Adapting to COVID-19: Reflections from Environmental Educators

Open Access
- Author:
- Romberger, Emily
- Area of Honors:
- Recreation and Park Management
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Lucy R. Mc Clain, Thesis Supervisor
Andrew Justin Mowen, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Environmental education
sustainability
health
technology - Abstract:
- The COVID-19 pandemic called for adaptations to environmental education (EE). To address the gap in research on environmental education adaptations that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflections from professionals in Pennsylvania were gathered through virtual semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data from before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Through analyses and coding of interview transcriptions, several themes emerged regarding shifts in audience and programming. All professionals interviewed incorporated virtual programming or elements of technology into their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other environmental education adaptations included adhering to CDC guidelines in programming to uphold public safety. Further, many educators reported increased visitation to their facility/organization upon reopening from COVID-19 lockdowns/closures. The trends and patterns from this research indicate that environmental education benefited from using technology to increase access to a broader audience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, data from this study underlines the drawbacks that came with virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there has been a recent shift away from EE adaptations that emerged from the pandemic, some remain and provide continued success, such as community nature journaling, at-home learning kits, and hybrid virtual programs. Overall, environmental educators were challenged to evaluate their programs and create innovative strategies to meet the changing needs and interests of their audience during the pandemic. Moving forward, sustained use of technology may provide EE organizations with a channel to have stronger engagement with their audiences and continue making program improvements. Further research may delve into the use of technology and media in environmental education while seeking an audience perspective.