Youth recreation leads to adult conservation: outdoor playtime integral during childhood development - Research Update

Parks & Recreation, Feb, 2004 by Greg Place

With growing urban populations and decreasing natural resources, it is important to consider how adults will gain the attitudes needed to protect depleting natural outdoor environments for future generations. From 1982-2001, about 34 million acres (an area the size of Illinois) was converted for future development. About 9 million of those acres were developed between 1997-2001 (National Resources Conservation Service, 2003). Furthermore, in conjunction with this development there was a growth in United States population in urban areas from 70 percent in 1960 to a projected 80 percent by 2010 (Godbey, 1997). The result of this development and urbanization is a decreasing biodiversity that has been "sped up several thousand times due to habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation and other human activities" (Godbey, 1997, p. 45). Because of this incidence, it is important to consider a growing body of research that increasingly shows a relationship between outdoor experiences people have in their early lives and what they believe and value about the natural environment in their adult life. The primary method used by researchers in this area was to interview adults about their recollection of early-life outdoor experiences, grouping the results into categories: life experiences (recreational activities with others or alone), place attachment (Stedman, 2002), negative experiences (Sward, 1999), education (Corcoran, 1999), or organizations. These categories help parks and recreation professionals foster values consistent with an environmental ethic.

Learning From the Outdoors

Newhouse notes that, while much of the research performed on outdoor experience has dealt with the impact of specific educational programs, "it seems likely that most environmental attitudes are formed as a result of life experiences rather than any specific program that was designed to change attitudes" (1990, p. 28). In 1997, Bixler indicated that a great deal of these life experiences (recreational activities) are learned during childhood, such as hunting and fishing, and may be the result of family influence or the unsupervised exploration common to children. Teisl and O'Brien suggest that participation in outdoor recreation activities is positively associated with environmental concern and behaviors. These outdoor activities are outdoor experiences that are part of a child's time of exploration, discovery and play, and can occur alone or with friends or family.

Several authors have identified early-life outdoor experience--whether alone or with others--as the most important factor found in their research in developing environmental concern (Bixler, Floyd, and Hammitt, 2002; Corcoran, 1999; Palmer, 1993; Palmer, Suggate, Bajd, & Tsaliki, 1998; Palmer, Suggate, Robottom, & Hart, 1999; Sward, 1999; and Tanner, 1980). Specifically, rating the early-life outdoor experience as the most important factor in influencing their environmental concern and beliefs were 78 percent of Tanner's 1980-study respondents, 88 percent of Sward's 1999-study respondents, and 71 percent of the respondents in Palmer, Suggate, Robottom and Hart's 1999 study. For example, Corcoran examined formative influences in 1999 in the lives of United States environmental educators. Corcoran found that the most important influence was early experiences in the outdoors, and the greatest human influence was the family (mentioned by 70 percent of respondents), followed by the media (62 percent). Finally and more recently in 2002, Bixler, Floyd, and Hammitt looked at the association between childhood play experiences in wild environments and later environmental preferences in the domains of work, leisure and school. They found a positive relationship between having played in natural outdoor environments and more positive perceptions of the natural environment.

As previously mentioned, many of these early-life outdoor experiences were with family. Early-life outdoor experiences with family result in values about the environment that are learned from family members either through examples of pro-environmental behaviors or from explicit teaching (Chawla, 1998). Family influence can include trips into the outdoors, visiting grandparents in the country, farming, hunting and fishing, walks, camping, instruction about the environment and being raised in an environmentally friendly home. In addition, Bixler found in i997 that parents have an impact on their child's influences through the institutions they may be a part of or encourage their children to be a part of. Furthermore, parents' influence begin with their choice of location for the family residence as well as their choice of the family trip.

Power of Association

In addition to time spent alone, with others, or with family, another factor that has been shown to play a role in the formation of environmental concern and belief is "place attachment."

"As individuals develop an emotional connection to their local natural resources, they appear to act responsibly in day-to-day activities as well as at the setting" (Vaske & Kobrin, 2001, p. 21). For example, Henniger asked respondents in 1994 to recollect, draw and discuss their favorite early-life play experience. The respondents were asked to draw the location and objects used in the play experience. In a comparison of the locations, there was a clear preference for describing experiences that took place in the outdoors. The outdoors was described by respondents as stimulating and memorable noting the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the outdoors. Furthermore, Chawla studied the ecstatic memories of early-life places.