryknowledge(ascitedbyStone,2015,para.4).
TheCenterforEcoliteracyrunsonaguidingprinciplethat,therealworldisthe
optimallearningenvironment(Stone,2015,para.2).Louv(2005)arguedthattimein

20

natureisnotleisuretime,itsanessentialinvestmentinourchildrenshealth(p.120).
AccordingtoStone(2015),encounteringnatureinitscomplexitywithwholenesscan
alsohelpintegrateteachingacrossdisciplinesandbetweengradesanantidotetothe
fragmentationandnarrowingthatoftenresultsfromstandardizedtestingandstate
mandates(para11).Healsostatedthatnature,afterall,doesnotdoscienceat9:00,
socialstudiesat10:00,andmathat11:00(Stone,2015,para.13).
Thefoundationofthiscapstoneprojectwilllinkecoliteracyandenvironmental
educationwithadirectfocusontimeinnatureandstudentsinteractionswiththe
environmentanditssystems.Studentswillhavetoopportunitytolearnbydoingand
experiencingnaturefirsthand,andthus,shouldincreasetheirknowledge,attitudes,
awareness,andhopefullyappreciationofthenaturalworld.
DemographicsAffectingEcoliteracy

Developingecoliteracyinchildrenandadolescentsiscriticaltoaddressingand

creatingsolutionstomeetingcurrentandemergingenvironmentalchallenges,both
locallyandworldwide.Therearevariousfactorsandimpactsthatshapepersonal
ecologicalknowledge,attitudesandbehaviors.Demographicanalysisexamineshow
studentandschoolattributesaffectecoliteracy,specificallyschool,age,gender,ethnicity,
backgroundandexperienceinnature.

InStevensonetal.s(2013)studyofEnvironmental,Institutional,and

DemographicPredictorsofEnvironmentalLiteracyamongMiddleSchoolChildren,739
students(gradessixandeight)weregiventheMiddleSchoolEnvironmentalLiteracy
Survey(MSELS)atthestartandendofscienceclasses.TheMSELSconsistsofeight

21

sectionsthatcontributetoanoverallenvironmentalliteracyscore.Thesurveyitself
assessesfourcomponentsofenvironmentalliteracy:Knowledge,Affect,Cognitive
Skills,andBehavior.

TheStevensonetal.(2013)studyonschoolattributesfoundthefollowing:
Thetypeofschoolthatstudentsattendedwasrelatedtosomeareasof
environmentalliteracy.Inthepretest,schoolswithahigherstudent/teacherratio
werebehindinknowledge,TitleIschoolswerebehindinbehaviortowardsthe
environment,andcharterandprivateschoolsoutperformedpublicschoolsin
behavior.Noneoftheseschoolattributesweresignificantlyrelatedtothechange
inenvironmentalliteracyoverthesemester.Urbanandruralschoolperformedon
thepretest,althoughstudentsinurbanschoolsimprovedmoreslowlythanthose
inruralschoolsoverthesemesterinCognitiveSkills.Overall,schoolattributes
hadtheweakestrelationshipswithenvironmentalliteracy.(p.6)
Stevensonetal.(2013)foundschoolcharacteristicswererelatedtoenvironmental

literacyinsomewhatexpectedways.Lowersocioeconomicstatusisgenerally
associatedwithloweracademicachievement,butwedidnotdetectthisrelationshipfor
anydimensionofenvironmentalliteracyexceptBehavior(p.9).Theyalsonotedthat
incomehasgenerallybeenpositivelyassociatedwithenvironmentalbehavior.
Stevensonetal.(2013)studyalsorevealedthatstudentattributeshavestrong
relationshipswithenvironmentalliteracy.Itwasnotedthat:
Olderstudentstendtowanetheirinterestinscienceandmathinthemiddleschool
years,whichcouldalsoexplaintheslowerrateofenvironmentalliteracy

22

improvementamongeighthgraders.Thesefindingssuggestmiddleschoolgrades
mayincludeanagetippingpointwhereenvironmentaleducationeffortsstart
becominglesseffectiveinpromotingenvironmentalliteracy.(Stevensonetal.,
2013,p.9)
Stevensonetal.(2013)advocateditisnotthatolderstudentscannotbenefitfrom
theseefforts,butratheryoungerstudentsmayhavethegreatestcapacityforlearning.In
2010,theUniversityofIcelandconductedanevaluationtoassesstheecologicalliteracy
oftheirfaculty,staffandstudentstocollectbaselinedatatoformasustainabilitypolicy.
AnonlinesurveywasdistributedtoeveryonewithavalidUniversityofIcelandemail
account.Thesurveycontainedfivesections:demographics,environmentalattitudes,
sustainablebehaviors,environmentalvalues,andvisionsfortheuniversity(Davidson,
2010).Thetrendsofthisstudyindicatedthattheoldertheparticipant,thebettertheydid
onthesurvey.
IntheStevensonetal.(2013)study,itwasnotedthatgenderwasrelatedto
environmentalliteracyincomplexways.Althoughgirlsunderperformedboysinthe
pretestforknowledge,theyoutperformedtheminaffectandcognitiveskillsand
improvedfasterinknowledgeoverthecourseofthesemester.Thisgapinthepretestis
supportedbysimilargendertrendsinscience.Stevensonetal.(2013)pointedoutthat
girlsdooftenunderperformboysinthesciences,butalsothatnumerousstudieshave
shownthatwomenandgirlsholdmorepositiveenvironmentalattitudesandgreaterlevels
ofconcernfortheenvironment.

23

Stevensonetal.(2013)urgedthatitispossiblethatachievementgapsin
ecoliteracyarerootedinthesamecausesasthoseinotheracademicareas,suchas
differencesinculturalperceptionoftheoutdoorsandaccesstonaturalareas.Stevensonet
al.(2013)suggested:
Minoritygroupsexperiencemoreconstraintstonaturalareaaccessandcanbe
culturallyexcludedfromoutdoorrecreation.Inconsideringoutdoorrecreation,
safetyisofparticularconcerntosomeminoritygroups,includingblacksand
Hispanics,whichmayleadtominoritychildrenspendinglesstimeoutdoorsthan
theirwhitecounterparts.(p.7)

AccordingtoStevensonetal.(2013),timeoutdoorsisoneoftheonlyfactors

thatsignificantlyimpactsKnowledge,AffectandBehavior(p.7).Accordingly,life
experienceswerelessimportantthansmallclasssizesandchallengesassociatedwith
lowerincomesinschools(Stevenson,2014).
Ineachofthestudiesthatwereanalyzed,onecommontrendthatreoccurredisthe
importanceofidentifyinghowdemographicsaffecttheresultsthatareobtained.This
capstonewilltakeintoaccountgender,ageandethnicdifferencesandcomparethemwith
howecoliteracyisaffectedbyanextendedexperienceinnature.
PastStudies

Severalpreviousstudieshavebeenconductedwhichinvestigateandassessthe

ecologicalliteracyofstudentsatvaryingagesandinvarioussettings.Manyofthestudies
thatwerereviewedinthischapterinvolvedmiddleschoolstudents,collegelevel

24

students,andadults.Littleresearchhasbeenfoundthatspecificallyassessedthe
ecologicalliteracyofhighschoolstudents.
In2005,KevinCoyle,formerpresidentofTheNationalEnvironmentalEducation
&TrainingFoundation,releasedtheresultsofatenyearstudytitled,Environmental
LiteracyinAmerica.Thestudy,whichwascarriedoutbytheNationalScience
FoundationsAdvisoryCommitteeforEnvironmentalResearchandEducation,was
conductedduetothegrowingawarenessthatinthecomingdecades,thepublicwill
morefrequentlybecalledupontounderstandcomplexenvironmentalissues,assessrisk,
evaluateproposedenvironmentalplansandunderstandhowindividualdecisionsaffect
theenvironmentatlocalandglobalscales(Coyle,2005,p.i).Coyle(2005)offeredan
explanationoftheresultsofthereport:
Thissummaryprovidesaloudwakeupcalltotheenvironmentaleducation
community,tocommunityleaders,andtoinfluentialspecialistsrangingfrom
physicianstoweathercasters.AtatimewhenAmericansareconfrontedwith
increasinglychallengingenvironmentalchoices,welearnthatourcitizenryisby
andlargebothuninformedandmisinformed.(p.i)
Coyles(2005)resultsindicatedthatmostAmericansbelievetheyknowmore
abouttheenvironmentthantheyactuallydo(ascitedbyMcGinn,2014,p.7).Thisis
alsotrueforadultslivinginMinnesota.InMurphys(2002)TheMinnesotaReportCard
onEnvironmentalLiteracy:ABenchmarkSurveyofAdultEnvironmentalKnowledge,
AttitudesandBehavior,itwasfoundthat65%ofMinnesotaadultsbelievethattheyare
knowledgeableaboutenvironmentalissuesandproblems,yetonly36%ofthestates

25

adultshaveanaboveaverageknowledgeabouttheenvironment(p.6).Coyles(2005)
studyalsofoundthatawarenessofenvironmentalissuesishigh,andtheAmericanpublic
issupportiveofenvironmentaleducation.Inassessingcorrelationsbetweenknowledge
andbehavior,thestudyfoundthat:
Environmentalknowledgecorrelatessignificantlywithsustainablebehaviors.
However,knowledgedoesnotcorrelatewithsustainablebehaviorsthatrequire
greaterchangesinbehavior,anditdoesnotcorrelatewithlastingenvironmental
stewardshipmeaningthatthatpeopledonotfullyincorporateenvironmental
impactsintotheirdaytodaydecisionmakingintheshortandlongterm.(ascited
byMcGinn,2014,p.7)

InMcGinns(2014)analysisoftheCoyle(2005)study,sheprovides

recommendationsthatincludespreadingenvironmentaleducationtoprofessionals,
developingcurriculaforeducationalinstitutionsasidefromschoolsandimproving
onlineenvironmentaleducationdisseminationandtools(p.7).

Anotherstudy,conductedbyBruyere(2008),studiedTheEffectofEnvironmental

EducationontheEcologicalLiteracyofFirstYearCollegeStudents.Thisstudyfocused
onidentifyinghowsustainablebehaviorsareinfluencedbyknowledgeofenvironmental
systemsandissues.Inthestudy,freshmenatColoradoStateUniversitywereprovided
withpreandpostassessmentsbeforeandaftertwoenvironmentaleducationlessons.
Bruyere(2008)foundthatasindividualslearnaboutecologicalprinciples,biological
cycles,andenvironmentalsystems,theirenvironmentalattitudesbecomemorefavorable

26

andmanyoftheirenvironmentalbehaviorsbecomemorefrequent(ascitedbyMcGinn,
2014,p.8).

Stern,PowellandArdoins(2008)studyofWhatDifferenceDoesItMake?

