Interaction with the environment can have a profound impact on people, specifically children. However, research has shown that, for a variety of reasons, youths have become increasingly disconnected from the natural world, which may prevent them from adopting environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs). Environmental education programming such as summer camps, zoo programs, and other outdoor experiences can establish connections to nature and help develop ERBs in children. Research suggests that participants in these programs can also contribute to the environmental knowledge and behaviors of their parents or guardians. This study evaluated the impact of an earth education summer camp in Nova Scotia, Canada. The researchers looked at whether the summer camp influenced children's environmental knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes 2-3 months after completing the program. The researchers also evaluated whether children influenced the environmental knowledge, behaviors, and/or attitudes of their parents or guardians following the program.
This study focused on the internationally operated Sunship Earth program, an overnight, 5-day summer-camp style program for youth ages 10-14 years. The program takes place at a site in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where children connect with nature and learn about an assortment of ecological concepts. The children participated in 3-4 hours of structured environmental programming each day, in addition to a variety of leisure activities. The researchers elected to interview parents of the children, all adults with children in the program were invited to participate. A total of seven parents/guardians participated in the study. The adult participants were asked to describe their child's camp experience, new knowledge or interests they shared after camp, environmental behavior-related changes they had observed in their child since they returned from the program, and whether any knowledge, attitude, or behavior changes were short-term or long-term.
All participants reported that the Sunship Earth experience was a positive one for their children, and that after the camp program their children were more interested in environmental topics. The parents identified four key opportunities that their children experienced at camp: increasing social networks, developing new skills, learning about nature, and committing to new environmentally responsible behaviors. In addition, all participants noted that the Sunship Earth program reinforced their children's existing appreciation for the environment. Five out of seven parents indicated that their children adopted new ERBs following the program, and four out of five of the children made efforts to influence ERBs on the family level 2-3 months after the program. The participants reported that their children's' exposure to nature and the presence of positive role models were the two most influential factors over the children's' new behaviors. However, researchers found that though the experience was meaningful for the children, their knowledge was not passed on to their parents.
The researchers identified some limitations with the study. First, only the parents were interviewed, so any perspectives from the children were relayed to the researchers secondhand. In addition, the sample size was small; thus, the results are not representative of all of the Sunship Earth programs or participants. The research also only took into account interviews from parents at the Halifax session, which may differ from programs held in other regions.
These results illustrate how Sunship Earth can increase children's environmental knowledge, attitudes, and responsible behaviors, and suggest that following a similar program model could produce similar results. The researchers recommended designing future studies to determine the program factors that were most effective at promoting environmentally responsible behaviors. They also recommend collecting data directly from the participants, which would provide critical insight to help understand the long-term benefits of participation in Sunship Earth.
The Bottom Line
<p>Environmental education programs play a key role in facilitating relationships between children and the environment to foster environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs). This study evaluated the impact of the Sunship Earth program, a 5-day overnight camp focused on environmental topics in Nova Scotia, Canada. The study researched environmental knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes of the children 2-3 months after completing the program, and whether the children had any influence over their parents. The researchers interviewed seven parents of children who attended the program. Parents reported that the program increased their children's environmental knowledge and attitudes, and reinforced ERBs. However, the children did not appear to have a profound impact on the environmental knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors of their parents. The researchers recommend designing future studies to determine which of the program factors were most influential in promoting ERBS, and suggested that collecting data from child participants directly would be beneficial.</p>
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