Enhancing Adolescents’ Environmental Responsibility Through Outdoor Recreation Activities

Abstract

Spending time outdoors fosters a sense of connectedness and empathy with nature and has a clear effect on attitudes and behaviour towards the environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an outdoor activities intervention program on adolescents’ sense of responsibility towards the environment. Participants included 262 adolescents (135 girls and 127 boys) aged 13-17 years who were divided into experimental (n = 141) and control groups (n = 121). The 15-day outdoor intervention program included trekking, mountain biking, orienteering, archery, ropes courses, canoeing on a lake, via ferrata rock climbing, night hiking, and overnight camping. Participants completed an Environmental Responsibility questionnaire (Zafeiroudi & Hatzigeorgiadis, 2013) before and after participation in the activities program. The questionnaire included five scales that focused on perceptions of information on environmental issues, environmental cognitive and affective beliefs, predisposition for environmental action, and environmentally responsible behaviour. Analysis of variance with repeated measures revealed improved scores amongst adolescents who participated in the intervention program, notably within the specific scales used to evaluate perceived information, affective beliefs, predisposition for individual action, and predisposition for encouraging others. A follow-up analysis of covariance revealed that participants in the experimental group scored higher overall than did those in the control group. Taken together, these findings add to the current literature focused on psychosocial and behavioural mechanisms associated with environmental awareness. Our findings also suggest that outdoor recreational activities may be an effective supplement and a more challenging alternative to programs currently provided by environmental and active leisure associations.

Exploring Outdoor Play in Kindergartens: A Literature Review of Practice in Modern Greece

“…As children navigate natural elements during outdoor play, they are exposed to challenges and risks (Zafeiroudi, 2020). Outdoor environments encourage children to explore nature with curiosity as they seek to find out more about what they encounter.…”

“…According to Zafeiroudi (2020), the outdoor environment is crucial for children as it offers unique stimuli that attract the interests and attention of participants. The natural environment offers countless opportunities for children to explore soil, flowers, water, rocks, sticks and other objects and materials with enthusiasm and curiosity.…”

“…For example, when children assign new meanings to objects and engage in processes of reinvention, they mobilize such skills as divergent thinking, problem solving and creativity. Zafeiroudi (2020) argue that the exploration of nature, through outdoor activities, captures the attention of young children and feelings of fascination and discovery facilitate emotional connections with the environment. Children's exposure to nature also promotes their understanding of the value of nature to human life.…”

“…According to Pomohaci and Sopa (2017), schoolmates and friends provide a platform for socialization at an early stage of life. Researchers argue that the atmosphere established outside the classroom and when engaged in outdoor activities provides a suitable environment for children and adults to showcase their diverse personalities (Zafeiroudi, 2020;Zafeiroudi, 2014;Zafeiroudi & Hatzigeorgiadis, 2014;Garitsis et al, 2010). Outdoor play provides the opportunity for adults to better understand children, thus facilitating appropriate educational interventions.…”

Teaching Outdoor Adventure Activities in Preschools: A Review of Creativity and Learning Development

“…Children can benefit from interactions with nature, supported by outdoor play. When engaged in adventure education, young children can learn about different aspects of nature as they try to understand the world and what they encounter in the world (Zafeiroudi, 2020;Zafeiroudi, 2014;Ζafeiroudi, & Hatzigeorgiadis, 2014;Garitsis et al, 2010;Zafeiroudi & Hatzigeorgiadis, 2008). According to Torkar and Rejc (2017), patterns of behaviour, values and attitudes towards nature are shaped during early childhood.…”