AssessingOutcomesFromParticipationinaResidentialEnvironmentalEducation
Programanalyzedtheshortandlongtermimpactsofparticipationinthreeandfiveday
residentialenvironmentaleducationprograms.Inthestudy,theysurveyed300students
duringthe20062007academicyear.Theymeasureditemsona5pointLikerttypescale
andevaluatedfourindices:connectionwithnature,environmentalstewardship,interestin
learninganddiscovery,andknowledgeandawarenessofbiologicaldiversity.Theyfound
thattheresidentialenvironmentaleducationexperienceappearedtoachieveshortterm
successinallofthemeasuredoutcomes.Analysisofa3monthfollowupsurvey
revealedthat:
Increasesinstudentscommitmentstoenvironmentalstewardship,their
knowledgeandawarenessofthenaturalenvironment,andbiologicaldiversity
remainedsignificant.However,increasesinstudentsinterestinlearningand
discoveryandtheirconnectionwithnaturefadedovertime.(p.40)
Theyalsonotedthat5dayprogramsandgreateractiveengagementofvisiting
teachersonsiteprovedtobemoresuccessfulineffectingdesiredoutcomesthandidthe
3dayprograms.Theresultssuggestedthatlongerprogrameffortsmayenhancethe
longtermoutcomesofresidentialenvironmentaleducationprograms.Additionally,
SmithSebastoandCavern(2006)foundthatstudentsexposedtobothprevisitand
postvisitactivitiessupportingaresidentialenvironmentaleducationexperienceinNew

27

Jerseyshowedmorepositiveenvironmentalattitudes.However,previsitexperiences
alonehadnosignificanteffectonoutcomeswithoutthefollowupexperiencethereverse
wasalsofound(ascitedbyStern,Powell,&Ardoin,2008,p.33).Itisimportantthatpre
andpostvisitactivitiesareimplementedtoprovidestudentswiththegreatestlearning
advantage.
Itisclearthatthereisanincreasingneedtopromoteopportunitiesthatincrease
ecoliteracyinthegeneralpopulation.Itseemsthatmorecutstopubliceducationare
beingmadeeachyear,andfieldtripsareoneofthefirstitemseliminated.Theintentof
thisstudyistogatherdataontheeffectthatfieldexperiencesaresidentialenvironmental
learningcenterhasonecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.
DevelopingEcoliteracy

InMcBrides(2011)study,EssentialElementsofEcologicalLiteracyandthe

PathwaystoAchieveIt:PerspectivesofEcologists,theecologistsinterviewedand
surveyedfivemeansthroughwhichecologicalliteracycanbeachieved.Theseinclude
(1)educationbymassmedia,(2)formaleducation,(3)financialincentives,(4)
participatory/interactiveeducation,and(5)communicationandoutreachbyscientists.

McBride(2011)pointedoutthattheprimarysourceofgeneralnewsand

informationaboutscienceandtechnologyintheUnitedStatesistelevisionandthe
internetisthesourcethatAmericansaremostlikelytoturntoforadditionalinformation
aboutaspecificsciencerelatedtopic(p.167).McBride(2011)arguedthateffortsto
promoteecologicalliteracymusttakeadvantageoftheseresourcesastheyserveas
importantinformationcontextsthatcanalterand/orreinforcetheviewsoftheir

28

respectiveaudiences(p.167).McGinn(2014)urgedthatwidereachingmediadoesnot
createanecologicallyliterateperson,butithasthepowertoexposepeopletoecological
conceptswhowouldnototherwisereceivethisinitialexposure(p.10).Inorderformass
mediatobeeffectiveinpromotingecologicalliteracy,McBride(2011)statedthat:
...ecologistswouldberequiredtocollaboratewithsocialresearchers,
communicationandmediaprofessionalswhocanhelpscientiststoincorporate
newconceptualandpracticaltoolsandapproachesforpublicengagementinto
theiroutreachactivities,andtoputaneffectivemodelofpublicengagementinto
practice.(p.167)
Massmediaisapowerfultoolandhasthepotentialtoincreaseawarenessand
knowledgeofenvironmentalconceptsandissues.Unfortunatelyforsome,mediamaybe
theonlyexposuretonaturethattheyeverget.Toothers,whattheyseeorhearonthe
newscouldserveasasparktoseekoutfurtherinformation.

McBride(2011)identifiedthesecondfactorforachievingecologicalliteracyas

formaleducation,withrespecttoconventionalclassroomlectures,curriculaand
courseworkacrossgradelevels.Tobeeffective,McBride(2011)pointedoutthatefforts
topromoteandassessecologicalliteracymustbecommensuratewithexpectationsof
whattheliterateindividualshouldknowandbeabletodo(p.168).Itisarguedthat
simplyincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintotraditionalcurriculumisnotenoughto
increasingstudentsecologicalliteracy.Ecologicalliteracynotonlyrequiresknowledge
ofconcepts,buttheacquisitionofskillsthatstudentscanusetomakeinformeddecisions.

29

Curriculathatpromoteecologicalliteracyneedtohavewelldefinedlearning
outcomesstatingwhatstudentsshouldbeabletoknowanddoatanygivengradelevel,
coupledwithappropriatetoolsforassessment(McBride,2011).McBride(2011)noted
thatdiscussionsaboutcurriculumrevisionsforecologicalliteracyshouldfocuson
questionsconcerning
1. Thetypesoflinkagesthatexistorshouldexistbetweenconceptsand
competencies
2. Thebesttimetointroducespecificcompetencies
3. Waysofincreasingthedepthandsophisticationofthecompetencies
4. Waysofsupportingtheintegrateddevelopmentofstudentcompetencies
throughoutacademiccurriculum.(p.171)
Inaddition,theusefulnessofanyproposedcurriculadependsonitspotentialto
meetthelocalneedsandresourcesofdiverseformalandinformalsettings.McBride
(2011)stressedthatstudentsneedtobeprovidedwithconcreteandrelevanttopicsof
investigationsandexperientiallearningthatfocusontheirlocalenvironmentstowhich
theycandirectlyrelateandmakeconnections.

ThethirdfactorthatMcBride(2011)identifiedasameanstoachievingecological

literacyisfinancialincentives.Forexample,whenapersonisrewardedfinanciallyfor
adoptingactionsthatpositivelyimpacttheenvironment,thisincentivizesgoodbehavior
despiteapersonsreasonfortakingthataction(McGinn,2014,p.11).
TheecologistsinMcBrides(2011)studyidentifiedgovernmentremuneration
forgreenactivitiesand/orpenaltyfornongreenactivitiesasapotentialtowards

30

ecologicalliteracy(p.171).McBride(2011)introducedthemechanismofcognitive
dissonance,whichdevelopswhenapersonholdstwocontradictorybeliefsatthesame
time.Withthismechanism,itisbelievedthatifincentivesareusedtoinducebehavior,
attitudeswillfollow.Withrespecttoenvironmentalliteracy,providingfinancial
incentivesforproenvironmentalbehaviors,suchasrecycling,maylinkwithand
reinforcepositiveattitudestowardsresourceconservationandreuse(McBride,2011,p.
172).

ThefourthpathwaytoecologicalliteracyasidentifiedbyMcBride(2011)is

participatory/interactiveeducation,whichisexpressedintermsofexperiential,
inquirybased,and/orappliedlearningexperiencesforstudentsingeneral,including
inquiries,labs,fieldtripsandvisitstomuseumsandnaturecenters(p.172).The
respondentsofthesurveycollectivelyagreedthatindividualsneedtolearnecologyby
doingecology.McBride(2011)stressedthatteachingstrategiesforpromotingecological
literacymustengagestudentsinactivitiesthatallowthemtodoecologythemselves,
whichreflectsaconstructivistviewoflearnersandlearning(p.172).Thisconstructionist
theory,accordingtoMcBride(2011)is:
...basedontheknowledgethatisconstructedbylearnersastheyattemptto
makesenseoftheirexperiencethatis,learnersarenotemptyvesselswaitingto
befilled,butratherareactiveorganismsseekingmeaningwhoconstructtheir
ownknowledgebyintegratingnewknowledgeintowhattheyalreadyknow.(p.
172)

31

AsLouv(2005)pointedout,thecurrentgenerationisthefirstthatspendsmore
timewithtechnologythanwithnature.LouvdeclaredthatmostchildrenintheUnited
Statestodayaresufferingfromnaturedeficitdisorder,whichischaracterizedbyawide
rangeofbehavioralproblems,depression,anxiety,attentiondisorders,diminisheduseof
senses,andmore.Intheintroductiontohisbook,LastChildintheWoods,Louv(2005)
wrote,
Reducingthatdeficithealingthebrokenbondbetweenouryoungand
natureisinourselfinterest,notonlybecauseaestheticsorjusticedemandsit,
butalsobecauseourmental,physical,andspiritualhealthdependsuponit.The
healthoftheearthisatstakeaswell.Howtheyoungrespondtonature,andhow
theyraisetheirownchildren,willshapetheconfigurationsandconditionsofour
cities,homesourdailylives.(p.3)
ScholarssuchasCoyle(2005)andLouv(2005)suggestedthat
participatory/interactiveeducation,suchasmappingtheirschoolanditssurrounding
community,willyieldmoreecologicallyliteratepeoplethanworkinsideofstructured
institutionsalone.Residentialenvironmentaleducationprogramsofferopportunitiesfor
studentstoexploretheenvironmentfirsthand,experienceadventurebasedchallenges,
anddevelopstewardshipskillsinactiveoutdoorsettings.Thisdirectcontactwiththe
naturalworldallowsstudentstodevelopanindepthunderstandingofthefundamental
ecologicalprinciples,whichcanbeintegratedbackintoclassroomlessons.Stern,Powell
andArdoin(2008)statedthattheseprogramsaretypicallygearedtoenhancing
environmentalattitudes,increasingenvironmentalknowledgeandliteracy,promoting

32

citizenshipskills,andencouragingstewardshipbehaviorsthatnotonlytakeplaceonsite
butalsocontinueoncethestudentsreturntotheirhomecommunities(p.32).These
programsadditionallyofferopportunitiesforpersonalgrowthbyencouragingteamwork,
collaboration,andthedevelopmentofleadershipskills,whichserveparticipating
studentswellintheiracademicandprofessionalfutures(p.32).

McBride(2011)identifiedthefifthandfinalpathwaytoecologicalliteracytobe

communicationandoutreachbyscientists,whichisexpressedintermsofdebate,
discussion,translation,andcollaborationamongscientistsandotherprofessionals(p.
174).McGinn(2014)addedthatindividualsbecomemoreconnectedwhentheycan
learndirectlyfromanauthoritythatconductsresearchversusreadinginformationfroma
bookornewsarticle(p.12).Itisalsosuggestedthatscientistsshouldmoreeffectively
communicatetheirscience,andworkshopsoncommunicatingforecologistswould
bolstertheeffectivenessofcommunicating(McGinn,2014,p.12).
Achievingecologicalliteracyisnotimpossible,butitdoesnothappenwithoutthe
collaborationandcommunicationofmedia,scientists,governments,educatorsand
studentsatallgradelevelsandinbothformalandinformalsettings.Havingan
ecologicallyliteratepopulationmeanshavingapopulationthatwillbeabletomake
informeddecisionsandtakeactionstosolvetheworldsenvironmentalissues.
MeasuringandAssessingEcoliteracy
Numerousattemptshavebeenmadetomeasurelevelsofenvironmentalliteracy,
ecologicalliteracyandecoliteracy.AccordingtoMorrone,Mancl,andCarr(2001),
appliedstudiesmainlyinvolvedevelopingandimplementingsurveyinstrumentstotest

33

howmuchrespondersknowabouttheenvironment,howpeoplevaluetheenvironment,
knowledgeofenvironmentallyresponsiblebehaviors,andparticipationinthose
behaviors(p.35).
Manyinstrumentsattempttomeasureoneormoreelementsofenvironmental
literacy.Theseinstrumentsusemultiplechoicequestionsasonetestofknowledgelevels.
Attitudes,values,andbehavioraregenerallymeasuredbyusingLikerttypescalesand
ranking(Morrone,Mancl&Carr,2011,p.36.)
Nisbet,ZelenskiandMurphy(2009)haveconstructedtheNatureRelatedness
(NR)Scaletodescribeindividuallevelsofconnectednesstothenaturalworld.The
conceptofnaturerelatednessencompassesonesappreciationforandtheunderstanding
ofourinterconnectednesswithallotherlivingthingsontheplanet(p.178).Nature
relatednessfocusesmuchmoreonjustactivism,separatingitfromenvironmentalism.
Nisbet,ZelenskiandMurphy(2009)pointedoutthat:
Itisnotsimplyaloveofnatureorenjoymentofonlythesuperficiallypleasing
facetsofnature,suchassunsetsandsnowflakes.Itisalsoanunderstandingofthe
importanceofallaspectsofnature,eventhosethatarenotaestheticallyappealing
tohumans(e.g.spidersandsnakes).(p.718)
Othermodelsforevaluatingecoliteracydoexist,butmostsimplydonotcoverthe
realmthattheNatureRelatednessScaledoes.Forexample,theNewEcologicalParadigm
(NEP)scale(Dunlapetal.,2000)capturesviewsabouthowhumansinteractwithnature
butlacksanemotionalorpersonalaspectanddoesnotexplorehowpeoplefeelabout
actuallybeinginnature(Nisbet,Zelenski&Murphy,2009,p.718).

