Research
Environmental education program evaluation
In 2020, I became a volunteer for the Humble Hikes Program in Roanoke, VA. (You can read more about this program here). This particular project began from my initial involvement as a hike chaperone and program committee member. However, I wanted to measure the participants' growth as explorers that I was witnessing in a more concrete way.
Environmental education program evaluations assess the effectiveness and impact of educational initiatives aimed at raising awareness and promoting sustainability. These evaluations involve collecting and analyzing data to determine whether the program's goals were met and if participants gained knowledge and changed their behaviors as a result. By evaluating these programs, educators can improve their teaching methods, measure the success of their efforts, and make informed decisions to enhance future environmental education initiatives.
We used framework developed by Dr. Robert Powell and Dr. Marc Stern to evaluate whether the environmental education attitudes of environmental stewardship, place connection, and self-efficacy were instilled in the participants. Our preliminary findings from evaluating participants from one season show that they are! The Humble Hikes Program has engaged 475 youth in outdoor recreation since 2018, with a steady increase of yearly participation. We hope that our study assists their efforts in securing funding from grants to support the continuation of this impactful community-serving program.
Results of Research
In prep
Mayhoub, L., S. Dorsey, A. Bagheri, Z. McMillan, and W. Chaves. In Prep. A Program Evaluation of The Humble Hustle Company’s Humble Hikes Program (report)