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This study uses bibliometric techniques to explore the international knowledge base on climate change education (CCE), which considers education as crucial for addressing the climate emergency through fostering climate-literate citizens. Analyzing two decades of scientific literature on CCE, we identify evolving considerations, foci, trends, and recommendations, examining a total of 1,264 articles published between 2000 and 2022 in educational-related fields in Web of Science. Using bibliometric techniques, we assessed research trends, author co-citations and journal citations to reveal an evolving publication landscape, including shifts in locations of productive researchers, influential articles, and leading journals publishing CCE studies. Bibliometric techniques help to identify the intellectual knowledge structure and inter-journal referencing, encompassing Theoretical Basis of CCE, Psychology of CCE and Communication, Climate Change within Socioscientific Issues, Conceptions of Climate Change, and Epistemology in CCE. Based on the trends, association networks, limitations and gaps revealed by this analysis, we conclude with suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to support labor and delivery nurses' desire for education regarding labor positioning, we hosted an 8-hour class presenting the Spinning Babies® class for birth professionals. Labor and delivery nurses and certified nurse midwives (CNMs; N = 109) from three hospitals participated in a study evaluating the effect of the Spinning Babies® class on their confidence in implementing techniques and knowledge regarding safety related to labor positioning. After the class, participants demonstrated significant improvement in scores related to the variables of interest. This study supports educating labor and delivery nurses and CNMs on how to support laboring women using positioning techniques to promote physiologic (vaginal) birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental education has the potential to help reduce negative human–wildlife interactions by increasing positive attitudes toward wildlife and providing participants with knowledge and skills that can help mitigate conflict situations and promote safety. To promote positive human–wildlife relationships, effective programs could be implemented widely in areas near remote wildlife reserves and protected areas. We created and evaluated a new environmental education program for 10‐ to 13‐year‐old students in rural schools in India where human–wildlife conflicts with large mammals frequently occur. Between July 2019 and March 2020, we tested the program at 129 schools, reaching 4331 students. The program, which was iteratively designed to fit the local context, is both cost‐effective and scalable. We found that participation in the program resulted in a significant positive increase in local environmental knowledge, in knowledge of safe behaviors, and in some measures of environmental attitudes. This paper reports on the lessons learned while creating this program that may help other organizations interested in using environmental education in regions where negative human–wildlife interactions frequently occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of incorporating environmental education into the curriculum to address the environmental crises facing our planet. It highlights the need for education to focus on solutions, use active learning, and weave connections between the environment and other disciplines. The article also introduces the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) new Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Science Framework, which will test students' knowledge about global socio-ecological challenges and their abilities to work towards resolving them. The framework emphasizes the development of competencies such as understanding the impact of human interactions with Earth's systems, making informed decisions based on diverse sources of evidence, and demonstrating hope and respect for diverse perspectives. The article calls for environmental education practitioners and researchers to contribute to reimagining science education and building agency in the Anthropocene. [Extracted from the article]

Smart technology has the potential to help people practice more sustainable behaviors, but many barriers still exist. Understanding the motivations of people who use these devices can help educators develop more effective programs to ensure people reach appropriate conservation and sustainability goals. As a case in point, we analyzed surveys from owners of smart irrigation controllers to understand their motives for using the device on residential landscaping. Factor analysis resulted in six categories of survey questions: interest in landscaping maintenance, interest in technology, interest in conservation, interest in saving money, interest in the aesthetic benefits of landscaping, and concerns about technology. Cluster analysis divided the respondents into four distinct groups based on their factor scores. Characteristics and motivations differed for each cluster and ranged from those who enjoy landscaping activities and use the device to grow healthier plants, to those who dislike landscaping chores and see the device as a tool to make these tasks easier. All clusters had an interest in conservation, but it was not the highest motivating factor for any group. We discuss ways in which educators can utilize the cluster profiles to better communicate and support each group in achieving water conservation. This process could be used for other types of technology that make it easier to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although images play a significant role in environmental communications, few studies have empirically examined whether positive or negative images are more effective at engaging attention and promoting