Open space in Drew Gardens, West Farms, the Bronx

Research

Various frameworks - such as resilient systems, sustainability and ecosystem services - suggest that the well-being of social-ecological systems (e.g., the Bronx River watershed) depends on individuals', social, and biophysical characteristics. However, many environmental education environmental education programs focus mostly on individual-level outcomes such as environmental knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behavior. If the ultimate goal of EE is to contribute to the improvement of social-ecological systems, we should evaluate its success by measuring its outcomes on several levels. Civic ecology education programs are inherently designed to achieve multiple-level outcomes, but few or no research projects have attempted to evaluate to what extent civic ecology education programs are achieving multiple-level outcomes.

Research Objective: This research project will evaluate selected outcomes of civic ecology education on individual, social, and ecosystem levels of social-ecological systems, which will contribute to theory and to further improvement of civic ecology education programs. This participatory research project will answer three research questions, which are based on the interests of five community-based organizations in the Bronx and on the environmental education, resilient systems, environmental psychology, and social-ecological systems literature:

1. What is the impact of civic ecology education programs on ecosystem services?
2. What is the impact of civic ecology education on youth's social capital?
3. What is the impact of civic ecology education on sense of place in youth?

To answer these questions, we will use sense of place surveys, social capital surveys, youth narratives, and participatory ecosystem services assessments.

This project will help educators in the Bronx community-based organizations to find an answer to their questions about how their programs "reconnect youth with the environment." These organizations will also use narratives and results of ecosystem services assessments to improve their programs and to feature their success, including for fundraising purposes. Additionally, this project will contribute to theory by applying the notion of sense of place from environmental psychology to the field of environmental education, by considering place meaning in terms of social-ecological systems, and by describing results of restoration in civic ecology programs in terms of improved ecosystem services.