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Modifying children's attitudes and knowledge about snakes through interpretation
A field experiment was designed to test the effectiveness of an interpretive program on fifth through eighth-grade school camping students. The study was conducted in Fall, 1986 (September through November) at the Pocono Environmental Education Center, located at Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania. Groups of students were assigned randomly to one of eight different treatment conditions within a 2 x 4 factorial design. The purpose of the experiment was to isolate and test the relative effectiveness of the various components which comprise an interpretive program. These components were: 1. Mere exposure: students were merely exposed to live, nonpoisonous snakes. 2. Modeling: students observed an adult demonstrate snake behavior. 3. Contact opportunities: students were presented with the opportunity to touch a live, nonpoisonous snake. 4. Information: students listened to an interpretive slide/tape presentation about snakes. These components were based on traditional attitude change strategies which, in turn, were integrated into a theoretical framework called the elaboration-likelihood model. This model presents attitude change as a result of (1) central and (2) peripheral routes. Two dependent variables (attitudes and knowledge) were measured on a post-test basis after the presentation of each component(s). Both measures were pre-tested in order to gain sufficient evidence that they were valid and reliable. The attitude scale, which utilizes the semantic differential technique, yielded a reliability coefficient of .95. Knowledge about snakes was measured on a 24-item test which had a reliability coefficient of .77. Results indicated that students who received treatments containing mere exposure did not significantly improve their attitudes toward snakes as compared to the control group. However, students' attitudes significantly improved as a result of treatments containing modeling and modeling plus contact opportunities. Additionally, it was found that the attitudinal effects of modeling plus contact opportunities were not significantly better than the effects of modeling alone. Information about snakes significantly increased students' knowledge scores but was not effective in promoting attitudinal change. Overall, results supported the elaboration-likelihood model. Specific tests indicated that attitude change via the peripheral route was significantly higher than the central route.
Ph. D. in Recreation and Resources Development Texas A & M University 1987
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-119).
Major recreation and resources development