Every Kid in the Woods: The Outdoor Education Experience of Diverse Youth

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate the experience of underserved fourth-grade students participating in the National Park Service's Every Kid in a Park (EKIP) initiative through the Into the Redwood Forest (IRF) education program at Muir Woods National Monument. The project's aim was to understand the experience of underserved diverse students (i.e., race and ethnicity, gender, and Title I schools) participating during the 2015–2016 school year. The study included six teacher interviews and document review procedure of 60 student journals. The findings reveal that the EKIP exposed students to parks, the inquiry-based learning proved effective for outdoor learning, and the impact of the nature experience encouraged environmental stewardship. Implications and recommendations for further implementation of both the EKIP initiative and IRF at Muir Woods are discussed.

Keywords

Every Kid in a Park Muir Woods experience diversity education

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aaron

R.F.

, & Witt

P.A.

(2011). Urban students’ definitions and perceptions of nature. Children, Youth and Environments, 21 (2), 145–167.

Auwaerter

J. E.

, & Sears

J. F.

(2006). Historic resource study for Muir Woods National Monument. Retrieved May 6, 2017 from https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/historyculture/upload/muwo-hsr2006.pdf

Bixler

R. D.

, & Floyd

M. F.

(1997). Nature is scary, disgusting, and uncomfortable. Environment and behavior, 29 (4), 443–467.

Bowen

G. A.

(2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9 (2), 27–40.

Brannen

(2005). Mixing methods: The entry of qualitative and quantitative approaches into the research process. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8 (3), 173–184.

Braun

, and Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 (2), 77–101.

Brody

(2005). Learning in nature. Environmental Education Research, 11 (5), 603–621.

Elo

, & Kyngäs

(2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62 (1), 107–115.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area (2015). Education. Retrieved September 24, 2015 from http://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/education/index.htm

10.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area (2016). Education. Retrieved May 13, 2016 from http://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/education/index.htm

11.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area (2017). Ohlones and Coast Miwoks. Retrieved May 6, 2017 from https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/ohlones-and-coast-miwoks.htm

12.

Jarvis

(2016, November 22). National parks turn into classrooms to turn a new generation into nature lovers. Retrieved March 07, 2018, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/national-parks-turn-classrooms-turn-new-generation-nature-lovers#transcript

13.

Kiernan

(2012, April). Connecting youth to our national parks. Huffpost. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-kiernan/national-park-week_b_1441694.html

14.

Krippendorff

(2004). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

15.

Larson

L.R.

, Castleberry

S.B.

, & Green

G.T.

(2010). Effects of an environmental education program on the environmental orientations of children from different gender, age, and ethnic groups. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 28 (3), 95–113.

16.

Louv

(2008). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. New York: Workman Publishing.

17.

Marx

R. W.

, Blumenfeld

P. C.

, Krajcik

J. S.

, Fishman

, Soloway

, Geier

, & Tal

R. T.

(2004). Inquiry-based science in the middle grades: Assessment of learning in urban systemic reform. Journal of research in Science Teaching, 41 (10), 1063–1080.

18.

McGrady

(2015, February). President's ‘Every Kid in the Park’ initiative offers free access to fourth graders and their families. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/vanessamcgrady/2015/02/19/presidents-every-kid-in-a-park-initiative-offers-free-access-to-fourth-graders-and-their-families/#5f6a31e515fc

19.

Monroe

M. C.

(2010). Challenges for environmental education evaluation. Evaluation and Program Planning, 33 (2), 194–196.

20.

National Park Foundation (2017). Every kid in the park. Retrieved May 8, 2017 from https://www.nationalparks.org/our-work/campaigns-initiatives/every-kid-park

21.

National Park Service (2015). Administration launches every kid in a park pass. Retrieved May 8, 2017 from https://www.nps.gov/resources/news.htm?newsID=69ECDF5E-0728-8C3F-A49B876FBCFB8C93

22.

National Park Foundation. (2001). PARKS: Parks as Resources for Knowledge in Science: National Program Evaluation Final Report. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Printing Facility.

23.

Outley

C.W.

, & Witt

P.A.

(2006). Working with diverse youth: Guidelines for achieving youth cultural competency in recreation services. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 24 (4), 111–126.

24.

Paisley

, Jostad

, Sibthorp

, Pohja

, Gookin

, & Rajagopal-Durbin

(2014). Considering students’ experiences in diverse groups: Case studies from the National Outdoor Leadership School. Journal of Leisure Research, 46 (3), 329–341.

25.

Patchen

, & Cox-Petersen

(2008). Constructing cultural relevance in science: A case study of two elementary teachers. Science Education, 92 (6), 994–1014.

26.

Rozenszayn

, & Assaraf

O. B.

(2011). When Collaborative Learning Meets Nature: Collaborative Learning as a Meaningful Learning Tool in the Ecology Inquiry Based Project. Research in Science Education, 41 (1), 123–146. doi: 10.1007/s11165-009-9149-6

27.

Scott

, Boyd

, & Colquhoun

(2013). Changing spaces, changing relationships: The positive impact of learning out of doors. Australian Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 17 (1), 47–53.

28.

Tardona

D.R.

, Bozeman

B.A.

, & Pierson

K.L.

(2014). A program encouraging healthy behavior, nature exploration, and recreation through history in an urban national park unit. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 32 (2), 73–82.

29.

The White House (2015). Administration launches every kid in a Park Pass. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/01/administration-launches-every-kid-park-pass

30.

Thomson

, Hoffman

, & Staniforth

(2003). Measuring the success of environmental education programs. Ottawa: Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and Sierra Club of Canada.

31.

United States Census Bureau (2015). New census bureau report analyzes U.S. population projections. Retrieved March 15, 2017 from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-tps16.html

32.

U.S. Department of Education (2015). Programs: Improving basic programs operated by local educational agencies (title I, part a). Retrieved May 17, 2017 from https://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html?exp=0

33.

U.S. National Park Service (2003). Field guide to national park labs. Washington, DC: National Park Foundation.

34.

U.S. National Park Service (2006). Guidelines and submission form for expedited review of NPS sponsored public surveys, focus groups and field experiments. Washington, DC: National Park Service.

35.

Warren

, Roberts

N.S.

, Breunig

, & Alvarez

M.G.

(2014). Social justice in outdoor experiential education: A state of knowledge review. Journal of Experiential Education, 37 (1), 89–103. doi: 10.1177/105382591351889.

36.

H.K.

, & Hsieh

C.E.

(2006). Developing sixth graders’ inquiry skills to construct explanations in inquiry-based learning environments. International Journal of Science Education, 28 (11), 1289–1313.