34

TheConnectednesstoNatureScale(CNS)waspublishedbyMayerandFrantz
(2004)andsuggestedanaffectivemeasureofcommunityandnature.TheCNSattempts
tomeasureasenseofinclusionorclosenesswithnatureonbothanemotionaland
cognitivelevel,however,asNisbet,ZelenskiandMurphy(2009)pointedout,itfailsto
addressthephysicalaspectofhumannaturerelationships,whichisakeyelementof
individualsenseofconnectedness.Claytons(2003)EnvironmentalIdentityScale(EIS)
isanotherusefultoolthatmeasuresselfidentification,butfailstocapturetheexperiences
andemotionsthatarerelatedtonature(Nisbet,Zelenski&Murphy,2009,p.719).
Thereisawidearrayofassessmenttoolsthatcanbeimplementedtocalculate
ecoliteracy,eachhavingafewcomponentsthatarestrongerthanothers.Forthiscapstone
research,anassessmentwillbecreatedthatincorporatescomponentsfromthe
ConnectednesstoNatureScale(Mayer&Frantz,2004)andtheNatureRelatednessScale
(Nisbet,Zelenski&Murphy,2009).
Conclusion

Therearemanyfactorsthatcontributetoanindividualsecologicalliteracy.Tobe

ecologicallyliterate,notonlyknowledgeonenvironmentalsystems,butalsotheissues
thataffectthosesystems,therelationshipsbetween,andtheinterdependenceofmembers
ofecologicalsystemsarekey.Ecoliterateindividualsmustbeabletoapplythose
principlestosolvecomplexenvironmentalproblemsandtakeactiontoaddress
environmentalissuesthataffecttheplanettocreatesustainablecommunities.

Ecoliteracyisdevelopedthroughknowledgeandexperiences.Itcannotbetaught

inanenvironmentalscienceclassalone.Instead,itneedstobeintegratedintoallareasof

35

curriculumandstudentsneedtobeprovidedwithopportunitiestoexperiencethenatural
worldfirsthand.AsSobelwrote,ifwewantchildrentoflourish,tobecometruly
empowered,thenletusallowthemtolovetheEarthbeforeweaskthemtosaveit
(Sobel,n.d.,para.44).
WhatisNext?
Inthenextchapter,Iwilldescribetheproposedmethodologyfordesigningand
implementinganassessmentoftheecoliteracyofhighschoolstudentsbeforeandafteran
extendedexperienceinnatureataresidentialenvironmentallearningcenter.Themeans
forbothquantitativeandqualitativedataassessmenttoolswillbediscussed,alongwith
justificationsforeachofthetools.

36

CHAPTERTHREE
ResearchMethods
Introduction

Thefocusofthisresearchwastoaddressthequestion:Howdoesanexperiencein

natureaffectecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents?Thisstudyinvestigateshowan
extendedthreedayweekendfieldtriptoaresidentialenvironmentallearningcenterin
northernMinnesotaaffectsecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.Mypersonalconnection
tothistopicwasexplainedinChapterOne,followedbyliteraturereviewinChapterTwo.
Thiscurrentchapterfocusesontheprocessandmethodsusedtocollectdatainthe
capstonestudy.Italsodescribesthedemographicsofthestudentsinvolvedinthestudy,
thedatacollectiontoolsthatwereused,andatimelineinwhichtheresearchwas
collected.
ResearchParadigmandMethods

Forthisstudy,amixedmethodsresearchapproachwasutilized.Thisformofdata

collectinginvolvesthecollectionandanalysisofbothqualitative(openended)and
quantitative(closedended)data.AccordingtoCreswell(2014),authorofResearch
Design,thecoreassumptionofthisformofinquiryisthatthecombinationofqualitative
andquantitativeapproachesprovidesamorecompleteunderstandingofaresearch
problemthaneitherapproachalone(p.4).

Specificmethodsusedinthisstudyinvolvedtheimplementationofpreand

postteststhatanalyzedtheecoliteracyofthestudentsoneweekbeforeandimmediately
afterthefieldexperience.Thespecificassessmentusedcontainedquestionsfromboth

37

theConnectednesstoNatureScale(CNS)(MayerandFrantz,2004)andtheNature
RelatednessScale(NRS)(Nisbet,Zelenski,&Murphy,2009).Inadditiontothepreand
postassessments,studentscompleteddailyguidedjournalingexercisesandfocusgroup
interviewswereconductedtoprovideanadditionalsourcesofdata.
Demographics

Thisstudyinvolvedagroupof28highschoolstudentsingrades1012froma

ruralpublichighschoolinsoutheasternMinnesota.Thestudentsthatparticipatedwere
invitedalongonthisoptionalfieldexperienceasaresultoftheirinvolvementinthe
school'sstudentenvironmentalcluborenrollmentineithertheAdvancedPlacement
EnvironmentalSciencecourseorsophomorelevelbiologycourses.
Demographicinformationwascollectedfromeachofthestudentsonthepretest
assessment.Thisinformationincludedage,gender,ethnicity,aswellastheaverage
numberofhoursspentoutdoorsinatypicalweek.
Preparations

Manypreparationsweremadeinordertoassurethesafetyandconfidentialityof

thestudentsinvolvedinthisstudy.Beforeanyresearchpertainingtothisstudywas
conducted,aNonExemptHumanSubjectsCommitteeApplicationwassubmittedto
HamlineUniversityandschooldistrictpaperworkwascompletedtoallowstudentsto
participateinthefieldtrip.Parentsandguardiansalsocompletedliabilityformsforthe
residentiallearningcenter,aswellasaconsentformthatgavetheirchildpermissionto
participateinthisstudy.Aninformedconsentletterwasprovidedtostudentsandtheir
parents/guardiansthatoutlinedthepurposeofthisresearchstudyandhowthestudents

38

wouldparticipate.Assuranceofconfidentialityandvoluntaryparticipationand
explanationsofpotentialrisks,discomforts,costs,andbenefitswerealsoexplainedin
thisconsentletter,whichwasthenfollowedbyaconsentstatementfromtheresidential
learningcenter.Eachofthestudentsincludedinthisstudyhadthecompletedpaperwork
onfileattheschoolandonthefieldexperience.
ActionPlan

Thisstudyfocusedoninvestigatingtheeffectsthatanextendedexperiencein

nature,specificallyataresidentialenvironmentallearningcenter,hadontheecoliteracy
ofhighschoolstudents.Agroupof28highschoolstudents(grades1012)weregivena
pretestthatincludedquestionsfromtheConnectednesstoNatureScale(CNS)(Mayer
andFrantz,2004)andtheNatureRelatednessScale(NRS)(Nisbet,Zelenski&Murphy,
2009).ThequestionsonthistestincludedaLikerttypesurveywherestudentswereasked
toanswertheclosedendedquestionsintermsofthewaytheygenerallyfeel.These
questionscontributetotheattitudesandbehaviorsassociatedwithecoliteracy.This
pretestalsoincludedasectionthatgatheredstudentsdemographicinformationthat
includedtheage,sex,ethnicbackground,andaveragenumberofhoursspentoutdoors
eachweek.

Oneweekafterthepretest,studentstraveledbybustoaresidentialenvironmental

learningcenterinnortheasternMinnesotawheretheyspentthreedaysinnatureasthey
participatedinclassesrelatingtoenvironmentalscience,outdoorrecreationandteam
building.Specificclassofferingsincludedaropescoursechallenge,snowshoeing,
Northwoodsmammals,rockclimbing,andfrozenlakestudies.Studentswerealso

39

providedwithanopportunitytohikearoundanearbystateparktoseeawaterfalland
LakeSuperiorupclose.Eachevening,studentscompletedguidedjournalentriesthat
askedthemtoreflectontheirexperiencesfromthedaysactivities.Attheendofthetrip,
focusgroupdiscussionswereheldwherestudentssharedtheirthoughtsandfeelings
abouthowtheexperienceaffectedtheirknowledge,attitudesandbehaviorstowardsthe
environment.Thesefocusgroupsweremadeofup34studentsthatvolunteeredto
participate.
Attheconclusionofthefieldexperience,studentswereprovidedwithaposttest
thatwasidenticaltothepretest.Thisposttestalsohadadditionalopenendedquestions
forstudentstosharehowtheyspecificallyfeltabouthoweachexperienceaffectedtheir
knowledge,attitudesandbehaviorstowardsthenaturalenvironmentandaLikerttype
scaleforwhichthedatawasconvertedtoanumberandanalyzed.
Timeline
ThestartdateforthisstudywasFebruary8,2016,whichiswhenthepretestwas
administeredtostudentsduringalunchtimemeeting.Studentsthentraveledtothe
residentialenvironmentallearningcenteronFriday,February12,2016andstayedthere
untilSunday,February14,2016.Duringthistime,studentsparticipatedinoutdoor,
environmentalandteambuildingexperiencesaswellasselfreflectioninanatural,
northernMNsetting.Attheconclusionofthetripstudentswereimmediatelyprovided
withtheposttestthatmeasuredtheirecoliteracy.Theentireprocesswascompletedwithin
atwoweektimeperiod,byFebruary19,2016.

