Outcome Research in Environmental Education: A Critical Review

Reviewed 34 environmental education studies published since 1974 that attempted to demonstrate changes in environmentally relevant knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors. The studies are divided into 2 major categories: 17 evaluating classroom interventions, and 17 evaluating out-of-class interventions. Ignoring methodological problems concerning unit of analysis and demand or experimenter expectancies, 14 of the 34 studies reported positive effects and 6 reported mixed effects. The remaining 14 studies either reported negative findings or used a methodology judged too weak to allow any conclusions. Despite many of the investigations' methodological difficulties, some findings indicate that future research can refine environmental education strategies and curricula.