Practitioners’ perspectives on the purpose of environmental education

Figures & data

Table 1. List of statements used for sorting by originating sub-category.

#	Statement
Environmental sustainability
1	Primarily to teach people how to live sustainably
2	Primarily to teach people they must protect ecosystems
3	It’s more important to save endangered wildlife than to worry about a few more people
Place-based
4	Making school curriculum relevant connecting to where youth live
5	You can only learn about nature by seeing it change over time in your neighborhood
6	It’s getting kids outside to discover nature at their doorstep
Spirituality
7	It’s using nature to reconnect people to their spiritual center
8	Teaching that nature has the same rights as people
9	Promotes the understanding that everything is connected to everything in nature
10	Nature education is the path to help us appreciate God through His work
Cognitive
11	Once you know how the natural world works, you understand systems better
12	The best way to produce a scientifically – literate society
13	It’s the best way to teach about how the scientific process works
14	It’s about helping develop good thinking skills
Collectivist
15	Restoring nature is the best way to bring communities together
16	Learning about nature creates more positive, nurturing, and emotionally healthy communities
17	Nature helps bring all of society together to solve the problems we share
18	Nature teaches us to love and respect one another like a good family
Agency
19	Helps people with little or no access to nature become free thinkers
20	Nature teaches that we’re all in it together, geographically, socially, and financially
21	Promotes active citizenry, motivating people to solve complex environmental problems
22	Motivating people to fight for their rights to clean and healthy places to live
Individualist
23	Exposing students to the outdoors so they don’t fear nature
24	It’s teaching good, clean, and healthy recreation
25	Learning to protect the parts of the environment that nurture us as people
26	Outdoor learning helps build healthy families
Behavior changers
27	It’s the only way we’re going to fix the problems created by people
28	Getting our children to be the next environmental stewards
29	We can use nature experiences to help people from cities tackle
30	Motivating people to take local actions to solve global problems
Moral responsibility
31	Nature learning is the best way to teach about protection of wild things, even if they aren’t cute
32	Fostering the commitment to solve environmental problems
Problem solvers
33	Nature is the best way to teach leadership
34	Nature learning teaches basic life skills
35	Putting students into challenging environments like the woods or mountains helps them develop good problem-solving skills

Table 2. Factor matrix with defining sorts.

Participant #	Factor
	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
1	0.47	0.11	0.29	0.59*	−0.01
2	0.12	−0.11	0.09	0.04	0.78*
3	0.33	0.29	0.19	0.54	0.31
4	0.70*	0.18	0.24	0.12	0.00
5	0.38	0.40	0.21	0.48	0.07
6	0.49	0.49	0.19	0.46	0.19
7	0.52	0.35	0.27	0.41	0.29
8	0.29	0.14	0.64*	0.22	0.29
9	0.70*	0.15	0.12	0.35	0.14
10	0.19	0.46	0.10	0.43	0.49
11	0.10	0.06	0.80*	0.15	−0.03
12	0.38	−0.08	0.66*	0.05	0.22
13	0.66*	−0.17	0.47	0.30	0.14
14	0.37	0.02	0.60*	0.40	−0.06
15	0.13	−0.02	0.46	0.75*	−0.05
16	0.27	0.10	0.21	0.71*	0.05
17	0.11	0.04	0.33	0.62*	−0.01
18	0.08	0.54	0.64*	−0.04	−0.19
19	−0.12	0.19	0.51	0.49	0.28
20	0.57*	0.35	−0.07	0.29	−0.12
21	0.25	0.08	0.39	0.52	−0.24
22	0.40	−0.37	0.54	−0.06	0.40
23	0.80*	−0.18	−0.05	−0.04	0.32
24	0.18	0.25	0.72*	0.34	0.06
25	0.07	0.62*	0.05	0.33	0.14
26	0.64*	0.15	0.32	0.10	−0.11
27	0.31	0.17	0.71*	0.32	0.06
28	0.62*	0.11	0.34	−0.05	−0.09
29	0.43	0.22	0.22	−0.62*	0.05
30	0.06	−0.07	0.42	0.31	−0.32
31	−0.07	0.80*	0.05	0.01	−0.04
32	0.65*	−0.09	0.34	−0.03	0.31
33	−0.01	0.32	0.41	0.53	0.18
34	0.18	−0.37	0.67^*	0.31	0.04
35	0.35	0.42	0.56	0.18	0.03
36	0.49	0.02	0.39	0.18	−0.36
37	0.18	0.26	0.45	0.29	0.36
38	0.19	0.48	0.37	0.37	0.24
39	0.07	0.84^*	0.01	−0.27	−0.03
40	0.13	0.64^*	−0.01	0.16	−0.12
41	0.63^*	0.09	0.02	0.55	0.12
% Expl. Var.	16	11	17	14	6