40

ResearchTools
Severalresearchtoolswereimplementedinthisstudytocollectdatawithan
explanatorysequentialmixedmethodsintegration.Thereasonforselectingthismixed
methodsapproachistoexplainquantitativeresultswithqualitativedata,whichprovides
amoreindepthunderstandingofthequantitativeresultsthatareobtained(Creswell,
2014).
Beforeanydatawascollected,studentscompletedastudentdemographic
questionnaire(seeAppendixA)thatgathereddatarelatingtotheirgender,age,race,and
courseworktaken.Identicalpreandposttests(seeAppendixA)wereutilizedtomeasure
studentsecologicalliteracybeforeandimmediatelyaftertheirexperienceatthe
residentialenvironmentallearningcenterasameansforquantitativedatacollection.On
theseassessments,studentsrespondedtoa5pointLikertscalethatcontained20items
fromtheConnectednesstoNatureScalewhichwasdevelopedbyMayerandFrantz
(2004)andtheNatureRelatednessScalebyNisbet,ZelenskiandMurphy(2009).
Studentresponsesfromthese20questionswerecombinedandaveragedtocreate
anecoliteracyindex.Individualstudentpreandposttestscoreswereanalyzedandthe
differencewascalculatedtodeterminetheeffectthattheoverallexperienceatthe
residentiallearningcenterhadontheirknowledge,attitudes,andbehaviorstowardsthe
naturalenvironment.
Inadditiontothequantitativeassessments,qualitativeassessmentmeasuresthat
includedstudentjournals(seeAppendixB)andfocusgroupsdiscussions(seeAppendix
C)werealsoincorporatedtoprovideamoreindepthunderstandingoftheresultsofthe

41

preandposttest.Bothofthesetoolsallowstudentstoprovidehistoricalinformationand
personalexperiencesandreflectionsthatmayhaveaffectedtheresultsofthequantitative
assessmenttools.Thedailyjournalentrieswereanalyzedandcommonthemesin
responseswereidentifiedandanalyzed.Theseadditionaltoolshelpedtoidentifyifprior
studentattributes(e.g.,experience,knowledge,andskills)mayhavecontributedto
ecoliteracy.
Attheendofeachday,studentswereprovidedwithseveraljournalprompts(see
AppendixB)andwereaskedtoreflectonhowtheactivitiesthattheyparticipatedinthat
dayaffectedtheirknowledge,attitudesandbehaviorsabouttheenvironment.Thejournal
promptshadascaleonwhichstudentsrankedtheirfeelings.Eachscaleitemwas
assignedaLikerttyperankingnumberthatwasusedforanalysis.
Shortlyafterreturningfromtheenvironmentallearningcenter,threefocusgroup
interviewswereheldwithgroupsoftwotofourstudentswhovolunteeredtobe
interviewed.Studentswerepresentedwithseveralquestions(seeAppendixC)andtheir
responseswererecorded.Commonthemesinstudentresponseswereidentifiedand
analyzedtoprovideabasisandunderstandingfortheecoliteracypreandposttestresults.
DataAnalysis

Attheconclusionofthetrip,theoverallscoresofthepreandpostassessments

ofecoliteracywerecomparedforeachofthestudentsthatparticipatedinthestudy.The
averagescorefromitems114,whichcamedirectlyfromtheConnectednesstoNature
Scale,(Mayer&Frantz,2004)wasthencomparedwiththeaveragescoresfromitems

42

1520,whichcamedirectlyfromtheNatureRelatednessScale(Nisbet,Zelenski&
Murphy,2009)todetermineifthescoresfromthetwoassessmentsweresimilar.
Studentjournalsandinterviewquestionsandresponseswerereviewedtogain
insightontheresultsthatwereobtainedonthequantitativeassessment.Thisinformation
helpedtoprovideasubjectivedescriptionandbackgroundtohelpunderstandeach
studentspersonalexperienceonthisfieldtrip.
WhatisNext?
Inthischapter,themethodsandproceduresofthisstudywereexamined.The
researchparadigmsandmethodology,preparations,demographics,actionplan,research
tools,timeline,andlimitationsofthestudywereoutlinedtodescribetheresearch
performedandanalyzedinthisstudy.ChapterFourpresentstheanalysisofthedata
collectedbythepreandposttestsandstudentjournalsandsmallfocusgroupinterviews.
Thisinformationwillbeanalyzedtoseewhatinferencesandconclusionscanbemade
regardingthequestion:Howdoesanexperienceinnatureaffectecoliteracyofhigh
schoolstudents?

43

CHAPTERFOUR
Results
Introduction
Thefocusofthiscapstonestudywastoinvestigatehowathreedayexperienceat
aresidentialenvironmentallearningcenterinnorthernMinnesotaaffectsecoliteracyof
highschoolstudents.InChapterOneofthiscapstonestudy,theresearcherspersonal
connectiontothetopicwasdescribed.ChapterTwoprovidedanexaminationofliterature
andpreviousstudiescarriedoutonthetopic,lookingspecificallyatthedevelopmentof
theconceptofecoliteracy,howecoliteracyisassessed,andthefactorsthataffectit.In
chapterthree,thestudysprocessandthemethodsusedtocollectthedatawere
addressed.ChapterFourexploresthedatacollectedduringthestudy,analyzesand
interpretstheresults,andconnectstheresultstothefocusquestion:Howdoesan
experienceinnatureaffectecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents?
ReviewofDataCollectionMethods
Quantitativeandqualitativedatacollectionmethodswereimplementedinthis
capstoneproject.Studentstookapretestbeforegoingonthefieldexperiencetothe
residentialenvironmentallearningcenterthatmeasuredtheirbaselinelevelofecoliteracy
(seeAppendixA).Thisassessmentalsoincludeddemographicinformation,andstudents
answeredquestionsabouttheirage,grade,gender,raceandotherbackground
information.Atthecompletionofthefieldexperience,studentstookanidenticalposttest
thatmeasuredtheirecoliteracyaftertheweekendexperienceattheresidential
environmentallearningcenter.

44

Theoverallscoresfromthepreandposttestsofecoliteracywerecomparedfor
eachofthestudentsthatparticipatedinthestudy.Theaveragescorefromitems114,
whichcamedirectlyfromtheConnectednesstoNatureScale,(Mayer&Frantz,2004)
wasthencomparedwiththeaveragescoresfromitems1520,whichcamedirectlyfrom
theNatureRelatednessScale(Nisbet,Zelenski&Murphy,2009)todetermineifthe
scoresfromthetwoassessmentsweresimilar.
Qualitativedatacollectionmethodsincludedtheuseofdailystudentjournal
entries(seeAppendixB)andthreesmallfocusgroupinterviews(seeAppendixC)that
wereheldaftertheexperience.Studentjournalsandinterviewquestionsandresponses
werereviewedtogaininsightontheresultsthatwereobtainedonthequantitative
assessments.Thisinformationhelpedtoprovideasubjectivedescriptionandbackground
tohelpunderstandeachstudentspersonalexperienceonthisfieldtripandhowismay
havecontributedtoecoliteracyscores.
StudentPopulationDemographics
Therewere28studentsingrades1012thatparticipatedinthiscapstonestudy.
Allofthesestudentsarecurrentlyenrolledinapublichighschoollocatedinarural,
southeasternMinnesotatown.Abreakdownofthedemographicinformationisillustrated
inFigure1.

45

Figure1.Populationdemographicsforthegroupofstudentswhoparticipatedinathree
dayfieldexperienceataresidentialenvironmentallearningcenterinnorthern
Minnesota.

Eachofthe28participantscompletedthepreandpostteststhatmeasuredtheir
ecoliteracybeforeandaftertheirexperiencesattheresidentialenvironmentallearning
center.Twentythreeoftheparticipantssubmittedtheirdailyjournalreflectionsfor
reviewandeightstudentsvolunteeredtobepartofthesmallfocusgroupsthatmetafter
thefieldtriptodiscussandreflectontheirexperiencesattheresidentialenvironmental
learningcenter.
EcoliteracyAssessmentData
Eachofthe28studentsthatparticipatedinthiscapstonestudyalsoparticipatedin
takingboththepreandpostteststhatassessedtheirecoliteracylevelsbeforeandafterthe
experiencetheresidentialenvironmentallearningcenter.Ontheseassessments,students
respondedtoa5pointLikertscalethatcontained20itemsfromtheConnectednessto
NatureScalewhichwasdevelopedbyMayerandFrantz(2004)andtheNature

46

RelatednessScalebyNisbet,ZelenskiandMurphy(2009).Averageswerecalculatedfor
eachofthe20items.Inadditiontoanoverallaveragescore,separateaverageswere
calculatedforitems114and1520todetermineofthereweredifferencesinthe
assessmenttoolsthemselves.Table1andFigure2showtheaveragesthatwerecalculated
fortheoverallassessments,aswellasfortheitemsthatcamedirectlyfromthe
ConnectednesstoNatureScale(items114)andtheNatureRelatednessScale(items
1520).
Table1

OverallEcoliteracy
ConnectiontoNatureScale

(CNS)
(Averageofitems120)
(Averageofitems114)

NatureRelatednessScale
(NRS)
(Averageofitems1520)

PreTest

3.58

3.54

3.67

PostTest

4.11

4.06

4.25

ComparisonofPreandPostTestResults

Figure2.Breakdownofthepreandposttestscoresforeachoftheecoliteracy
assessmentsused.DataderivedfromTable1.

47

Overall,26ofthe28studentsshowedanincreaseintheirecoliteracyscoreafter
havingparticipatedinthethefieldexperienceattheresidentialenvironmentallearning
center.Asawhole,thegroupaverageincreased0.53pointsontheoverallassessment,
0.52pointsontheConnectiontoNatureScaleassessmentitemsand0.58pointsonthe
NatureRelatednessScaleitems.Twostudentsshowedadecreaseintheirecoliteracy
scoreattheendoftheweekendexperience.Figure3showsthechangeinscoresfromthe
preandposttestforeachoftheparticipantsofthisstudy

Figure3.Changesinecoliteracyscores(posttestscorepretestscore)foreachofthe
participantsofthethreedayfieldexperienceataresidentialenvironmentallearning
centerinnorthernMinnesota.

Inadditiontoexclusivelylookingattheaveragesforthegroup,ecoliteracy
averageswerecalculatedandcomparisonsweremadebetweengradelevelinschool,
gender,race,andpreviousparticipationinthisfieldexperience(seeFigures47).
Figure4showstheaverageoverallpreandposttestresultsforeachofthegrade
levelsthatwererepresentedinthestudy.Accordingtothedata,thereisaninverse

48

correlationbetweengradeandpretestscoresontheecoliteracyassessment.Sophomore
levelstudentshadthehighestscoresonthepretest(3.69)andshowedtheleastamountof
growthonthepostassessment(4.12),anaveragegainof0.42pointsperstudent.The
averagepretestscoreforthejuniorparticipantswas3.44andincreasedto4.15onthe
posttest,agrowthof0.71.Seniorsshowedthegreatestgrowthbetweenthepreand
posttests.Theiraverageecoliteracyscoreonthepretestwas3.14,whichincreasedto4.09
onthepostassessment,agrowthof0.95.
Rsquaredvalueswecalculatedtomeasurehowclosethedataaretothefitted
regressionline.TheR2valueofthepretestwas0.9985,whichdecreasedto0.191onthe
posttest.

Figure4.Gradecomparisonofchangesinecoliteracyafterathreedayexperienceata
residentialenvironmentallearningcenterinnorthernMinnesota.(Samplesizes:Grade
10(20),Grade11(3),Grade12(5))

Genderdifferencesinecoliteracylevelswerealsocomparedforthepreand
postfieldtripexperience.Accordingtothedatathathasbeencollected,bothgenders

49

showedpositivegrowthinoverallecoliteracyscores,butmalesoutperformedfemaleson
boththepreandpostassessmentsforecoliteracy.Theaveragescoreonthe
preassessmentformaleswas3.91whichincreasedto4.51ontheposttest,illustratinga
growthof0.6.Femalesstartedwithanaveragescoreof3.5onthepretest,whichthen
increasedto4.03ontheposttest,whichcorrelatestoagrowthof0.53.(Figure5).

Figure5.Genderdifferencesinecoliteracyforthegroupofstudentsthatattendedathree
dayfieldexperienceataresidentialenvironmentallearningcenterinnorthern
Minnesota.(Samplesizes:Male(5),Female(23))

Ofthe28studentsthatparticipatedinthisstudy,24wereCaucasian,threewereof
AsiandescentandoneidentifiedasAmericanIndian,asshowninFigure1.Racedoes
havepotentialtoinfluenceecoliteracy,sotheaverageoverallecoliteracyscoresforthese
threedemographicgroupswerecalculatedandanalyzed,whichisalsoillustratedin
Figure6.TheonestudentthatidentifiedherselfasbeingNativeAmericanhadthe
highestscoreonthepretestofthethreegroups,whichwas4.35.Thisstudentshowedno
changeontheposttest.Asianstudentshadthelowestaveragescoreonthepretest,which

50

was3.18,andshowedthemostgrowthontheposttest,whichincreasedto4.16,an
increaseof0.98.Caucasianstudents,whichmadeupthemajorityofthestudent
population,hadanaveragepretestscoreof3.6andincreasedto4.09ontheposttest,an
increaseof0.49.

