Long-term Influences of Participation in an Earth Education Program in Middle School

This study investigated whether the Sunship Earth environmental education program has lasting effects on participants decades after completion. Sunship Earth is an earth education program designed as a five-day experience for 10 to 12-year-olds. Similar to other earth education programs its purpose is to help young people learn to live more harmoniously and joyously with the earth and its life. Earth education programs are designed to be “magical learning adventures” for the learners.

Participants in this study included adults in one school district who graduated from high school between 1987 and 2012. The school district is located in a small city with a population of approximately 15,000 in Pennsylvania. Approximately 2,000 students are enrolled in the district. From 1981 through 2012, all sixth-grade classes in this school district participated in the 5-day Sunship Earth program at a nearby residential environmental learning center.

This study found that former participants scored significantly higher on both major environmental attitude measures used - the Model of Ecological Values (2-MEV) and the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP). They showed stronger support for environmental preservation, greater enjoyment of nature, less tolerance for human dominance over nature, and stronger beliefs in the rights of nature and ecological crisis.

An overwhelming 83% of former participants reported that their middle school experience continues to influence their current environmental views and actions as adults. This finding is particularly striking given the program's brief 5-day duration occurred decades earlier for many respondents.

While both groups held generally pro-environmental views, former participants were significantly more likely to oppose fracking for natural gas (47% vs 37%) and reported greater enjoyment spending time in nature. However, both groups showed similar beliefs about climate change (80% agreed humans contribute) and similar rates of visiting state/national parks.

Former participants demonstrated higher rates of membership in environmental organizations (7% vs 2%) and more frequent participation in environmental activities, suggesting the program fostered ongoing civic engagement with environmental issues.

Takeaways for Environmental Educators:

1. The Sunship Earth program's success appears linked to several key features: its immersive 5-day residential format, integration of knowledge/feelings/action components, hands-on outdoor activities, a cohesive "magical" narrative framework, and follow-up commitments participants make to change environmental habits.

2. The study's setting - where virtually all 6th graders (99%) participated in the same program for 31 years - created a natural experiment demonstrating the potential for systematic, comprehensive environmental education at the community level.

3. Unlike traditional environmental education focused primarily on knowledge transfer, Sunship Earth explicitly addresses ecological concepts, emotional connections to nature, and specific behavioral commitments, creating what participants described as "transformative learning" experiences.

4. The program's use of memorable experiences like "Magic Spots," conceptual activities with acronyms (EC-DC-IC-A), and narrative storytelling appears to create lasting memories that participants can draw upon throughout their lives.

5. The 5-day immersive experience away from normal routines appears crucial for creating the depth of impact that persists decades later. Day programs, while valuable, may lack the intensity needed for transformative learning.

6. The program's focus on 10-12 year olds (6th grade) appears optimal, as this age group is developmentally ready for abstract ecological concepts while still forming fundamental values and attitudes that will guide future behavior.

7. The program's success was enhanced by school district commitment, teacher participation, high school counselors who were former participants, and some families having multiple generations participate, creating a supportive community culture around environmental values.

The research concludes that while short-term environmental education impacts are well-documented, this study provides rare evidence that carefully designed programs can create lasting change extending decades into participants' adult lives. The authors note this represents "transformative learning" - education that changes not just what people think, but what they do throughout their lives.