Environmental Education Strategies That Support Positive Youth Development

Stanford University Study Finds That Environmental Education Programs Can Support Positive Youth Development-Related Outcomes

A research team from Stanford University conducted a systematic mixed-studies review of the literature to identify environmental education (EE) program outcomes that contribute to positive youth development (PYD). PYD is an approach to youth education that aims to strengthen skills and attributes that contribute to youth wellbeing, such as resilience, self-efficacy, and the ability to get along with others. One of the most popular models for PYD is known as the 5Cs, which emphasizes competence, confidence, connection, caring, and character, all of which work together to support contribution. Many of these goals are common in EE programs, suggesting there is likely to be substantial overlap in program outcomes.

group of middle school students

The Stanford team asked two questions in their review: 

1) What PYD outcomes of EE programs are reported in the literature? 

2) What EE strategies appear to support PYD outcomes? 

Their analysis found the following strategies have been used in EE programs and have been associated with PYD outcomes:

  1. Meaningful relevance and place-based approaches
  2. Youth-centered or youth-led activities
  3. Opportunities for teamwork and collaboration
  4. Action strategies
  5. Natural, outdoor settings
  6. Explicit direct instruction in complex skills
  7. Interdisciplinary programs that incorporate culture, art, and life skills with environmental science

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After following the conventional steps of a systematic review to search for relevant studies, the Stanford researchers identified 60 peer-reviewed articles that reported on PYD outcomes among young people following participation in an EE program. All 60 studies reported some level of positive findings with competence, confidence, and connection being the most common outcome categories. The team also examined reported program strategies for educational approaches that practitioners should consider when designing or adapting EE programs to better support PYD-related outcomes.

students hands holding butterfly

What Is Positive Youth Development, and How Does It Relate to Environmental Education?

Multi-ethnic group of schoolchildren running in the park

The research team noted that conceptual frameworks and definitions for understanding PYD emphasized several core concepts focusing on participants’ strengths, personal competencies, and the brain’s malleability or ability to change. After-school programs, youth clubs and camps, and community-based activities and settings that achieve PYD goals tend to purposefully address some of the personal and social assets in four domains that improve adolescent wellbeing and development: Physical development, intellectual development, psychological and emotional development, and social development.

Environmental education programs are likely to also achieve these outcomes, even if such outcomes are not specifically part of their objectives. The research team aligned the 5C outcomes of PYD programs (competence, confidence, connection, caring, and character) with EE objectives: environmental awareness, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and citizen participation (Table 1). Although the EE field as a whole has not made a concerted effort to consistently recognize PYD outcomes, residential EE programs more often focus on several PYD assets, and some researchers have noted the overlap between EE and PYD. This review suggests ways to improve alignment between the two fields.

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Key Findings

Stanford Analysis of More than 60 Studies Reported Positive Findings with Competence, Confidence, and Connection

Summary

Findings from the Stanford team’s review indicate that EE programs can effectively support and encourage PYD outcomes, and vice versa. EE programs may be particularly effective at achieving outcomes related to competence and confidence; in addition, programs designed to build problem-solving skills and efficacy can work toward strengthening confidence, connection, and contribution. If the caring outcome is defined broadly, it may be met with a connection-to-nature focus. It is unclear what percentage of the programs in the 60 reviewed studies required youth participation or to what extent the programs attracted and sustained interest from those with the freedom to choose to attend; therefore, it is challenging to know whether the outcomes are likely to be achieved by all who participate. To this point, exploring youth motivation could generate additional research findings.

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Executive Summary and Key Findings 

After following the conventional steps of a systematic review to search for relevant studies, the Stanford researchers identified 60 peer-reviewed articles that reported on PYD outcomes among young people following participation in an EE program. Researchers coded 45 PYD-related outcomes using the 5C model and synthesized key findings

Full Report

Conclusion
Many of the strategies described, typically used in environmental education programs, have also been demonstrated to support positive youth development related outcomes. 

To learn more about developing effective environmental education programs, please see the Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education. For more information about program evaluation, please visit NAAEE’s online database of evaluation strategies, the research and evaluation learning module, and the environmental education workbook for practitioners.

Process

Stanford's Peer-Reviewed Literature Process

After following the conventional steps of a systematic review to search for relevant studies, the Stanford researchers identified 60 peer-reviewed articles that reported on PYD outcomes among young people following participation in an EE program. Researchers coded 45 PYD-related outcomes using the 5C model and synthesized key findings.

The Stanford team asked two questions in their review: 

1) What PYD outcomes of EE programs are reported in the literature? 

2) What EE strategies appear to support PYD outcomes? 

Their analysis found the following strategies have been used in EE programs and have been associated with PYD outcomes:

  1. Meaningful relevance and place-based approaches
  2. Youth-centered or youth-led activities
  3. Opportunities for teamwork and collaboration
  4. Action strategies
  5. Natural, outdoor settings
  6. Explicit direct instruction in complex skills
  7. Interdisciplinary programs that incorporate culture, art, and life skills with environmental science

Read the report

Research

Research 

Journal Article 

A synthesis of Stanford's comprehensive review of the literature exploring environmental education strategies that support positive youth development.
Research effort & result: Analysis of 60 peer-reviewed studies published over a 10-year period

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