Figure6.Ethnicitydifferencesinecoliteracyforthegroupofstudentsthatattendeda
threedayfieldexperienceataresidentialenvironmentallearningcenterinnorthern
Minnesota..(Samplesizes:AmericanIndian(1),Asian(3),Caucasian(24))

Theoptionalfieldtripopportunitytotraveltotheresidentialenvironmental
learningcenterinnorthernMinnesotapresentsitselftothestudentbodyonanannual
basis.Thestudentsthatareinvitedtoparticipatearethosethatareenrolledinthebiology
orAPEnvironmentalScienceclassesoraremembersoftheschool'senvironmentalclub.
Thereispotentialforstudentstoparticipateinthisexperienceformorethanoneyear,so
thescoresonthepreandposttestswerecomparedforthosethathaveparticipatedinthis
experienceinpastyearsandthosewhoareparticipatingforthefirsttime.

51

Ofthe28studentsthattraveledonthisyearsfieldtripandparticipatedinthis
capstonestudy,10studentshadgoneonthisfieldtripthepreviousyear.Accordingtothe
datacollected,studentswhohadgoneonthefieldtriphad,onaverage,lowerpretest
scoresandshowedagreaterincreaseintheirscoresonthatposttestthanthose
participatingintheexperienceforthefirsttime.Specifically,theaveragepretestscorefor
thetenstudentswithpriorexperiencewas3.3andincreasedto4.1ontheposttest,an
increaseof0.8.The18studentswhowereexperiencingthistripforthefirsttimehadan
averagepretestscoreof3.7,whichincreasedto4.13onthepostassessment,agrowthof
0.43.ThedataisillustratedinFigure7.

Figure7.Firsttimeparticipantvs.returningparticipantecoliteracyscoresforthegroup
ofstudentsthatattendedathreedayfieldexperienceataresidentialenvironmental
learningcenterinnorthernMinnesota.(Samplesizes:Returning(10),Firsttime(18))

StudentJournalandFocusGroupInterviewData
Inadditiontothepreandpostteststhatprovidedquantitativemeasurementsof
ecoliteracybeforeandafterathreedayexperienceataresidentialenvironmentallearning

52

center,dailyjournalreflectionsandfocusgroupinterviewswereanalyzedandcommon
themeswereidentifiedfromtheresponsesthatwereprovided.Thisinformationhelped
toprovideasubjectivedescriptionandbackgroundtohelpunderstandeachstudents
personalexperienceonthisfieldtrip.Theyalsoprovidedinsighttopossiblydecipher
someofthedifferencesinecoliteracyscoresthatwereidentifiedforeachofthe
demographiccategoriesthatwereevaluated.
Eachofthedailyjournalresponsesaskedstudentstorankandreflectonthelevel
ofknowledgethatwasgainedandconnectednesstonaturethattheyexperienced
throughouttheday.Ondayone,15ofthe23respondingstudentswhosubmittedtheir
journalsreportedhavinggainedalotofnewknowledge,whereaseightstudentsreported
havinggainedalittlenewknowledge.Onthissameday,15studentsreportedfeeling
moreconnectedtonatureandeightexperiencedhavingnochangeintheirconnectedness.
Nostudentsreportedhavingnonewknowledgegainedorhavinglessofaconnectionto
nature.Furtherreadingintothereflectionsrevealedthatmoststudentsattributedtotheir
increaseinknowledgebeingdirectlyrelatedtoaclassthatwastakenonthewolf
populationsinMinnesotaandthemanagementtechniquesforthosepopulations.Ofthe
eightstudentswhoreportedhavinglearnedalittlenewknowledge,sixexplainedthatthat
theyhadpreviousknowledgefrombiologyclassesorpreviousexperiencesatthe
residentialenvironmentallearningcenter.
Fifteenofthe23studentswhosubmittedtheirjournalreflectionsindicatedthat
theyexperiencedanincreaseintheirconnectiontonature.OnestudentmentionedthatI
feltmoreconnectedtothewildlifewhenwewerelearningaboutthewolvesandthe

53

effectsthatwehaveonwolves.Ridingbehindapackofdogsthroughthewilderness
mademefeelmoreconnected.Anothercommentmadewas,TodaywhenIwasriding
anddrivingthedogsled,IsawthebeautifulsurroundingsandIrealizedonalargerscale
howsmallIaminthislargeworld.Manyofthecommentsthatweremadeby
individualsthatexperiencednochangeintheirconnectiontonaturedealtwiththe
subzerotemperaturesthatwereexperiencedandstudentsnotdressingappropriately.One
studentcommentedthat,IwasalreadyprettyconnectedIfeelbutthecoldmademe
wanttobelessconnectedandanotherclaimedthatItwastoocoldtobeoutsideand
enjoylife.Iappreciatewarmsandybeaches.
Allofdaytwowasspentattheresidentialenvironmentallearningcenter,which
overallseemstocorrelatewithanincreasedamountofknowledgegainedand
connectednesstonature.Nineteenofthe23studentsreportedhavinggainedalotofnew
knowledge,whiletheotherfourstudentsreportedtheylearnedalittlenewknowledge.
StudentsattributedmuchofthenewlearningtotheNorthwoodsmammalsclassthatwas
takenintheafternoon.Thisclasshadbothindoorandoutdoorcomponentswhere
studentsspenttimeidentifyinganimalsbasedontheirskullstructures,andthenhiking
outdoorswhilelookingforsigns(tracks,scat,etc.)ofthevariousanimals.Onestudents
commentedthatTodayIlearnedalotatthemammalclass.Welookedatthedifferent
skullsandIlearneddifferencesbetweentheanimals'structuresandwhytheyare
structuredlikethat.Ialsolearnedhowtotrackanimaltracksanddeterminetheanimals
theycamefrom.

54

InadditiontotheNorthwoodsmammalsclassonthesecondday,studentsalso
learnedhowtousesnowshoesandtrudgedthroughthesnowforapproximatelythree
milestoanoverlookofLakeSuperior.Alloftheparticipantsindicatedthatthesecond
daymadethemfeelmoreconnectedtonature,andmanyattributedthatincreased
connectednesstotheirsnowshoeexperience.Afewjournalreflectionsfromthis
experienceinclude:
WhenwewenttoLakeSuperior,theviewwasamazingandmademelovethe
worldmore.
Today,theLakeSuperiorwasthemostbeautifulIhadeverseenit.While
gawkingatit,Ienvisionedtheglacierstearingapartthelandandformingthe
GreatLake.Exploringinthewoodsbymyselfandwithfriendsalsotrulymade
mefeelmoreconnectedwithnature.Overall,IfeltmoreonewithnatureandI
alsofounditmucheasiertofindmyselfwhileadventuringtoday.
SittingontheridgeoverlookingLakeSuperiorreallyshowedmethatthereare
thingsthatarebiggerthanmeandmyproblems.Lookingatthepeaceful
surroundingsreallydialedmeintonature.
StudentsalsohadtheopportunitytoexperienceChickadeeLanding,aremote
settinginthewoodswithmanmadewoodenbenchesshapedlikepeopleanddressedin
clothes.Birdfeederssurroundthebenchesandareoftenfrequentedbychickadees.
Studentssitonthebenchesinsilencewithbirdseedontheirheadandintheirhands,
waitingtobevisitedbyabirdthatisinsearchofafreelunch.Sevenstudentsjournaled

55

abouthowthisexperiencecontributedtotheirincreasedfeelingsofconnectednessto
nature.
Whenwewerefeedingthebirds,theywouldjustcomeandlandonyouandit
justfeltlikethebirdstrustedyou.
IfeltveryconnectedtonaturewhenthebirdslandedonmyheadandIcouldsee
thebirdssoclose.
Ondaythreeofthetrip,studentsparticipatedinafrozenlakestudyclass,traveled
toanearbystateparkandthenventuredhome.Elevenstudentsreportedhavinglearneda
lotofnewknowledgeonthisday,11learnedalittlenewknowledgeandonereportedthat
nonewmaterialwaslearned.OnestudentcommentedthatIlearnedalotbecauseIhave
neverbeenicefishingandneverbeenonafrozenlake.Ilearnedhowtocuticeandalso
howtomeasureit.ConsideringthatMinnesotaistheLandof10,000Lakes,Ifoundit
particularlyinterestingtofindouthowmanystudentshadneverbeentoalakeingeneral,
letalonestandonafrozenone.Manystudentshadcommentssimilartothisone,I
chosealotbecauseIdon'treallyknowalotaboutfrozenlakesorwhatgoeson
underneaththem.Itwascooltogettousethecameraandfishinggeartoseeplanktonand
otherfish.Ofthestudentswhoreportedhavinglearnedalittlenewknowledge,many
mentionedthattheyhadtakentheclasslastyearandrememberedmuchofthematerial
thatwaspresented.Forexample,onestudentcommentedthatIhadalreadydonethe
FrozenLakeStudyclasslastyear,sowhatIlearnedwasmoreaboutthepeoplethatIwas
with.ThepeoplethatIinteractedwithovertheweekendwerepeoplewhoIhavealways
wantedtobeonfriendlytermswith,butschoolpoliticsgetintheway.OnthehikeI

56

learnedsomethingIwasawareof,butdidnotspecificallyhaveknowledgeabout.
Updraftsandairpressureonthelakeshore.
Eventhoughtherewasonlyoneformalclassonthethirddayofthetrip,allofthe
studentsthatwereinterviewedreportedfeelingmoreconnectedtonature.Thisis
primarilyattributedtothefreetimethatwasspentexploringthenearbystatepark.
Hikingandslidingthroughthebeautiful,healthywoodswasaninspiringand
funfilledjourneytobeapartofinnature.Also,theviewofLakeSuperiorand
theiciclesonthecliffsidesblewmymind.Ifeltthebeautiful,fresh,andoverly
calmnaturearoundme.Itwasalleyeopeningandcomfortingatonce.
Ifoundpeaceandharmonywithinthewoodsandbythelake.Ifeltevenmore
likeapieceoftheworldthanever.Itwasawesometogetawayfromsocietyand
justliveanddiscover.IwishIhadthatmoreoften.
HikingatTettegouchewasdefinitelyafactorthatmademefeelmoreconnected
tonature.Thetimespentthisweekendjustwatchingandadmiringthewilderness
isirreplaceable.Justthatsilenceandquiettimewasindescribableandtrulymade
yourconnectiontowildlifedeeper.
Hikingandslidingthroughthebeautiful,healthywoodswasaninspiringand
funfilledjourneytobeapartofinnature.Also,theviewofLakeSuperiorand
theiciclesonthecliffsidesblewmymind.Ifeltthebeautiful,fresh,andoverly
calmnaturearoundme.Itwasalleyeopeningandcomfortingatonce.
Thesearejustafewofthemanyreflectionsthatsharedthecommonthemeof
howjustbeinginnaturecontributedtoanincreasedsenseofconnectedness.Although