^* Represents a defining sort.

Table 3. Top ranked statement scores by factor.

No.	Statements	Z Score	Rank
Factor 1. Fundamental coexistence
1	Primarily to teach people how to live sustainably	2.18	1
20	Nature teaches that we’re all in it together, geographically, socially, and financially	1.38	2
32	Fostering the commitment to solve environmental problems	1.35	4
28	Getting our children to be the next environmental stewards	1.33	3
2	Primarily to teach people they must protect ecosystems	1.11	5
Factor 2. Spiritual instrumentalism
9	Promotes the understanding that everything is connected to everything in nature	1.92	1
7	It’s using nature to reconnect people to their spiritual center	1.86	2
10	Nature education is the path to help us appreciate God through His work	1.36	3
14	It’s about helping develop good thinking skills	1.21	4
34	Nature learning teaches basic life skills	1.14	5
Factor 3. Moral stewardship
9	Promotes the understanding that everything is connected to everything in nature	2.20	1
32	Fostering the commitment to solve environmental problems	1.70	2
31	Nature learning is the best way to teach about protection of wild things, even if they aren’t cute	1.60	3
28	Getting our children to be the next environmental stewards	1.57	4
6	It’s getting kids outside to discover nature at their doorstep	1.25	5
Factor 4. Skilled community activism
21	Promotes active citizenry, motivating people to solve complex environmental problems	2.05	1
32	Fostering the commitment to solve environmental problems	1.78	2
30	Motivating people to take local actions to solve global problems	1.73	3
14	It’s about helping develop good thinking skills	1.42	4
28	Getting our children to be the next environmental stewards	1.19	5
Factor 5. Social-ecological ethicists
8	Teaching that nature has the same rights as people	1.93	1
9	Promotes the understanding that everything is connected to everything in nature	1.93	2
11	Once you know how the natural world works, you understand systems better	1.29	3
17	Nature helps bring all of society together to solve the problems we share	1.29	4
20	Nature teaches that we’re all in it together, geographically, socially, and financially	1.29	5

Note: All statements are significant at p < 0.05.

Table 4. Distinguishing statements by factor.

No.	Statement	Z Score
Distinguishing Statements for Factor 1
1	Primarily to teach people how to live sustainably	2.18
13	It’s the best way to teach about how the scientific process works	−1.61
12	The best way to produce a scientifically- literate society	−1.93
Distinguishing Statements for Factor 2
7	It’s using nature to reconnect people to their spiritual center	1.86
10	Nature education is the path to help us appreciate God through His work	1.36
22	Motivating people to fight for their rights to clean and healthy places to live	−1.04
17	Nature helps bring all of society together to solve the problems we share	−1.69
3	It’s more important to save endangered wildlife than to worry about a few more people	−2.41
Distinguishing Statements for Factor 3
31	Nature learning is the best way to teach about protection of wild things, even if they aren’t cute	1.60
Distinguishing Statements for Factor 4
21	Promotes active citizenry, motivating people to solve complex environmental problems	2.05
30	Motivating people to take local actions to solve global problems	1.73
Distinguishing Statements for Factor 5
8	Teaching that nature has the same rights as people	1.92
30	Motivating people to take local actions to solve global problems	−1.93

Note: All statements are significant at p < 0.01.

