First Advisor

Kerth O'Brien

Term of Graduation

Fall 2000

Date of Publication

11-16-2000

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Psychology

Department

Psychology

Language

English

Subjects

Middle school students -- Attitudes, Nature -- Effect of human beings on, Open-air schools

Physical Description

1 online resource (v, 109 pages)

Abstract

Past research in environmental psychology and education has shown that outdoor experiences such as wilderness adventure camps and environmental education programs may result in increases in participants' self-esteem, sense of connectedness to the natural world and environmental awareness. Developmental research has suggested a link between high self-esteem and increased levels of empathy.

The present study was intended to explore possible effects of nature experiences on empathy development, and to add to our understanding of the relationship between people and the natural environment by measuring four aspects of children's subjective experiences: empathy, self-esteem, sense of connectedness to the natural world, and environmental attitudes.

Seventy-eight 6th-grade participants were measured before and after an Outdoor School experience in a pre- and post-test design with a control group. Two groups were tested, each composed of 39 students from the same school; the experimental group attended a week-long session of Outdoor School while the control group attended regular classes. The measurement instrument, a 35-item questionnaire, was refined in a pilot study with 25 6th-graders. Following the second questionnaire administration, a behavioral measure was taken in which students were asked to volunteer for an environmental activity. Each subscale was further examined for associations with gender.

Results indicated a significant increase in feelings of connectedness to nature in the experimental group members. No gender differences were found. No significant changes were observed in empathy, self-esteem, or environmental attitudes. Significantly more students who attended Outdoor School volunteered for a community environmental project than those who did not.

Directions for future research are discussed.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45174

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