Environmental Education Lab Research Featured by Children and Nature Network

Research from NC State’s Environmental Education Lab was recently featured in the Children & Nature Network’s August edition of Research Digest. The research is the work of 2017 Master of Science Alumni Rachel Szczytko, NC State College of Education, Associate Professor Dr. Sarah J. Carrier and PRTM Associate Professor and EE Lab Director, Dr. Kathryn Stevenson. The mission of the EE Lab is for Dr. Stevenson and the talented team associated with her lab work to identify drivers of environmental literacy among K-12 students. Rachel recently accepted a position as a program associate at the Pisces Foundation, focusing on the Environmental Education Program.
 
Students with special needs demonstrated longer attention spans and fewer disruptive behaviors during outdoor science learning activities
This experimental study investigated the impact of an outdoor program on the learning behaviors and learning outcomes of students with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities (ECBD). Data collected through observations, interviews, and surveys suggest that outdoor instruction may be at least as effective in supporting science learning for students with ECBD as traditional science instruction.
Szczytko, Carrier & Stevenson, 2018. Impacts of outdoor environmental education on teacher reports of attention, behavior, and learning outcomes for students with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities. Access study.