57

studentsenjoyspendingtimeinnature,thereareavarietyoffactorsthatserveasbarriers
thatkeepthemfromexperiencingnatureonaregularbasis.Someofthesebarriersthat
studentshaveidentifiedincludeweather,creepyanimals,technology,homework,and
jobs.Onestudentnotedintheirjournalentrythat:
Technologyisadefinitebarrierthatstandsbetweenmeandengrossingmyselfin
nature.EvenwhenIdodecidetogooutside,Iusuallybringmyphoneormusic
withme.Ienjoytorun,andthoughIdon'tneedmusic,Ioftentimesbringitalong
insteadofjusttakinginthenoisesofnatureandtheworldthatsurroundsme.
OtherfactorsthataffecttheamountoftimeIspendwithnaturearetheextreme
temperaturechanges.ThoughIenjoylayingonthebeachorbuildingsnowmen,
theinsanecoldandsmolderingheataren'treasonsIgetoffthecouchandgo
enjoynature.OtherreasonsIdon'tspendasmuchtimewithnatureasIshouldare
alltheactivitiesthatIaminvolvedwithin.Iamactiveinmanyclubs,
organizations,danceclasses,andIworkhardatschool.Idon'thavemuchextra
timetospendandthetimeIdohave,Idon'talwayschoosetospendwiselywith
nature.
Inoneofthedailyjournalresponsesthatstudentscompletedattheconclusionof
thetrip,theywereaskedtoreflectonhowthethreedaysattheresidentialenvironmental
learningcenterimpactedtheiroverallecoliteracy.Allofthestudentsrespondedinways
thatillustratepositivegrowthandexpansionoftheirinitiallevel.Manystudents
attributedtimeinnaturetoanincreasedlevelofecoliteracy.Forexample,onestudent
notedIhavelearnedaboutwildanimalsandhowimportantandspecialtheyare.Ialso

58

feellikebeingmoreoutsideandmoreconnectedmakesmewanttolearnmoreabout
natureandhowweashumansaffectit.AnothercommentedthatThisexperience
reconnectsmewithMotherNatureandtheEarth.Ithelpsmetounderstandanimalsand
theirthinkingprocess.Itgivesmeagoodexampleofhowpeoplecouldliveinharmony
withnature.Yetanotherstudentwhospendsmuchtimeintheoutdoorsonaregular
basismentionedthat:
Overall,Idonotthinkthatmyecoliteracywaschangedahighlysignificant
amount.However,Iwillsaythatmyecoliteracyhasbeendeepened.Takethe
wolvesissuesasanexample.Idiscoveredthatmyloveofwolveshadoften
blindedmetothecasearguedagainstthem.WhileIremainbiasedtowardthe
issue,Iamnolongerignorant.Otherwise,muchofwhatwelearnedwashow
humanshaveimpactedthatnaturalworld.Morespecifically,howhumanshave
takenituponthemselvestomanagetheotherspecies.Humansmustbalancethis
jobwiththeirownsurvival.Whilemanythinkhumansshouldjustletnaturedoits
thing,thedamagedonebyhumanswouldsurelyresultinthehumanpopulation
beingthreatenedinsome,whetherbylossoffoodorwater,orperhapssomething
different.
Onestudentwentintogreatdepthinjournalreflection,andcoveredmanyofthe
samepointsthatothersbroughtupintheirinterpretationsofhowthisweekend
experienceaffectedtheiroverallecoliteracy.Thisstudentshared:
IbelieveWolfRidgehasaffectedmyecoliteracyimmensely.ThoughIenjoyed
andrespectednatureinthepast,Iwasyetagainremindedbythisindescribable

59

experiencejusthowmuchnatureimpactsourlives.Onewayitaffectedmy
ecoliteracyisthroughtheknowledgeIgained.TheknowledgeIlearnedinthe
classroomsaboutmammals,wolves,andfrozenlakesopenedmyeyestohow
muchIwascompletelycluelessaboutthecreaturesandelementsaroundme.
Throughthisintakeofknowledge,IfeelIhaveexpandedmyecoliteracy.Another
wayIfeelIwasaffectedisthroughthequietmomentswetooktoobserveand
takeinnatureasawhole.Whenwesatattheoverlookwhilesnowshoeingandsat
ontheedgeoflandstaringoutatLakeSuperiorasgiganticsnowflakesdrifted
fromthecloudsinslowmotion,IfeltanemotiontowardsnatureIhadn'tfelt
before.Tojustsit,think,andtakeinthebeautyaroundme,Ibelieve,mademe
moreecoliterate.BothtimesasIobserved,Iwishedtostayinthatmoment
forever.Iwouldthenthinkabouthownatureusedtobebeforehumansbecameso
selfishofitsresources.Eventually,Iwouldattempttoimagineaworldinthe
future,whenallofnatureisdestroyed.ThroughthesethoughtsIhavegrown
passionateandadamantthatIwilldomyverybesttokeepthebeautyofnature
alive.
Duringthefocusgroupinterviews,studentswereaskedtocomparetheir
connectionswithnaturebeforeandaftertheexperienceattheresidentialenvironmental
learningcenter.Sixoftheeightstudentsthatwereinterviewedstudentsthatwere
interviewedmentionedoragreedthattheyhadalwayslikedbeingoutsideaschildren,but
havegottenmoredistantbecauseofschool,workandotherextracurricularactivity

60

schedules.OnestudentcommentedthatIlikebeingoutsideandIdofeelconnected,but
Iwouldonlygetoutwhenitwasconvenient.
Afterhavingspentthreedaysparticipatinginhandsonactivitiesandexploring
naturefirsthand,alleightoftheparticipantssaidtheyfeltmoreofaconnectionwith
nature.OnesharedIfoundpeaceandharmonywithinthewoodsandbythelake.Ifelt
evenmorelikeapieceoftheworldthanever.Itwasawesometogetawayfromsociety
andjustliveanddiscover.IwishIhadthatmoreoften.Anotherstudentexplainedthat
thisexperienceaddedvaluetoneatnaturepictures.WhenIgobackandlookatthat
picturesItookofthetheclearbluesky,trees,iciclesoroftheviewofLakeSuperior,its
likeIamsteppingbackintothatsetting.IamabletoappreciateitmorebecauseIwas
abletoseeitandexperienceitanddiscoveritformyself.Anotherstudentaddedthat
Thisexperiencehasremindedmethatitsimportanttoslowdownandallowmyself
timetoappreciateeverythingthatsurroundsus.Iwanttogoback.
Accordingtothedatacollectedonthisthreedayexperienceataresidential
environmentallearningcenter,thereisanoverallpositivecorrelationbetweentimespent
outdoorsandanincreaseinecoliteracyamonghighschoolstudents,asevidencedbyboth
quantitativeandqualitativedatafromthisstudy.Thistrendappearsregardlessofgrade,
gender,raceandpreviousparticipationinsimilarexperiences.
WhatisNext
ChapterFourtookacloselookattheresultsofthestudythatfocusedonthe
question,Howdoesanexperienceinnatureaffectecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents?
Datacollectedthroughpreandpostassessmentsandthroughtheanalysisofstudent

61

journalsandfocusgroupdiscussionsshowedanincreaseinecoliteracyscoresand
variationamongdemographiccategoriesanalyzedoverthecourseofthreedaysata
residentialenvironmentallearningcenter.
InChapterFive,Ireflectonthestudyasawhole.Thisreflectionincludesa
reviewofthepurposeofthestudyandthelearningthathastakenplaceasaresultofthe
study.Connectionstothereviewofliteraturearemadeandthelimitationsofthestudy
areexpanded.Lastly,finalthoughtsaresharedfollowedbypotentialdirectionsforfurther
research.

62

CHAPTERFIVE
Conclusions
Introduction
Havinganecologicallyliteratepopulationmeanshavingapopulationthatwillbe
abletomakeinformeddecisionsandtakeactionstosolvetheworldsenvironmental
issues.Thefocusofthiscapstoneresearchhasbeentoinvestigatehowanexperiencein
natureaffectsecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.ChapterFiveservesasaconclusionto
theprojectthatwascarriedoutandtheresultsthatwereobtainedthroughthevaried
meansofdatacollectionandanalysis.TheliteraturereviewfromChapterTwois
revisited,limitationsareaddressedandfurtherresearchdirectionsarediscussed.
Throughoutthischapter,IreflectonthemostimportantcomponentsthatIcantakeaway
asbothalearnerandasateacher.
MajorLearning
AsIwasselectingatopiconwhichtofocusmycapstoneresearch,Iimmediately
knewthatIwantedtoinvestigatehowanexperienceataresidentialenvironmental
learningcenterinnorthernMinnesotaaffectsecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.Ihave
takenstudentsonthistripseveraltimesandIhaveseenfirsthandhowitaffectsstudents
attitudesandbehaviorstowardsandknowledgeabouttheenvironment.However,Idid
nothaveanyquantifiabledatatobackupmygeneralizations.
Overall,itcanbeconcludedthatparticipationinathreedayexperienceata
residentialenvironmentallearningcenterimprovesecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.
Twentysixofthe28participantsshowedanincreaseintheiroverallecoliteracyscoresat

63

theendofthefieldtripandallofthestudentswhosubmittedjournalresponsesindicated
thattheyhaveanincreasedunderstandingofnatureandtherolethattheyhavewiththe
environment.Inoneofthefocusgroupinterviews,onestudentcommentedandallagreed
thatbeingexposedfullywithinnaturecreatesanewlevelofrespectforalllifearound
you.Althoughitdoesnotappearthatdemographicinformationcanbeusedasa
predictorofecoliteracy,Iwassurprisedbyafewtrendsintheresults.Forexample,
sophomoresscoredhigherthanjuniorsandseniorsandfirsttimeparticipantsscored
higherthanthosewhohadgoneonthefieldexperiencebefore.Thesefindingswillbe
discussedinthereviewofliterature.
ReviewofLiterature
ManyoftheresultsthatIhaveobtainedthroughthisstudysupportthe
conclusionsthatweremadeinpreviousinvestigationsrelatingtohowdemographics
affectsecoliteracy.Connectionstomyresearchstudyandtheconclusionofpaststudies
willbepresentedinthissection.
AStevensonetal.(2013)studynotedthatgenderwasrelatedtoenvironmental
literacyincomplexwaysandthatfemalestendtohavelowerknowledgepretestscores
thanmales.However,femalestendedtooutperformmalesinaffectandcognitiveskills
andimprovedfasterinknowledgeoverthecourseofthesemesterthattheywerestudied.
Theyalsonotedthatfemalestendtohavemorepositiveenvironmentalattitudesand
greaterlevelsofconcernfortheenvironment.AccordingtotheresultsthatIobtained,
maleshadhigherpretestandposttestscoresthanfemales.However,duetothesmall

64

sampleofmalesubjectsthatparticipatedinthisstudythough,concreteconclusions
cannotbemade.
AccordingtothedatathatIcollected,thethreeAsianstudentsshowedthe
greatestimprovementinecoliteracy.The24Caucasianstudentsalsoshowedgrowthand
therewasnochangeinthepreandposttestdatafortheoneNativeAmericanstudent.
However,duetothelackofdiversityinnumbersofstudentsrepresentingthevarious
ethnicbackgrounds,specificconclusionscannotbemadeabouthowraceaffects
ecoliteracy.
AgewasalsoademographicfactorthatwasstudiedinStevensonandcolleagues
(2013)analysisofmiddleschoolchildrenandthefactorsthataffecttheirecoliteracy.
Theyfoundmiddleschoolgradesmayincludeanagetippingpointwhereenvironmental
educationeffortsstartbecominglesseffectiveinpromotingenvironmentalliteracy(p.
9).Mystudyanalyzedthedatafromhighschoolstudentsandfoundthatsophomoreshad
thehighestpretestscores,followedbyjuniorsandthenseniors.Seniorsshowedthemost
growthintheirecoliteracyoverthecourseofthethreedaysattheresidential
environmentallearningcenter.Again,therearevariablesthataffectthisandhavinga
largersamplesizewouldhaveallowedformoreconcreteconclusionstobemade,butI
feelthatolderstudentsbenefitfromtheseexperiencesinnaturejustasmuch,ifnotmore,
thantheiryoungercounterparts.Theseniorsshowedthelargestincreaseinecoliteracyon
thepreandposttestscores,whichsupportsmyideathattheybenefitedandgained
knowledge.Alloftheseniorsthatwentonthistripwerefemales,andhadgoneonthe
tripthepreviousyear.Allofthesophomorestudentsarecurrentlyenrolledinabiology

