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.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS