Evaluating a private Hawai’i high school’s experiential education opportunities: Student environmental literacy and parental/guardian interactions
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2022-05
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Over the past century, global environmental degradation has rapidly increased as a result of human actions that negatively affected species and ecosystems. Notably, an emotional and physical disconnect from the environment has distanced many individuals from the necessary behaviors that ensure the health of our planet. To address this separation and compounding environmental issues, holistic education philosophies have aimed to reinstate healthy relationships between humans and nature through environmental education (EE). However, students have limited influence which calls for the need to transform parental behaviors as well. This project aims to quantify the efficacy of EE-related programs, offered as experiential education opportunities, to develop student environmental literacy (EL) and environmentally responsible interactions with parents in a private Hawai’i high school. Additional goals are to create an adaptable framework that can be easily replicated while providing essential empirical evidence. This will inform future EE-related curricula as a means of environmental stewardship. To meet the objective of quantifying the impact of EE-related programs in developing EL, primary data will be collected via a structured in-school questionnaire consisting of the following sections: demographics, EE type and exposure, and an evaluation of EL and parental interactions. The high school participants will be grouped into three cohorts depending on EE exposure: extended (5+ years), moderate (2-5 years), and limited (0-1 years). The analysis will involve descriptive statistics with reliability tests and regression analysis of a 5-point Likert scale using R’s survey analytics. Final outputs include a written capstone paper, final presentation, and data transcripts all of which will be available to the public. A 2-page brief and 10-minute presentation will also be given to the host school along with other applicable audiences. Outcomes will expose the efficacy of different types and extents of EE programs within a Hawai’i private school. These outputs will enable teachers, curriculum developers, and decision-makers, through the empirical evidence acquired, to consider the implementation of specific EE methods to increase sustainable community behaviors. Long-term, the ideal outcome is increased investments, at state and federal levels, into widespread, efficient, and diverse EE-related programs enabling all students to be change-makers for their future.
Description
dissertation or thesis
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Youth--Attitudes, High school students, Private schools, Place-based education, Attitude change, Intergenerational communication
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18 pages
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Hawaii--Oahu
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Hashimoto, Mitchell
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