65

classthathadfinishedanecologyunitshortlybeforethistrip,whichcouldhave
contributedtothehigherscoresonthepretest.
Thepieceofdatathatthatsurprisedmethemostinthisstudyisthatstudentswho
hadpreviouslyparticipatedinthisfieldexperiencescoredloweronthepretestthanthe
studentswhowereparticipatingforthefirsttime.Onecontributingfactortothistrend
couldbethatthesestudentsaremorecriticalofthemselvesandhadhigherexpectations
forthetrip.Oneofthequestionsonthestudentsurveythatwasfilledoutbeforethefield
experienceaskedstudentstoidentifythereasonswhytheydecidedtoparticipateintheir
experienceagain.Twoofthestudentreflectionsread:
Idecidedtogoonthistripagainformanyreasons.Thelasttripwasboth
enjoyablewithfriends,butitalsotaughtmeasignificantamountabout
myselfandnature.ItwasauniqueexperienceIdefinitelydon'tcomeby
often.IlearnedtofacemyfearswhenIfeltlikeIwastakingrisks.Ialso
learnedwhatitwasliketointeractwithnaturemorethanwhatIusuallydo.
TherewassomanydiscoveriesmadeonthistriplastyearthatIfoundwithin
myselfandinnature.Iamexcitedtoberemindedoftheexperiencesagain
thisyearandhopefullytolearnmore.
IdecidedtogoontheWolfRidgeTripagainbecauseithadbeensuchagreat
experiencewhenIwentlastyear.Itwillalwaysbeoneofmyfavoritehigh
schoolmemories.Ihadgreattimeswithmyfriends,madenewfriends,and
gottotrynewthings.Plusthereisjustsomethingspecialaboutspendinga
goodweekendinthewilderness.

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Bruyere(2008)wroteTheEffectofEnvironmentalEducationontheEcological
LiteracyofFirstYearCollegeStudents,whichfocusedonidentifyinghowsustainable
behaviorsareinfluencedbyknowledgeofenvironmentalsystemsandissues.Inthestudy,
freshmenatColoradoStateUniversitywereprovidedwithpreandpostassessments
beforeandaftertwoenvironmentaleducationlessons.Bruyere(2008)foundthatas
individualslearnaboutecologicalprinciples,biologicalcycles,andenvironmental
systems,theirattitudestowardtheenvironmentbecomemorefavorableandmanyoftheir
environmentalbehaviorsbecomemorefrequent(ascitedbyMcGinn,2014,p.8).The
greatestthreattotheenvironmentispeoplewhoarenoteducatedaboutit.Experiencein
naturenaturallysparkssustainableactionsandattitudes.
Ifoundsimilarresultsinthediscussionsthatwereheldwiththesmallfocus
groups.Mystudentswereaskedtoreflectonwhetheranyoftheactivitiesthatthey
participatedinwhileattheresidentialenvironmentallearningcenter,havebeencarried
overintotheirdailylives.ManystudentsmadeconnectionstotheConservation
Challengethattheyparticipateinwhileattheresidentialenvironmentallearningcenter.
Studentsearnpointsbyunpluggingelectricaldeviceswhennotinuse,turningoffthe
lightswhentheyleavearoom,makingsurewaterfaucetsarenotleaking,andrecycling
andcompostingwastewhenpossible.Naturalistsattheenvironmentallearningcenter
wouldcheckthedormrooms,trashcansandwaterfaucetsandifviolationswerenoted,
thegroupwouldlosepointsfortheirirresponsiblebehaviors.Groupsthatdonotloseany
pointsoverthecourseoftheirstayareawardedwithaConservationChallengeplaque
thattheycantakebacktotheirschoolanddisplay.Althoughthischallengewassimple,

67

studentsappreciatedbeingheldaccountableandhavingconsequencesforpoordecision
making.Theyeachdiscussedhowtheiractionsathomehavechangedandtheynow
unplugtheircellphonechargerswhentheyleaveforschool,recyclemoreandmakemore
ofaconsciousefforttoturnoffthelightswhentheyarethelasttoleavearoom.McBride
(2011)identifiedfinancialincentivescanbeusedasameanstogainingecological
literacy.Therewerenofinancialincentivesinthissimplechallenge,buttheplaquethat
wasreceivedforthepositivebehaviorscanbelikenedtothosefinancialincentives.
Limitations
Therearelimitationstothisstudy.Ofthestudentsthatchosetogoonthisfield
experience,theyallhadapreviousappreciationfortheoutdoorsandtheenvironment.A
largersampleofstudents,andincludingstudentswithmorediverseattitudesregarding
nature,wouldbenefitthestudyandenhancethedataset.Ideally,itwouldhavebeen
beneficialtotakeallofthestudentsinanentiregradetoperformthiscapstonestudyand
attainmorerepresentativeresultsofthisparticularhighschoolstudentbody.However,
duetologisticsandbudgetrestrictions,thiswasnotpossible.
Anotherlimitationisthatthepreandposttestsdidnotincludeanyspecific
contentknowledgequestions.Knowledgeisoneofthecontributingfactorsthat
determinesecoliteracy,sohavingatoolthatisabletoassessspecificknowledgebefore
andafterthethreedayexperienceataresidentialenvironmentallearningcenterwouldbe
advantageousandprovideamoreaccuratemeasurementofecoliteracy.Multiplechoice
questionsthataligntoeachofthecourseslearningtargetscouldbewrittenandincluded
inthepreandpostassessments.

68

Anadditionallimitationwasidentifiedwiththesmallfocusgroupinterviews.
Severalofthestudentsvolunteerswerenervousaboutbeingaudiorecordedandheld
backprovidinglengthyanddetailedresponsestothequestionstheywereasked.It
seemedasthoughwithineachfocusgroup,onestudentdominatedtheconversationsand
theotherstudentssimplyagreedwithwhatthatonestudenthadshared.Ifthisstudywere
toberepeated,itwouldbebeneficialtohaveoneononeinterviewstogetmorevariety
intheresponsesaswellasmoregenuineresponsesthataresharedbythestudents.
Implications
Inorderforenvironmentaleducationprogramstobeeffective,studentsneedto
learnbydoingand/orbyhavingtheenvironmentastheirclassroom.Louv(2005)and
Coyle(2005)bothsuggestedthatparticipatory/interactiveeducationwillyieldmore
ecologicallyliteratepeoplethanacademicworkinsideofstructuredinstitutionsalone.
Residentialenvironmentaleducationprogramsofferopportunitiesforstudentstoexplore
theenvironmentfirsthand,experienceadventurebasedchallenges,anddevelop
stewardshipskillsinactiveoutdoorsettings.Stern,PowellandArdoin(2008)statedthat
theseprogramsaretypicallygearedtoenhancingenvironmentalattitudes,increasing
environmentalknowledgeandliteracy,promotingcitizenshipskills,andencouraging
stewardshipbehaviorsthatnotonlytakeplaceonsitebutalsocontinueoncethestudents
returntotheirhomecommunities(p.32).Manyoftheselearningcentersofferpreand
postvisitactivitiesthatclassroomeducatorscanusetomakeconnectionstotheschool
curriculum.Theyalsoprovideresourcesandideasforstudentstoadoptmoresustainable
practicesathome.Stern,PowellandArdoin(2008)alsoaddedthattheseprograms

69

additionallyofferopportunitiesforpersonalgrowthbyencouragingteamwork,
collaboration,andthedevelopmentofleadershipskills,whichserveparticipating
studentswellintheiracademicandprofessionalfutures(p.32).
Fieldtripopportunitiesthatallowstudentstoexperiencenatureshouldbemadea
priority.Sobel(n.d.)wroteifwewantchildrentoflourish,tobecometrulyempowered,
thenletusallowthemtolovetheEarthbeforeweaskthemtosaveit.Perhapsthisis
whatThoreauhadinmindwhenhesaid,Themoreslowlytreesgrowatfirst,the
soundertheyareatthecore,andIthinkthatthesameistrueofhumanbeings(ascited
bySobel,n.d.,para.45).Experiencesinnatureandoutdoorsettingsiscrucialtoenabling
studentstodevelopanappreciationoftheenvironment.Thisisimportantbecausethe
studentsoftodaywillbethedecisionmakersoftomorrow.
FurtherResearchDirections
Thereareseveralareasthatcanbefurtherexpandeduponandstudiedtoprovide
moreaccurateandsignificantresultstoaddressinghowexperiencesinnatureaffect
ecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.Thestudentsforthisparticularcapstonestudytooka
pretestbeforetheirexperienceattheresidentialenvironmentallearningcenterandthen
tookaposttestattheconclusionofthetrip.Nootherquantitativeassessmentsweregiven
tothestudentsafterthistime.Theresultsthatwereobtainedshowtheimmediateeffect
thattheexperiencehadonecoliteracy,butitwouldbeinterestingtoseeiftheexperience
haslastingeffectsonecoliteracyand/orshapesfuturebehaviors.SmithSebastoand
Cavern(2006)analyzedtheshortandlongtermimpactsofparticipationinthreeand
fivedayresidentialenvironmentalprograms.Theyevaluatedfourindices:connection

70

withnature,environmentalstewardship,interestinlearninganddiscovery,and
knowledgeandawarenessofbiologicaldiversity.Theyconcludedthatresidential
environmentaleducationexperiencesappearedtoachieveshorttermsuccessinallofthe
measuredoutcomes.Ananalysisofa3monthfollowupsurveyrevealed:
Increasesinstudentscommitmentstoenvironmentalstewardship,their
knowledgeandawarenessofthenaturalenvironment,andbiologicaldiversity
remainedsignificant.However,increasesinstudentsinterestinlearningand
discoveryandtheirconnectionwithnaturefadedovertime.(SmithSebasto&
Cavern,2006,p.40)
Additionalresearchcouldalsobedonethatlooksathowecoliteracyisimpacted
byrepeatexperiencesatresidentialenvironmentallearningcenters.Iwassurprisedbythe
differenceinscoresofmystudentsthathadpreviouslygoneonasimilarfieldexperience
versusthosethatweregoingforthefirsttime.Iwasundertheassumptionthatstudents
goingonthetripforthesecondwouldhavehigherpretestscoresthanthosethatwere
goingforthefirsttime,butthiswasnotobservedinthedata.Instead,studentsthathad
participatedinthisexperienceinpreviousyearsdisplayedlowerecoliteracyscoresatthe
startoftheexperiencethanstudentswhowereparticipatingforthefirsttime.
CommunicatingResults
Theresultsofthiscapstonestudywillbepresentedtomylocalschoolboardand
administrationtosupportandencouragefuturefieldtripopportunitiesthatallowstudents
tolearnbydoingandexperiencingnaturefirsthand.Myschoolboardrequires

