Researchers from Virginia Tech joined Merry Lea school programs two days in April 2018. Daniel Pratson, a master’s student with the School of Forestry and Neil Savage, a research assistant, have been traveling across the country visiting environmental education programs. Their work is part of a nationwide study analyzing the characteristics that drive student outcomes.
The pair began visiting programs in Naples, Fl., spent a month in Arizona, and have been in the Midwest since mid-March. Three other teams are visiting other locations. The researchers’ observations on the characteristics of the environmental education programs they visit will be correlated with surveys students were given at the end of the programs.
At Merry Lea, the researchers tagged along with 5th graders from Wolf Lake Elementary on an Exploring Nature program and with 5th graders from Bethany Christian participating in a program called Nature’s Recyclers.
“This is a good opportunity for us to interact with other institutions and participate in research,” Environmental Educator Jane Litwiller observed.
Does a visit to a nature center make students more curious? More likely to protect the environment? Do students learn about the ways people change the environment and are impacted when the environment changes? We hope so!