behavior change. We conducted a 6‐week public experiment at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Florida, to test whether viewing a photography exhibit featuring images of the impacts of marine plastic pollution on ocean ecosystems (negative valence) or images of pristine ocean ecosystems (positive valence) would increase engagement, monetary donations to conservation, and pledges to help protect the ocean from plastic pollution. We tracked 1179 adults while observing the negative exhibit and 1304 adults while observing the positive exhibit. Of the adults tracked, significantly more engaged with the negative exhibit (270; 22.90%) than the positive exhibit (159; 12.19%). The mean number of pledges per visitor for the negative exhibit was significantly higher than for the positive exhibit. However, there was not a significant difference in donations between the two exhibits. These results suggest that environmental organizations that seek to capture attention should consider using images that show the negative impacts of human behavior on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although images play a significant role in environmental communications, few studies have empirically examined whether positive or negative images are more effective at engaging attention and promoting behavior change. We conducted a 6‐week public experiment at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Florida, to test whether viewing a photography exhibit featuring images of the impacts of marine plastic pollution on ocean ecosystems (negative valence) or images of pristine ocean ecosystems (positive valence) would increase engagement, monetary donations to conservation, and pledges to help protect the ocean from plastic pollution. We tracked 1179 adults while observing the negative exhibit and 1304 adults while observing the positive exhibit. Of the adults tracked, significantly more engaged with the negative exhibit (270; 22.90%) than the positive exhibit (159; 12.19%). The mean number of pledges per visitor for the negative exhibit was significantly higher than for the positive exhibit. However, there was not a significant difference in donations between the two exhibits. These results suggest that environmental organizations that seek to capture attention should consider using images that show the negative impacts of human behavior on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Surgery resulting in temporary or permanent stoma is a standard treatment for colorectal cancer. Patients facing stoma surgery are at risk for anxiety and distress. Objective: To examine the effect of a multidisciplinary team approach on anxiety and distress among patients preparing for colorectal stoma surgery. Methods: This quasi-experimental pilot study assessed participants (N = 18) for anxiety and distress 1 week before surgery. Results of the Problem List associated with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer guided the oncology nurse navigator to refer patients to the appropriate member of the multidisciplinary stoma team. Participants were reassessed for anxiety, distress, and patient satisfaction after surgery. Results: A significant decrease in anxiety was detected presurgery (M = 8.2, SD = 5.5) to postsurgery (M = 4.7, SD = 3.9) (t [17] = 2.4; P = .03). A nonsignificant decrease in distress was detected from presurgery (M = 4.9, SD = 3.12) to postsurgery (M = 3.7, SD = 3) (t [17] = 1.6; P = .13). Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that this team approach can diminish anxiety and may have an influence on distress. Further research is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People's attitudes influence the nature of their interactions with wildlife and support for conservation. Globally, many environmental education programs seek to influence children's attitudes toward wildlife and the environment. Understanding these attitudes requires assessment tools that are appropriate to the context and culture. However, most tools have been developed and used in Western developed countries, making their effectiveness elsewhere questionable. The Wild Shaale environmental education program was launched in 2018 in rural India with the goal of enhancing children's positive attitudes toward wildlife. To design an evaluation for Wild Shaale, we tested five tools to assess children's attitudes toward wildlife with 1772 students in 56 rural schools. Here, we discuss the challenges encountered while testing these tools and report which tools are likely to be valid measures of variation in children's attitudes and which may be useful for program evaluation. We provide recommendations for assessing children's attitudes in similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address environmental challenges, it is essential to identify and set goals and priorities for environmental education, as well as strategies to achieve those goals. We surveyed environmental education professionals (n = 449) to identify their 20-year priorities for the field. High-ranked goals included expanding diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and justice in environmental education and increasing the presence of environmental education in the pre-K-12 curriculum. Four cross-cutting strategies were identified as ways to achieve multiple goals simultaneously: training, marketing, funding, and partnerships. The study additionally investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to address racial injustice have affected goals and priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The values invoked by journalists in the reporting of water issues influence public support for water policy and the assessment of water tradeoffs. This qualitative framing analysis of water coverage from six newspapers in the Floridan aquifer region from 2010 to 2018 reveals the values used to stimulate reader engagement on a range of water challenges including