Developing methods for evaluating environmental education program

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K18239
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 64060:Environmental policy and social systems-related
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan University
• Principal Investigator: SAKURAI Ryo 立命館大学, 政策科学部, 准教授 (40747284)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 環境教育 / 評価 / ロジックモデル / 地域への愛着 / 保全意欲 / アクションリサーチ / 意識調査 / 社会心理学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I aimed to develop environmental education evaluation methods that could be applied in Japan based on previous research in North America as well as through understanding Japanese historical, cultural, and social background. In the first case study, I conducted research to evaluate the effects of a marine education program implemented in one junior high school, and revealed that the program succeeded in fostering students' sense of place toward and their willingness to conserve the local sea. In the second case study, I conducted action research and demonstrated how collaboration between practitioners and researchers could enhance evaluation and contribute to the betterment of the environmental education program. Logic models were created in both case studies to show short-term, mid-term, and long-term outcomes of the programs.

Free Research Field

環境教育の評価、保全社会科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は日本の環境教育研究ではまだあまりなじみがなかったロジックモデルやセオリー・オブ・チェンジなど、多様なツールを用いてプログラムの効果を明らかにし、評価におけるそれぞれの手法の有効性を示したことである。またアクションリサーチを通して研究者と実務者が行う共同研究の在り方を示したことも学術的意義である。社会的意義は実務者と研究者との協働の成果がその後のプログラムの目標の再設定や内容の改善につながるなど、実際の活動に反映されたことである。