This thesis investigated the apparent effectiveness of environmental education essential elements in school field trip programming. First, the elements essential to environmental education field trips were identified from the literature. Second, these elements were incorporated into a questionnaire that was administered as a pre/post test to elementary school students visiting an extensive indoor environmental education facility located in Montreal. Finally, 24 environmental education programs at eight institutions in Montreal were observed to investigate the extent and methodology of implementation of the essential elements. With regard to the chief institution, it was concluded that (1) the educational programming appeared to significantly increase environmental knowledge, and (2) the environmental attitudes were most strongly correlated with student background. Program observation at the eight institutions demonstrated that a wide array of environmental topics was presented, but there was insufficient instruction of environmental issues and action strategies. The list of observed implementation methodologies and the study conclusions could prove useful as a research-based foundation for effective environmental education field trip program development.

Only a few decades ago, people spent considerably more time engaged in outdoor activities, fostering connections with the natural environment. Currently, many people regard themselves as separate from the natural world instead of maintaining a connection to the earth. Today‘s youth face a plethora of factors that discourage them from developing significant relationships with nature. This study was designed to determine which factors had significant impacts upon rural (n=50) and urban youths‘ (n=42) connectedness to nature. During this mixed methods research, respondents participated through an online survey that included 'Connectedness to Nature Scale' statements. Ten semi-structured interviews further explored youths' connectedness to nature. A comparison of the rural and urban findings suggests that rural youths have more opportunities to connect and develop more significant relationships with nature whereas urban youths may be slightly less connected to nature overall but have similar concerns for the environment.

<p> A robust body of research has identified three primary life experiences that foster a lasting commitment to active care for the environment. These are: time spent enjoying nature, especially during childhood; a close, often familial, role model for nature appreciation; and participation in a nature or environment focused organization that offers direct learning opportunities. Family nature clubs (FNCs) bring groups of families together to explore nature on a regular basis &ndash; thus fulfilling all three of these experiences. This study used ecological psychology, attachment and family systems theories, and community psychology to create a framework for understanding how these experiences can come together in the form of FNCs to foster pro-environmental behavior as well as individual, familial, and community well-being. The methodologies of ethnography, case study and action research and the methods of direct observation, surveys, and most-significant change interviews were used. The study population was the leaders in and participants of FNCs, including <i>Columbia Families in Nature</i>, a FNC I founded. Study results incorporate data from 47 FNCs and over 350 participants. More than twenty distinct positive outcomes of FNC participation were identified in the areas of: greater knowledge of and sense of connection with nature; more time spent in nature; enhanced individual and familial well-being; stronger social connections; and greater environmental and social action. The youth nature experiences of the adult participants was found to be significantly related to their current sense of connection to nature (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) and level of environmental action (<i>p</i>=0.03). Family time in nature was found to be significantly related to connection with nature (<i>p</i>=0.007), environmental action (<i>p</i>=0.02), and social action (<i>p</i>=0.03). </p>

This thesis reports on a study designed to investigate the nature of environmental education (EE) at one well-established school board operated outdoor education centre called Faraway Dale located in Ontario, Canada. The specific research questions that guided the study were: (a) What are the structures that characterize environmental education for educators at the outdoor education centre? (b) What are the main understandings of environment and education that guide outdoor educators work with environmental education? (c) What are the tensions and contradictions of providing environmental education through an outdoor centre? The primary data sources for this study were the nine outdoor educators who work at the facility. A variety of data collecting strategies were used, over a period of five months, to re-present their experiences of providing EE. Analysis of the data revealed that the nature of EE at the outdoor centre is significantly different from what occurs in mainstream, indoor settings. The overall goal for environmental education at the outdoor centre is to foster a culture that leads to healthy people and healthy environments by encouraging a more equitable interplay among people and nature. This overall goal can be divided into three structures that characterize EE at the centre. These are: connecting people to the environment, encouraging a care-based relational orientation towards the environment, and building agency for living low consumption low impact lifestyles. The findings also confirm that the nature of EE which educators espouse and practice is directly linked to their understandings of the terms ‘environment’ and ‘education’. The major tensions and contradictions of providing EE in an outdoor context are also illuminated. The discussion focuses on the implications of the findings for theory, practice and research in EE and the work of outdoor educators in the field.

This thesis is an examination of the political and educational implications of environmentalism. This movement has been characterized by oversimplifications which have led to confusion about the proper role of humans with respect to the natural world. The modern world system was founded on the concept of human domination of nature, and this led to degradation of both the natural and the social environment. The radical ecological response to this view rejected any role for human subjects other than protection, and called for a rejection of technology and a return to pre-modern conditions. / This investigation proposes that citizens in a postmodern world should be characterized by ecological literacy: a comprehensive understanding of the natural and social environment, and the responsibilities of humans in it. It is argued that this will be possible only with political arrangements which are selectively decentralized, preserving local initiative and promoting community resilience.

Thesis (M. Env. St.)--University of Adelaide, Mawson Graduate Centre for Environmental Studies, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-91).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Toledo, 2008. / Typescript. "Submitted as partial fulfillments of the requirements for The Master of Science in Geology." "A thesis entitled"--at head of title. Bibliography: leaves 32-39.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-117).

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Kent State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed March 31, 2010). Advisor: Linda Hoeptner Poling. Keywords: art education and nature; environmental art education; art; art education; outdoor art education; nature based art education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-118)

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 68 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-42).