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Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
12-2001
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Education
Major Professor
Mary Jane Connelly
Committee Members
Claudia Melear, Carol Kasworm, Mark Fly
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to gain understanding of the experiences of elementary teachers who used school grounds to do nature studies. Following an inductive, naturalistic approach, the goal was to explore the phenomenon using words of teachers as guides to understanding. Interviews were conducted with a purposeful sampling of ten quality public school teachers in grades K-5 who were well-known for their schoolyard nature programs. Interview questions were focused by a theoretical framework of environmental cognition. Data were gathered about how teachers came to use the outdoors to teach and how they experienced teaching nature studies on the school grounds. A conceptual model of Quality Teachers of Schoolyard Nature Studies was delineated. The model consisted of three components: teacher past and present experiences with nature, teacher beliefs relevant to using the school grounds for nature studies, and teacher action efficacy pertaining to schoolyard nature programs. The model suggested a relationship between teachers' personal experiences with nature and their beliefs about sharing nature with children. In addition, the model connected teachers' beliefs about schoolyard nature to their action efficacy, i.e. action behavior reflected through motivation and commitment.
Recommended Citation
Willis, Tamra L., "Using school grounds for nature studies : an exploratory study of elementary teachers' experiences. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2001.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/6416