weather, residential behavior, agriculture, algae, industry, springs, energy, municipalities, and fecal matter. Results reveal a hierarchy of value frames that prioritizes economics and human health, thereby attending primarily to the motivations of egoistic and social-altruistic individuals. The ecosystem implications of deteriorated water conditions, which are of particular interest to biospherically-oriented individuals, received relatively little journalistic attention. This finding suggests that the framing of regional water issues could unintentionally affect reader interest, public prioritization of social goods, and policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cooperative Extension System, a component of every land-grant university, is well positioned to take a leadership role in community engagement in every state. In Florida, a new program called Community Voices, Informed Choices (CIVIC) builds capacity among county and state faculty from the state's two land-grant universities to engage community members in the process of resolving contentious issues through democratic governance. CIVIC strengthens partnerships with historically underserved communities, offers programs and activities to promote deliberative discussion, and facilitates interest in moving toward solutions. Case studies from three communities illustrate the CIVIC process and demonstrate how Extension faculty help communities help themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the effect of the Baptist Health Lexington Urology ERAS Protocol (BHLEX-UEP) on opioid consumption, pain and length of stay among patients undergoing prostatectomy and nephrectomy. Methods: A quasi-experiment (N=303) was conducted in a 434-bed Magnet® re-designated community hospital in the south-eastern United States of America (USA). Data on all adult patients who underwent prostatectomy or nephrectomy surgery were retrieved over a 19-month period. Group differences related to morphine equivalents consumed, mean pain score on the day of surgery, and length of stay were examined between patients who experienced the traditional recovery protocol (n=133) and those experiencing the BHLEXUEP (n=170). Results: Significant differences for the three variables of interest were found between the groups. Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that the use of the BHLEX-UEP for patients undergoing prostatectomy or nephrectomy could lead to a decrease in opioid consumption and patients' pain and a shorter length of stay in hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a hospital-based childbirth preparation class on birth outcomes in nulliparous women (N = 222). Outcomes of expectant mothers who attended the class were compared to a matched control cohort who did not attend preparation classes. Findings revealed women in the intervention group were more likely to give birth vaginally. While trends in a positive direction occurred, no significant difference was found in the frequency of elective induction, preterm birth, or length of stay. Data were also analyzed pre COVID-19 pandemic and 14 weeks after. A shorter time between hospital arrival and birth was significant for the intervention group. In addition, a significant change in elective induction (increase) occurred in the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoos, aquariums, and museums are expanding their identities and efforts to support wildlife conservation, but their impact is unclear. We apply a business theory of organizational identity to assess how conservation identities are created and applied. We examine three foundational and three practical components of identity using semi‐structured interviews with zoo directors and conservation directors at eight institutions. Our qualitative analysis highlights the well‐established organizational identity constructs among zoos and aquariums, while elucidating the constructs with room for further development and application to activate conservation identities. Each organization shared some conservation strategies and successes, yet the leaders also identified gaps and barriers to reaching conservation goals, including how some zoos perceive their conservation identity competes against other organizational identities and goals. This research provides insights into ways museums can build and reinforce their identities when supporting environmental and social causes. Additionally, the organizational identity framework provides an evaluation tool for examining museums' integrated identities, strategies, and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural producers and environmentalists have a mutual interest in maintaining healthy water resources; yet communication and collaboration on sustainability measures can be impeded by perceptions of incompatible water ethics. Here we apply the co-orientation model to qualitatively and quantitatively compare cross-group perspectives and composite maps of stakeholders' mental models to understand how each group thinks about water challenges and each other. Results suggest that experiential differences yield seemingly incompatible perceptions of producers' part in the degradation of regional water supplies. While sampled producers' operational-level perspectives allow them a first-hand view of individual stewardship practices, sampled environmentalists' macro-level perspectives highlight the environmental conditions that result from the agricultural industry as a whole. When collective agricultural impact does not reflect individual stewardship efforts, producers and environmentalists can have strikingly different perceptions of the problem – a potential barrier to cross-group communication. Research findings suggest frames, topics, and word choices that can help communicators bridge the cognitive divide between stakeholder groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct experiences in nature enable us learn and form environmental