COUNCIL OF OUTDOOR LEARNING
Research-informed Practice
EEA advances research-informed teaching practices based on the ways children connect with nature and learn science, how people come to care about and prioritize the environment, and what factors affect one’s sense of hopelessness or empowerment in the face of environmental challenges.
The long and short of it? It's not enough for educators to impart knowledge about the environment or even to engage students in hands-on learning. Children need opportunities to experience and connect with nature; to conduct investigations and do authentic science while making sense of the environment; to identify and pose solutions for local, real world problems; and to lead and carry out environmental projects they design. Making a difference in the world empowers and motivates students to affect change.
Here are some key takeaways from research on environmental education and how these findings can improve the effectiveness of EE. Original papers are linked in images below.
The long and short of it? It's not enough for educators to impart knowledge about the environment or even to engage students in hands-on learning. Children need opportunities to experience and connect with nature; to conduct investigations and do authentic science while making sense of the environment; to identify and pose solutions for local, real world problems; and to lead and carry out environmental projects they design. Making a difference in the world empowers and motivates students to affect change.
Here are some key takeaways from research on environmental education and how these findings can improve the effectiveness of EE. Original papers are linked in images below.
Environmental Education Can Be Discouraging
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“As a result of the curriculum initiative, education officials found that students felt hopeless and disempowered. The problems were seemingly so widespread and beyond their control that the students tended to turn away from, rather than face up to, participating in local attempts at problem-solving.” |
Nature Experiences and Place-based Learning Increase Engagement
"The challenge for parents and educators is to match activities and engagements with the periods of development in childhood. First, children need to develop emotional empathy for the creatures of the natural world. Next, they need safe opportunities to explore their urban and rural landscapes, and finally, they need to have opportunities to work on problems in their local communities." David Sobel's Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart of Nature Education explains this phenomenon. Click on the image below to read an excerpt.
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When adult environmentalists were asked about formative childhood experiences, the majority said they were motivated by experiences outdoors or learning about nature from older family members. Studying the environment in school, witnessing habitat destruction and pollution, and having religious convictions were less powerful motivators.
Louise Chawla, "Learning to Love the Natural World Enough to Protect It," 2006. 
The value of project-based learning (PBL) in high-poverty communities has been revealed in research that shows participation in PBL can improve performance in academic areas compared to a control group that received traditional classroom instruction.
Nell Duke and Anne-Lise Halvorsen, "The Impact of Project-Based Learning on Student Achievement," 2017. 
Misalignment between learners' lived experiences and the way environmental education is taught can result in passivity and detachment.
Albert Zyer and Elin Kelsey, "Environmental Education in a Cultural Context," International Handbook of Research on Environmental Education (pp.206-212), 2013. 
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Project-based learning (PBL) was found to positively affect environmental attitudes. Students said PBL helped them gain confidence solving problems and contributed to "permanent learning."
Murat Ginc, "The Project-based Learning Approach in Environmental Education," International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education 24(2):105-117, Dec. 2014. Research on how children learn science led to the design of a three dimensional approach that engages children in use of science and engineering practices, making sense of core ideas, and understanding connections between those ideas.
National Academies, "Framework for K-12 Science Education," 2011. 
"Building a National Movement: Green Schoolyards for Healthy Communities," a report from the Children and Nature Network, makes the case that children's health and academic performance are improved when they learn outdoors.
Outdoor spaces can be assets for learning during the COVID-19 pandemic Green SchoolyardsAmerica, Ten Strands, Lawrence Hall of Science, BEETLES.
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Childhood experiences exploring "wild" nature through hiking, camping, and hunting - and, to a lesser extent, domestic nature experiences such as gardening - had the highest correlation to pro-environmental behaviors and attitudes in adulthood. Surprisingly, both in-school and out-of-school environmental education experiences were found to have no correlation to future environmental attitudes or behaviors.
Nancy Wells and Kristi Lekies, "Nature and the Lifecourse: Pathways from Childhood Nature Experiences to Adult Environmentalism," 2006. 
At early ages, girls and children of color are highly interested in STEM learning, though they are less well represented in the STEM field as they age. STEM projects that focus on real-world social and environmental justice outcomes attract and retain girls and children of color more than those that focus on electronics and gadgetry.
Ebony McGee, "The Equity Ethic: Black and Latinx Students Re-engineer their Careers toward Justice," 2018. 
The Children and Nature Network offers a free, indexed research library on environmental education.
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Graduated Challenges Improve Students' Environmental Knowledge and Competence
Being well-informed about environmental systems and issues does not result in making choices or taking actions to protect the earth. Bite-sized, student-directed projects contribute to children's sense of "self-efficacy" and feeling that they can make a difference in the world (locus of control).
“When children have satisfying experiences in the world nearby, they are motivated to explore further; and with each feature of the environment that they come to understand and each challenge that they overcome, they build greater levels of environmental knowledge and personal competence.” Source: Louise Chawla, "Growing Up Green: Becoming an Agent of Care for the Natural World."
“When children have satisfying experiences in the world nearby, they are motivated to explore further; and with each feature of the environment that they come to understand and each challenge that they overcome, they build greater levels of environmental knowledge and personal competence.” Source: Louise Chawla, "Growing Up Green: Becoming an Agent of Care for the Natural World."
Environmental Stewardship is More Meaningful for Young People When Student-Directed
The ethical environmental educator seeks to let learners figure things out for themselves based on evidence and investigation. This article about self-efficacy in environmental problem-solving references Hart's Ladder of Participation as a measure of student engagement. Source: Charles Orgbon, "Youth-Grown Environmental Solutions," 2019.
Childhood Experiences in "Wild Nature" Affect Adult Behaviors and Attitudes Toward the Environment
The concept map below shows the correlations between childhood experiences and adult environmental attitudes and behaviors. Solid lines with numbers identify the extent of correlations. Dashed lines indicate no significant correlation. Source: Nancy Wells and Kristi Lekies, "Nature and the Lifecourse: Pathways from Childhood Nature Experiences to Adult Environmentalism," 2006.
Summary of Research Results
