Environmental interpretation provides visitors with positive experiences in nature while managing their impacts. Existing research has concentrated on the influence of interpretive programs on visitor knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. Little empirical research exists on how visitors perceive their environment. In this research we examine the…

Although natural playgrounds have originated from an intention to provide greater access to nature for children, these play spaces offer a designed and regulated space that diverges from other natural contexts. This study investigated the perceived and sociomaterially constructed role of nature in natural playgrounds by examining what people (i.e.…

Background: Both national park (NP) interpretation and place-based education (PBE) approach learning by applying the unique attributes of a place to facilitate meaning-making experiences within learners. Despite the similarities between these two place-centered pedagogies, there is a limited amount of collaboration between NP interpretative…

Plant awareness disparity (PAD, formerly plant blindness) is the tendency not to notice plants in one's environment. PAD is made of four components: attention (not noticing plants), attitude (not liking plants), knowledge (not understanding why plants are important), and relative interest (being less interested in plants than in animals). This can…

This study investigates the impact of an innovative conservation action campaign called "Penguin Promises" implemented at uShaka Sea World in Durban, South Africa. Communication tools included interpretive signage, exhibits with and without animals, presentations, and personal interactions, along with a specially designed postcard, on…

This article examines environmental education by focusing on recreationist expectations for interpretation on marine tours, satisfaction with this interpretation and whether expectations were met, and how these perceptions correlate with components of the norm activation model. Recreationists surveyed before and after tours to Molokini, Hawaii (n…

Understanding the development of pro-environmental behavioral intentions and behaviors remains one of the greatest challenges for environmental educators worldwide. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a theoretical foundation, we developed surveys to evaluate the influence of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Junior Ranger program on…

This study investigated newspaper coverage of Florida red tide blooms in four metropolitan areas of Southwest Florida during a 25-year period, 1987-2012. We focused on how journalists framed red tide stories with respect to environmental risk, health risk, and economic risk. We determined risk to be a key factor in this news coverage, being an…

Many students probably take pictures daily. Whether snapshots of their friends at a Justin Bieber concert or of their latest skateboard trick, these images document changes in a student's life. Digital cameras can do more, however, than record memories to post on Facebook. They can also help students examine changes in their environment. This…

This short discussion explores the relevance and importance of place in adventure recreation and has evolved in part from an effort to understand the overwhelming influence of places on his own adventure experiences. While there is a depth of research and writing on both place and sense of place, this article highlights some practical notions that…

Field trips have long been a part of school activities, learning, and curriculum. The application of interpretive techniques or the interpretive approach can further enhance learning and retention in outside the classroom opportunities. This is especially true when exploring geographic or geologic concepts. This article explores the concept of…

The article introduces a Czech environmental education middle school program focused on helping students develop place attachment to their community and on increasing their interest in natural area in their region. The evaluation applied a mixed approach combining pretesting/posttesting of the students (N = 158), two group interviews with selected…

The Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, 2010, and the subsequent release of oil into the Gulf of Mexico created an ecological disaster of immense proportions. The estimates of the amounts of oil, whether for the amount released per day or the total amount of oil disgorged from the well, call on numbers so large they defy the capacity of most…

Wildlife tourism experiences are often promoted for their ability to enhance visitors' conservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour; yet, studies exploring the long-term influence of such experiences are rare. This research explores the impact of a wildlife tourism experience and post-visit support on families' adoption of conservation…

Contesting interpretations of "An Inconvenient Truth" that treat it as political jeremiad, autobiography, or science documentary, we contextualize the film within Joseph Campbell's monomyth and argue that its rhetorical efficacy arises in part because Al Gore's personal transformation animates the documentary footage with jeremiad advocacy. In…