Sixth grade students' attitudes toward school were studied to determine if outdoor education investigations conducted on the school site and in the community would effect a positive change, similar to the change noted with students involved in residential outdoor programs. An experimental group of 28 students participated in outdoor activities one-half day a week for 10 weeks. A control group of 29 students received no special treatment. A pre-test and post-test were administered to the two groups using a 26 item Likert scale developed by the researcher and designed to identify students with a positive attitude toward school. The pre-test mean scores revealed no significant difference between the groups; the post-test means showed the experimental group to have a significantly better attitude toward school (.05 level of confidence). Major implications of the research are that a program of school site and community outdoor education could achieve positive attitudinal changes comparable to those attributed to resident programs and that a classroom teacher with no previous training in outdoor education could successfully implement the program. Appendices include lesson plans for the experimental group's outdoor activities, statistical analysis of test scores, and information concerning test development and validity. (Author/JH)
Notes:
Master's Thesis, State University College of Arts and Science
Processing Request
No Comments.