The Influence of Short-Term Outdoor Ecology Education on Long-Term Variables of Environmental Perspective

Evaluated the influence of outdoor ecology education on environmental perspective, by measuring the goals of environmental and ecological education: fostering responsible environmental behavior, long-term changes in students' attitudes toward conservation and nature, and basic ecological knowledge. One-day and 5-day versions of an outdoor ecology program in a national park were examined in a pre- and post-treatment evaluation, with the posttest delayed for one month after participants experienced the outdoor education program. Approximately 700 students were surveyed by means of multiple-choice knowledge statements; the survey showed that both programs fostered cognitive levels. Similarly, the scores within the subdivision Human-Altered Nature increased. The 5-day program explicitly provoked favorable shifts in individual behavior, both actual and intended. Comparison of the average pupil population with the population enrolled in the outdoor education programs surprisingly revealed a more proenvironmental orientation in students enrolled in the program before any education at the nature site took place, with possible reasons being preselection and/or presensitizing of students.