The impacts of environmental education on homeschoolers’ attitudes toward nature

ABSTRACT

Previous research indicates that learners appear to connect with nature and have heightened environmental perceptions after participating in environmental education programs (EEPs). Positive changes in attitudes toward nature are important because they can precede environmentally responsible behaviors, such as individuals’ leadership on environmental issues. Much of the existing EEP research has been conducted in school settings. This exploratory study aimed to contribute to the existing literature by examining changes in homeschoolers’ attitudes toward nature after participating in an EEP. Data was collected through a pre- and post-test quantitative instrument and two qualitative mechanisms and analyzed using independent-samples t-tests and paired-samples t-tests, and content analysis, respectively. Results showed greater connection to nature and positive changes in environmental perceptions for the homeschool participant sample. However, statistically significant changes were limited, and quantitative measures showed little change in homeschoolers’ eco-affinity or behavioral intentions. Recommendations for continued research with the homeschooled community are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Connectedness to nature
• environmental perceptions
• programming
• homeschooling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. To see photos of the property and read more about the field campus, please visit: https://www.wku.edu/mfc/

2. The names of primary and secondary participants in this paper are fictitious.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Western Kentucky University, College of Health and Human Services’ Quick Turn-Around Grant.

Notes on contributors

YuChun Chen

YuChun Chen, PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport at Western Kentucky University. Her research areas include teaching and learning in physical education, physical education teacher education, and program evaluation. She has also explored gender issues amongst children, adolescents and young adults in an effort to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in physical education and sport settings.

Allie McCreary

Allie McCreary, PhD is a social scientist studying parks and recreation management and human dimensions of natural resource management. Her research interests include understanding climate change impacts on nature-based tourism, collaborative management of parks and protected areas, and evaluating the outcomes of environmental education and environmental communication.