Evaluating Impacts of Adult Environmental Education: A Play-Filled Future

Environmental Sense of Place (SoP)

“Realizing specific community demographics and nature identities will enable educators to improve adult environmental education, which will lead to positive environmental change”

SoP is used by environmental researchers to define human sentiments toward nature. Kudryavstev, Stedman, and Krasny (2012) described SoP as a combination of place attachment—the bond between people and places—and place meaning—the symbolism attributed to places. Influencing pro-environmental sentiments will likely spark pro-environmental behavior, making it imperative to understand an individual’s relationship to nature to create the best opportunities possible for positive environmental growth. Nisbet, Zelenski, and Murphy (2009) developed a nature relatedness scale to study the link between an individual’s connection to nature with environmental concern and behavior. The results of the study showed that individuals displaying higher nature relatedness reported increased environmental concern and behavior. This article proposes nature play as a new approach to adult environmental education, that will likely leave participants with deeper nature connections and strengthened environmental SoP.

Adult Environmental Programming

Environmental education programs that have activated different strategies to influence SoP have had varied outcomes. Although it can be stated that any nature experience, whether part of an organized environmental program or not, influences one’s SoP in some measure, select environmental programs exist that are specifically developed to influence SoP. A study performed in Bronx, New York, compared the development of SoP in urban youth participating in indoor and outdoor urban environmental programs with identical curricula (Kudryavstev, Krasny Stedman, 2012). The results showed the outdoor urban environmental program increased individual SoP more than the indoor program. This study is not only an example of how environmental education programming can influence SoP but also a measure of how certain environmental education programs have proven to impact SoP greater than others.

There are numerous factors that also need to be considered when developing such programs. One factor program developers and educators must take into account is age. Organizations have to navigate the field of adult environmental education and decide how they want it defined. A program developed for adults specifically, may differ greatly from one designed for youth or families. Another factor is how adults’ environmental sentiments may drive short-term impacts in regard to policy, influencing youth as role models, and spreading awareness. These short-term impacts hold social and political significance that need to be considered in the development stages of programming.

Designing education programs for adults comes with its own complexities and barriers. Generally, there is no opting-in for youth in youth programs, whereas adults control their day-to-day activities. Factors such as prior experiences, readiness to learn, motivation to learn, and self concept must be considered in the development stages and may need to be overcome when engaging adults in programming. The better developers understand what special needs exist for adult learners, the easier time they will have designing programs that get adults interested in connecting to nature (Amin & Yok, 2015). Realizing specific community demographics and nature identities will enable educators to improve adult environmental education, which will lead to positive environmental change. Studying past and current programming is crucial for informing future educators on how they can best nurture the deepest nature connections possible for adult participants. Program developers must be dynamic, flexible, and willing to explore new techniques in the field of adult education.

Nature Play

Designing environmental programs where play in nature is a component may be one answer to creating deeper connections. For the purposes of this article, nature play can be defined as unstructured time outdoors. In a case study where natural history professionals and committed hobbyists were interviewed, nature play was the foundation for them developing a love for the environment (James, Bixler Vadala, 2010). Most individuals in this study were found to have rich environmental pasts and therefore were more willing to act in time of conservation need in the present. Through having fun and allowing independent free time, true connections to nature are inspired. Just because youth programs more often incorporate play, does not mean adults could not benefit from the same approach.

Nature play has proven to foster individual connections to the environment and nurture one’s SoP. If positive nature experiences promote conservation, and nature play can act as a platform for positive nature connections, it is the responsibility of practitioners to consider incorporating more unstructured independent exploration or free time into adult environmental education. Nature play could be key in aiding future adult environmental programs to create deeper, longer lasting connections, and increase the number of environmental stewards. Play is just one example of a dynamic technique to build pro-environmental sentiments within adults and could help impact SoP when incorporated into programming.

The future of adult education rests in the hands of us practitioners. If we do not adapt adult programming and are not willing to try out new methods, they may fail to optimize the potential for environmental protection, preservation, and short-term conservation change. Recognizing programmatic methods that most strongly influence SoP is crucial in protecting the environment (Kudryavstev, Krasny Stedman, 2012). For leaders to inspire individuals to action, they should first help spark a connection between people and nature. As educators, scientists, and trustees of Earth, we must work to streamline existing adult environmental programming to better shift sentiments toward pro-environmental behavior. Perhaps the future of adult environmental programming is one that is less programmed and more free. Through guiding next steps by continued evaluation and identification of best practices, we may find a more playful future for all.