ERIC Number: EJ1455128
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
EISSN: EISSN-1469-5871
The Value of Outdoor Environmental Education Programs for Girls and Youth of Color: Cultivating Positive Dispositions toward Science and the Environment
Melissa A. Collins; Valeria Fike Romero; Aujanèe Young; Rena Dorph; Jedda Foreman; Craig Strang; Aparajita Pande; Vasiliki Laina
Environmental Education Research, v31 n1 p108-133 2025
Outdoor environmental education (OEE) programs can provide a valuable entry point for youth of color and girls who may have felt excluded and/or marginalized from traditional science learning experiences. This study investigated: (1) Can OEE programs contribute to the development of positive dispositions toward science and the environment?, and (2) Are there differences in effects by racial/ethnic and gender identity, or interactions thereof? Youth (n = 457; grades 4-6, approximate ages 9-12) reported their dispositions toward science and the environment along 5 scales before and after participating in OEE programs. Results found growth across all subscales for youth overall. Girls showed stronger effects than boys, and youth of color showed stronger effects than White youth. Girls of color showed particularly strong growth in Comfort in Nature. The implications of these results, particularly as a challenge to long-standing biases and inequities in the field, are discussed.
Descriptors: Positive Attitudes, Science Education, Outdoor Education, Females, Minority Group Students, Environmental Education, Likert Scales, Student Attitudes, Gender Differences, White Students, Equal Education, Educational Quality, Racial Differences, Self Concept, Elementary School Students
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1612512