attitudes. Being influenced by nature as children is thought to help form a connection to nature that can lead to a lifetime of pro-environmental behaviors. A survey of adults in a watershed with a damaged estuary, however, suggests that concern and environmental identity were strong among most of the respondents and did not predict who performed environmental behaviors. Outdoor activities and childhood nature experiences were not correlated to or predictive of concern or behavior. Perhaps the urgency of the declining ecosystem prompted a new social norm for environmental behaviors that extended to a wider variety of residents than those who typically care about the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catastrophic uncontrolled fires are a leading social-environmental challenge that now occur even in the humid tropics. In 2015 extensive Indonesian peatland fires commanded national and international attention and resulted in a ban on all burning in the country extending to traditional farmers practicing small-scale fire-based agriculture on mineral soils. However, the impacts of, and responses to the ban on these fire-dependent communities is not well understood. Understanding the mental models of communities exposed to environmental change and its corresponding policy responses can provide salient insights into the place-based experience of change to identify contested perceptions and serve to improve the distributional equity of associated impacts. We assessed the mental models of Dayak farmers in Kapuas Hulu, Kalimantan, in three distinct landscape contexts: i) oil palm (OP), ii) national park (NP), and iii) transition (T) sites. These locations enabled insights into how different contemporary landscape contexts and livelihood opportunities are related to experiences and coping strategies. We collected data using the Conceptual Content Cognitive Mapping approach in two communities in each landscape context (n = 24 participants per landscape), and 72 interviews in total. Results show that the NP and T sites were most similar, whilst the OP communities held distinct perceptions of fire. In addition to the agricultural value of fire, cultural and relational values are associated with fire use across sites and would be severed through fire prevention. Finally, we show that the burdens of the burn ban for farmers and forests were most pronounced in the NP and T sites where farmers are most reliant on traditional agriculture, have the fewest livelihood alternatives and least external support to fight uncontrolled fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional development is vital to help teachers gain skills and knowledge to teach about current environmental and societal issues. For climate change education, educators may need information paired with content-specific teaching strategies in order to build confidence to incorporate the topic into their curriculum. We applied educative curriculum guidelines as well as efficacy strategies in the development of a secondary instructional resource. The objectives of the study were to understand and assess the changes in teacher efficacy regarding climate change through an innovative professional development model. The results provide evidence that, while generally climate change could be a challenging topic to educators to choose to teach about, professional development which specifically addresses self-efficacy and pedagogical content knowledge, provides many benefits for teachers, especially for those who do not have previous experience with teaching about climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Organizations can expand their impact through strategic partnerships. We used social network analysis to compare two network theories in order to determine whether zoos' conservation partnerships form networks that reflect collaborative social movements or business-style competition. Data from 234 zoos revealed a conservation network involving 1679 organizations with 3018 partnerships. The network had 40 subgroups: 1 large network, 6 small networks and 33 disconnected zoos. Social network analysis metrics revealed an incohesive and low-density network. Zoos are more likely to behave competitively like businesses with limited partnerships to protect resources, rather than behaving as collaborative social movement organizations partnering to further the cause of conservation across their communities. Content analyses of organizational activities revealed that 62% of zoos' partners display different skills and roles in conservation projects, while 38% participated in the same activities as zoos. These novel findings about zoos behaving as competitive institutions inform opportunities for better collaboration in order to expand organizations' conservation impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation is an important organizational focus for zoos and aquariums. Organizational identity theory predicts a relationship between what is central to organizations, such as their mission statements, and their strategic activities. Based on this theory, we tested how organizational missions relate to their conservation strategies and practices. Tax forms and websites provided data from 173 zoos and 38 aquariums in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in North America. We analyzed conservation mission strength, organizational characteristics, and project features with dependent variables representing the depth of organizational conservation commitments: amount of grants zoos funded, number of partner organizations, and number of projects per zoo. On tax forms, the average amount of total conservation grants donated to partner organizations per zoo was over $650,000, while the average number of partners reported on the tax forms was two. The content analysis of websites revealed an average of 14 conservation partners and 10 projects per zoo. Negative binomial regression models