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ERIC Number: EJ855820
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0840-8114
EISSN: N/A
Integrated Programs and Pro-Environmental Behaviour
Smith, Tiffany
Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, v20 n4 p8-11 Sum 2008
Research suggested that "nature experience as an education method played a role in developing environmental value and attitudes, and was influential in pro-environmental behaviour." Few of these studies however, assessed the long-term influences of outdoor education experiences on participants' pro-environmental behaviour. The Outward Bound Canada College (OBCC) offers a variety of programs where students can earn credits towards their high school diploma. In 2002, OBCC began providing students with an integrated semester program that included extended expeditions, dog sledding, winter camping, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking and canoeing across Canada while completing a five-subject course load. Learning used an integrated curriculum approach in which subjects are overlapped to show their true interconnections; students and teachers rave about the benefits of this approach. This study used literature reviews, surveys, and interviews to triangulate data, thus providing a greater understanding of results and making conclusions more credible. An electronic survey was used to acquire information on the lifestyles of the 100 graduates of OBCC. The integrated semester was engaging, and learning expanded beyond course material. Some students thrived for the first time and felt a sense of accomplishment. The responses to the open-ended questions highlight the transformative capacity of integrated outdoor experiential education (OEE) programs such as OBCC.
Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario. 1185 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 3C6, Canada. e-mail: info@COEO.org; Web site: http://www.coeo.org/publication.htm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A