71

preapprovalforallfieldexperiences,andthesedatacanbeusedtoillustratethepositive
impactsoffieldexperiencessimilartothisone.
Inaddition,theseresultswillbesharedwiththeresidentialenvironmental
learningcenterthatservedasourfieldsite.Theymaybeabletousetheresultsand
studentreflectionsforfutureadvertisingandfundingrequests.
Lastly,myschoolsArts,AcademicsandAthleticsFoundationhascontinually
supportedthisfieldtripbyprovidingmonetarysupport.Iamexcitedtosharetheresults
ofthisstudywiththemsotheycanseehowthisexperiencesupportstheirmissionof
providingfinancialsupporttoenrichandenhanceeducationalexperiences.
LookingAhead
PerhapsDavidStrayersaiditbestwhenhecommented,attheendoftheday,we
comeoutinnaturenotbecausethesciencesaysitdoessomethingtous,butbecauseof
howitmakesusfeel(ascitedbyWilliams,2016,para.29).AprimarygoalthatIhave
asaneducatoristoprovidemystudentswithresourcesandopportunitiesthatallowthem
tomakeconnectionswiththenaturalenvironment.Myhopeisthatmanyofthemwill
discoverthatnaturemakesthemfeelbetterandwillsimplydevelopadesiretospend
moretimeinit.
Whenweallowtheworldtobeourclassroomandencouragestudentstoexplore,
theylearnhownatureworksandtheirrelationshipwithnatureisfostered.Theylearnthat
everythingstartswiththesun,,alllivingandnonlivingthingsareconnectedand
interrelated,andthatbiodiversityisessential.Theyalsolearnthatpeopleneednatureto

72

survive.Thisprovidesafoundationuponwhichtheycanmakeconnections,ask
questions,investigate,learn,anddevelopintolifelongstewardsoftheplanet.
Spendingtimeinnatureisimportantandthiscapstonehowshownmethatall
studentscanbenefitfromopportunitiesthatallowthemtodiscoverandexplorethe
environmentontheirown.Providingtheseopportunitiesnotonlyincreasesstudents
ecoliteracy,butalsopromotesandencouragesthemtomakeconsciouseffortstolive
moresustainably,sofuturegenerationswontbeleftwiththetaskoffixingmoreofour
mistakes.

73

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Mayer,F.S.,&Frantz,C.M.(2004).Theconnectednesstonaturescale:Ameasureof
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McBride,B.B.(2011).Essentialelementsofecologicalliteracyandthepathwaysto
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McGinn,A.(2014).Quantifyingandunderstandingecologicalliteracy:Astudyoffirst
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78

APPENDIXA

StudentSurvey
Howanexperienceinnatureaffectsecoliteracyofhighschoolstudents.

Age______

Gender(pleasecircle)

Male
Female

Race(pleasecircle)

Caucasian
Black
Hispanic
Asian
AmericanIndian
Other

Grade(pleasecircle)

10
11
12

Coursestaken(orcurrentlyenrolledin)

Biology
NaturalResourceScience APEnvironmentalScience

HaveyoupreviouslygoneontheWolfRidgeAdventure?

Yes
No

Ifyes,whatfactorsinfluencedyourdecisiontoparticipateinthisexperienceagain?

Ifno,whatfactorsinfluencedyourdecisiontoparticipateinthisexperience?

Onaverage,howmanyhoursdoyouspendoutdoorseachweek?Doesthischange
throughoutthecourseoftheyear?Explain.

Whatfactorsdetractorserveasbarriersthatkeepyoufromexperiencingnature?

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ThemissionofWolfRidgeEnvironmentalLearningCenterisTodevelopacitizenry
thathastheknowledge,skills,motivationandcommitmenttoworktogetherforaquality
environment.Thisisaccomplishedby:
a.Fosteringawareness,curiosityandsensitivitytothenaturalworld
b.Providinglifelonglearningexperiencesinnature
c.Developingsocialunderstanding,respectandcooperation
d.Modelingvalues,behaviorsandtechnologieswhichleadtoasustainable
lifestyle
e.Promotingtheconceptsofconservationandstewardship

Pleaseranktheselearningtargets(ae)witha1beingthemostimportantanda5
beingleastimportant.

80

PreandPostAssessment

Pleaseanswereachofthesequestionsintermsofthewayyougenerallyfeel.Thereare
norightorwronganswers.Usingthefollowingscale,inthespaceprovidednexttoeach
questionsimplystateashonestlyandcandidlyasyoucanwhatyouarepresently
experiencing.

1
2

4
5
Stronglydisagree

DisagreealittleNeutralAgreealittleStronglyagree

____1.Ioftenfeelasenseofonenesswiththenaturalworldaroundme.
____2.IthinkofthenaturalworldasacommunitytowhichIbelong.
____3.Irecognizeandappreciatetheintelligenceofotherlivingorganisms.
____4.Ioftenfeeldisconnectedfromnature.
____5.WhenIthinkofmylife,Iimaginemyselftobepartofalargercyclicalprocessof
living.
____6.Ioftenfeelakinshipwithanimalsandplants.
____7.IfeelasthoughIbelongtotheEarthasequallyasitbelongstome.
____8.Ihaveadeepunderstandingofhowmyactionsaffectthenaturalworld.
____9.Ioftenfeelpartoftheweboflife.
____10.IfeelthatallinhabitantsofEarth,human,andnonhuman,shareacommonlife
force.
____11.Likeatreecanbepartofaforest,Ifeelembeddedwithinthebroadernatural
world.
____12.WhenIthinkofmyplaceonEarth,Iconsidermyselftobeatopmemberofa
hierarchythatexistsinnature.
____13.IoftenfeellikeIamonlyasmallpartofthenaturalworldaroundme,andthatI
amnomoreimportantthanthegrassonthegroundorthebirdsinthetrees.
____14.Mypersonalwelfareisindependentofthewelfareofthenaturalworld.
____15.Myidealvacationspotwouldbearemote,wildernessarea.
____16.Ialwaysthinkabouthowmyactionsaffecttheenvironment.
____17.Myconnectiontonatureandtheenvironmentisapartofmyspirituality.
____18.ItakenoteofwildlifewhereverIam.

81

____19.MyrelationshiptonatureisanimportantpartofwhoIam.
____20.Ifeelveryconnectedtoalllivingthingsandtheearth.
Questions114werederivedfromtheConnectednesstoNatureScale(MayerandFrantz,2004)
Questions1520werederivedfromtheshortformversionoftheNatureRelatednessScale
(Nisbet,Zelenski&Murphy,2009)

82

APPENDIXB

StudentJournalReflectionPrompts

Day1

Pleasereflectontodaysactivities,specificallytheeffectithashadonyour
environmentalknowledge,attitudesandbehaviors.

1.Howwouldyouranktheamountofknowledgethatyouhavegainedasaresultof
todaysactivities?

Nonewknowledge
AlittlenewknowledgeAlotofnewknowledge

Pleasereflectonwhyyouchosetheresponseabove,specificallystatingatleastoneor
twofactorsthatinfluencedyourdecision.

2.Howwouldyouranktherelevanceorimportanceoftheknowledgeforyourlife?

3.Howdidtodaysactivitiesaffecthowconnectedyoufeelwiththeenvironment?

LessconnectedNochange
Moreconnected

Pleasereflectonwhyyouchosetheresponseabove,specificallystatingatleastone
factorthatinfluencedyourdecision.

4.Listatleasttwoitemsthatyouenjoythemostinnature.

5.Nameatleasttwospecificfactorsthataffecttheamountoftimethatyouspendinthe
outdoorsonaweeklybasis.

83

Day2

Pleasereflectontodaysactivities,specificallytheeffectithashadonyour
environmentalknowledge,attitudesandbehaviors.

1.Howwouldyouranktheamountofknowledgethatyouhavegainedasaresultof
todaysactivities?

Nonewknowledge
AlittlenewknowledgeAlotofnewknowledge

Pleasereflectonwhyyouchosetheresponseabove,specificallystatingatleastoneor
twofactorsthatinfluencedyourdecision.

2.Howwouldyouranktheimportanceoftheknowledgeforyourlife?

3.Howdidtodaysactivitiesaffecthowconnectedyoufeelwiththeenvironment?

Lessconnected
Nochange
Moreconnected

Pleasereflectonwhyyouchosetheresponseabove,specificallystatingatleastone
factorthatinfluencedyourdecision.

3.Describealocalenvironmentalissueandwhatyoubelieveshouldbedoneaboutit.

84

Day3

Pleasereflectontodaysactivities,specificallytheeffectithashadonyour
environmentalknowledge,attitudesandbehaviors.

1.Howwouldyouranktheamountofknowledgethatyouhavegainedasaresultof
todaysactivities?

Nonewknowledge
AlittlenewknowledgeAlotofnewknowledge

Pleasereflectonwhyyouchosetheresponseabove,specificallystatingatleastoneor
twofactorsthatinfluencedyourdecision.

2.Howwouldyouranktherelevanceorimportanceoftheknowledgeforyourlife?

3.Howdidtodaysactivitiesaffecthowconnectedyoufeelwiththeenvironment?

Lessconnected
Nochange
Moreconnected

Pleasereflectonwhyyouchosetheresponseabove,specificallystatingatleastone
factorthatinfluencedyourdecision.

4.Describehowtheactivitiesthatyouhaveparticipatedinoverthepastthreedays
comparetothelearningthattakesplaceintheclassroombackatschool.

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5.ThemissionofWolfRidgeEnvironmentalLearningCenterisTodevelopacitizenry
thathastheknowledge,skills,motivationandcommitmenttoworktogetherforaquality
environment.Thisisaccomplishedby:
a.Fosteringawareness,curiosityandsensitivitytothenaturalworld
b.Providinglifelonglearningexperiencesinnature
c.Developingsocialunderstanding,respectandcooperation
d.Modelingvalues,behaviorsandtechnologieswhichleadtoasustainable
lifestyle
e.Promotingtheconceptsofconservationandstewardship

Pleaseranktheselearningtargets(ae)witha1beingthemostimportantanda5being
leastimportant.

Describehowthelearningtargetthatyourankedasnumber1wasaddressedoverthe
courseofthisexperience.

6.Pleasedescribeatleasttwowayshowyoufeelthisexperiencehasaffectedyour
overallecoliteracy.

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APPENDIXC

FocusGroupQuestions

1.TakeamomenttoreflectonyourexperienceatWolfRidgeandpickoutamemory
thatyoulike.
a. Whichactivitydidyouenjoymost?
b. Isthereanythingthatyouwouldlikemoreofifyoucouldgoback?Ifso,what?
c. Isthereanythingthatyouwouldlikelessofifyoucouldgoback?Ifso,what?
d. Isthereanythingthatyoudidntlike?Ifso,what?

2.Haveanyoftheactivitiesthatwehaveparticipatedinpromptedyoutomakepositive
behavioralchangestowardstheenvironment?

3.Arethereanyaspectsofthisfieldexperiencethatyouwillcarryoverintoyourdaily
life?Describeatleasttwoifpossible.

4.Doyoufeelthatitisimportantforindividualstounderstandtherolethattheyplayin
theirenvironments?Explain.

5.ThinkaboutyourselfbeforeyouwenttoWolfRidge.
a. Howwereyouconnectedwithnature?

6.Thinkaboutyourselfnow,afterhavingexperiencedthreedaysatWolfRidge.
a. Doyoufeelmoreorlessconnectedwithnature?Pleaseexplainwhyyouthink
thisincreasedordecreasedconnectionoccurred.