Evaluating a Residential EE Program through a Holistic Lens

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate how components of a residential environmental education (EE) program in Maryland USA influence identity development and inspire adolescent youth. Negotiating identity is a key feature of adolescence. However, limited research has focused on how EE programs provoke meaning that influences identity and inspiration. Our mixed methods approach explored the questions: What meanings are participants deriving from the 5-day residential NorthBay experience? What elements of NorthBay's programming appear to be most powerfully driving identity development and inspiration? Over four weeks of field research, we conducted focus groups and observations throughout the weeklong experience with a subset of participants and administered an end-of-week survey to the entire cohort of participants. Findings suggest that the program yielded positive outcomes related to identity development, including self-awareness, proximal relationships, and relationships with broader systems; and inspiration. The findings also suggest that experiences that take an interpretive approach to EE through thematic communication, intentionally incorporate novel challenges, and emphasize social relationships can create opportunities for students to make meaning relevant to identity development. We discuss the implications of these findings for EE program design and delivery.