Quantifying a relationship between place-based learning and environmental quality |
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Authors: | Brian Johnson Michael Duffin Michael Murphy |
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Institution: | 1. Antioch University New England , Keene , NH , USA;2. PEER Associates Inc. , Swanzey , NH , USA;3. Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , MA , USA;4. Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA |
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Abstract: | The goal of this study was to investigate the degree to which school-based and nonformal education programs that focus on air quality (AQ) achieved measurable AQ improvements, and whether specific instructional methods were associated with those improvements. We completed a standardized telephone interview with representatives of 54 AQ education programs. Quantitative analysis of these interviews generated three key findings: (1) nearly half (46%) of the programs we studied reported evidence that AQ had actually improved over the course of their projects; (2) most (89%) of the programs we studied took some sort of action to improve AQ; and (3) programs reporting more place-based learning qualities and practices such as service-learning and community partnerships were more likely to report improvements in AQ (r?=?.40, p?<?.01). |
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Keywords: | place-based learning environmental quality air quality |
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