FROM SEEDS TO TREES: A STUDY OF EDUCATORS’ INFLUENCES ON FORESTRY OUTREACH DEVELOPMENT

From seeds to trees: A study of educators’ influences

on forestry outreach development

By Jacquelyn Zimmerman

Thesis Advisor: Dr. Jessica Leahy

An Abstract of the Thesis Presented

 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Degree of Master of Science

(in Forest Resources)

December, 2010

Environmental educators within the forestry community (FC) have often relied on forest-based education as a tool for presenting ideas to the public (Schaaf and Broussard, 2006). This was accomplished in hopes of generating greater public knowledge and awareness of forest ideas (Parkinson, Force, and Smith, 2003; Loomis, Bair, and Gonzalez-Caban, 2001). To improve quality and content of educational programs many research studies and evaluators have examined the effectiveness of forest-based education on adults, youths, and professionals (Taylor and Daniel, 1984; Broussard et al., 2001; Jacobson, Monroe and Marynowski, 2001; McCaffrey, 2004). However, little has been done to study the educators’ perspective and the contributions they provide toward education. A better understanding is needed of the environmental educators’ views and actions in order to further the quality and effectiveness of current forest-based education initiatives. It is the educators themselves that may be making the greatest contribution to forest-based education. By exploring the educators’ point of view this study probes the potential connections that educators’ values, beliefs, motivational goals, and perceptions may have on educational efforts. Employees from 23 forest-based organizations were interviewed about the education they perform in their jobs. Within these interviews a variety of topics, ideas, and experiences were covered about the forest and education. addressed, Aside from providing valuable input, on influences of forest values and beliefs, participants’ responses suggest the importance that identity and life experiences provide in their work. Outdoor life experiences as children, with family, and with professional foresters were frequently mentioned in relation to their values, beliefs, and identity. By examining commonalities that existed among these educators, similarities were found regarding their beliefs about Maine’s forests. Participants held the belief that Maine’s forests need to be kept as forests. These commonalities among the different FC organizations suggest that collaboration among the organizations may be possible. These areas of consensus may also provide an educational foundation for developing a unified forest-based message too. Furthermore, a large collaborative venture provides the FC organizations with an opportunity to develop clearer and more concise forest-based messages. This would improve the FC chances of success in their educational efforts.

Keywords: environmental education, forestry community, forest-based education, autonomy, competence, motivation, educators, forestry outreach, communication