Table 5. Youth development in analysis with community educators.

No.	Statements	Z Score	Rank
Top ranked statements for factor 5
8	Teaching that nature has the same rights as people	1.93	1
9	Promotes the understanding that everything is connected to everything in nature	1.93	2
11	Once you know how the natural world works, you understand systems better	1.29	3
17	Nature helps bring all of society together to solve the problems we share	1.29	4
20	Nature teaches that we’re all in it together, geographically, socially, and financially	1.29	5
Distinguishing statements for factor 5
8	Teaching that nature has the same rights as people	1.92
30	Motivating people to take local actions to solve global problems	−1.93

Table 6. Factor scores with corresponding ranks of statements grouped by category.

	Statement	Factors
		F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
Environmental sustainability
1	Primarily to teach people how to live sustainably	1	15	13	10	13
2	Primarily to teach people they must protect ecosystems	5	29	11	15	22
3	It’s more important to save endangered wildlife than to worry about a few more people	29	35	31	34	22
Place-based
4	Making school curriculum relevant connecting to where youth live	13	14	21	6	29
5	You can only learn about nature by seeing it change over time in your neighborhood	30	25	33	21	13
6	It’s getting kids outside to discover nature at their doorstep*	16	6*	5*	23	22
Spirituality
7	It’s using nature to reconnect people to their spiritual center	12	2	34	30	29
8	Teaching that nature has the same rights as people	20	33	25	29	2
9	Promotes the understanding that everything is connected to everything in nature*	6	1*	1*	14	2*
10	Nature education is the path to help us appreciate God through His work	34	3	35	35	35
Cognitive
11	Once you know how the natural world works, you understand systems better	17	10	6	9	6
12	The best way to produce a scientifically- literate society	35	9	12	8	29
13	It’s the best way to teach about how the scientific process works	33	18	18	11	22
14	It’s about helping develop good thinking skills*	27	4*	23	4*	13
Collectivist
15	Restoring nature is the best way to bring communities together	19	23	28	20	33
16	Learning about nature creates more positive, nurturing, emotionally healthy communities	7	13	14	24	13
17	Nature helps bring all of society together to solve the problems we share	9	32	22	13	6
18	Nature teaches us to love and respect one another like a good family	26	17	27	33	29
Agency
19	Helps people with little or no access to nature become free thinkers	32	21	30	27	22
20	Nature teaches that we’re all in it together, geographically, socially, and financially	2	16	17	17	6
21	Promotes active citizenry, motivating people to solve complex environmental problems	11	29	9	1	33
22	Motivating people to fight for their rights to clean and healthy places to live	10	31	20	7	13
Individualist
23	Exposing students to the outdoors so they don’t fear nature	14	24	10	19	33
24	It’s teaching good clean healthy recreation	22	26	29	32	22
25	Learning to protect the parts of the environment that nurture us as people	21	22	8	16	29
26	Outdoor learning helps build healthy families	25	7	26	26	13
Problem solvers
27	It’s the only way we’re going to fix the problems created by people	28	34	24	12	22
28	Getting our children to be the next environmental stewards*	4*	11	4*	5*	6
29	We can use nature experiences to help people from cities tackle . . .	15	30	15	18	29
30	Motivating people to take local actions to solve global problems	8	12	7	3	35
Moral responsibility
31	Nature learning is the best way to teach about protection of wild things, even if they aren’t cute	18	20	3	31	33
32	Fostering the commitment to solve environmental problems*	3*	19	2*	2*	22
Life skills
33	Nature is the best way to teach leadership	31	27	32	25	13
34	Nature learning teaches basic life skills	23	5	19	28	22
35	Putting students into challenging environments like the woods or mountains helps them develop good problem solving skills	24	8	16	22	29

* Statements that received high ranking across factors.

Statement numbers do not correspond to numbers used in the sorting exercise.