were significant. The financial analysis revealed that only the number of zoo personnel, as a surrogate for organization size, significantly predicted the amount of zoos' conservation grants. Website analyses found increasing budgets, organizational involvement, and geographic reach of the projects predicted increasing numbers of conservation projects and partnerships. However, our findings did not support the hypothesized relationship—strength of organizational mission did not predict strategy and activities. Zoos could do more to strategically activate their organizational identities and conservation missions to achieve their conservation goals. Research Highlights: Zoo mission statements emphasizing conservation were not linked to more conservation practices.Yet, zoos with more active involvement in conservation led to increased practices.Zoos can do more to activate their missions to achieve their goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversifying the student body of natural resources (NR) programs by increasing numbers of women and people of color is important. This study explored factors influencing undergraduate interest in NR, including forestry, and decision to enroll in an NR undergraduate program at a large 1862 land-grant institution in the southeastern United States. We looked at how their responses differ between gender, race/ethnicity, and the environment surrounding their home where they grew up, a variable we call the environment of influence. Overall, results confirm the importance of connection to nature. Interest in enrolling in an NR program and pursuing a career depend in large part on having a connection to nature and concern for the environment, and this is true for those who grew up in urban as well as rural environments. A notable difference between female and male respondents was when their interest in NR began: females reported early childhood age, and males reported in high school or later. Interest also occurred later in life for nonwhite/Hispanic students than for white/non-Hispanic students. Other racial/ethnic differences include the influence of guest speakers, family, and media in the interest and enrollment in NR. Media also played a strong role in NR enrollment and interest in the respondents from suburban and built environments. We conclude with recommendations for recruiting a more diverse undergraduate NR body and creating a more inclusive environment for people from different genders, races, and environments of influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most modern threats to biodiversity are due to human actions. Conservation psychology models provide tools to strategically change human behaviors to reduce these threats; however, behavior change theories have yet to be fully incorporated into conservation strategic planning techniques. The public that may be interested in a conservation issue are often untapped resources to expand a conservation organization's limited reach. Increased public participation could fill a gap between an organization's objectives and the scope of what is feasible for limited staff or budget. This study presents an expanded framework for biodiversity conservation strategic planning using conservation behaviors. Some conservation organizations, such as zoos and aquariums, have access to extensive audiences that could be mobilized to take‐action to directly reduce threats to biodiversity or indirectly support others' efforts. To test our expanded planning framework, we evaluated the current status of conservation behavior change techniques used by zoos, which are increasingly identifying as conservation organizations. We used the framework to measure whether zoos are providing conservation behavior opportunities to their audiences of millions. The framework consisting of 12 behaviors nested within five categories includes behaviors in the public and private spheres. We tested the framework using content analyses of 211 zoo's websites across North America, sampled from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The methods elicited 2,187 conservation projects for the sample, only 32% of which provided any form of conservation behavior change opportunities to the zoo audiences. We present the range and frequency of conservation behavior strategies in zoos, revealing their current strengths as conservation organizations and opportunities for improved audience activation. The results demonstrate the value of integrating the conservation behavior change framework into biodiversity conservation strategic planning for conservation organizations. The framework can be used to facilitate expanded conservation activities, a valuable opportunity to reduce threats to biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Florida's dynamic beach-dune ecosystem and the structures built along the shore face threats from coastal (or shoreline) erosion, sea level rise, and inadequate regulatory protection efforts. In light of these threats, private property owners are choosing to install coastal armoring on their property to protect upland structures which can negatively impact sea turtles and their nesting habitat. Coastal armoring can significantly degrade the beach-dune ecosystem which serves as a vital economic and recreational resource and as crucial habitat for threatened or endangered sea turtle species, nesting shorebirds, and other endemic species. This study explored both Florida coastal property owner's opinions of coastal armoring, and its impact on sea turtles and their nesting habitat. A quantitative survey was administered to beachfront property owners that live within a mile of a protected section of beach (e.g, state park, preserve, wildlife refuge). In total, 373 of 1,274 distributed surveys were returned and analyzed. The presence of a neighbor with coastal armoring was the most influential factor on a property owner intending to, or already having installed coastal armoring. Additionally, higher assessed property values and lower levels of education were also associated with intent to armor, or current presence of coastal armoring on a parcel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many factors drive wildlife hunting and consumption, including source of income, taste preference, culture, lack of alternative meat, meat price, and wealth, and the relative importance of these factors may vary from place to place. We describe three aspects of wild meat consumption and trade in the town of Tapauá, central Amazon, Brazil: (1) factors associated with consumption of wild and domesticated meats; (2) consumers' knowledge of and attitude toward wildlife, preference for meat, and perceptions about changes in wild and domesticated meat consumption; and (3) patterns of wildlife trade. We found that preference, price, wealth, and occupation were associated with meat consumption. Social links played an important role in local trade. Decreasing price and diversifying domesticated meat alternatives may lead to a decrease in wild meat consumption, if alternatives function as substitutes. Outreach could improve understanding of wildlife ecology and conservation and encourage reduction in wild meat consumption while retaining local culture. Fostering alternative livelihoods for hunters could help reduce hunting pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased interest in climate change education and the growing recognition of the challenges inherent to addressing this issue create an opportunity to conduct a systematic review to understand what research can contribute to our ideas about effective climate change education. An academic database, EBSCOhost, was used to identify 959 unique citation records addressing climate change education. Of these, 49 sources met the criteria of focusing on assessment of climate change education interventions. Analysis of these sources examined the intervention purpose, assessment methodology, and identified strategies that might result in effective interventions. Two themes were identified that are common to most environmental education: (1) focusing on personally relevant and meaningful information and (2) using active and engaging teaching methods. Four themes specific to issues such as climate change were also generated: (1) engaging in deliberative discussions, (2) interacting with scientists, (3) addressing misconceptions, and (4) implementing school or community projects. Suggestions for addressing controversial topics like climate change are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hope is an important component that helps engage people in solving problems. Environmental educational resources addressing climate change effectively should ideally nurture hope as well as increase understanding about the issue. However, hopefulness about resolving climate change challenges is a relatively new construct in the literature and little is known about it. To understand the factors that affect hope, we assessed hope using the reasonable person model and hypothesized that students are more likely to be hopeful and work toward solutions if they: (1) are able to make sense of information (model building); (2) perceive there are actions they can take (meaningful action); and (3) believe that society and laypeople have the ability to undertake actions to make a difference (being effective). We surveyed 728 high school students between September 2013 and January 2014 and found that students' belief of competency (being effective) is a significant and direct path to hope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating climate change into environmental education programs and formal science classrooms can be difficult, as the issue remains controversial and highly politicized among the American public. This study proposes that the same cultural values that shape worldview differences and divide public opinion on anthropogenic climate change will influence if and how science educators support education on the topic. An online survey with quantitative and qualitative measures was distributed among science educators in the southeastern United States to test what, if any, impact cultural cognition has on their opinions about climate change education. The results suggest that respondents' cultural values have a significant influence on their intentions to support climate change education and preferences for curricula content. The findings also suggest potential avenues for the field of environmental education to develop climate change materials that may help decrease unintentional biases among science educators and more effectively engage their support in teaching its causes and potential solutions regardless of worldview differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a project that integrates research, cooperative extension, and education, a team of university faculty, staff, and graduate students collaborated with research scientists and educators to develop secondary education instructional materials on climate change and forests in the southeastern United States. This 5-year project resulted in 14 classroom-ready activities and supporting materials that were tested by educators and students. More than 1,300 educators were trained to use the instructional materials and report using the activities with at least 7,000 students. In this case study, we provide the rationale behind the design of our materials, the procedures used to develop them, and the outcomes of this effort. We also provide recommendations to assist others with the goal of integrating research endeavors and education resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methodologies are often emphasized in undergraduate and graduate training about producing and analysing data. Less often discussed are the philosophies of research that can be used to explore environmental education. To help introduce students to the ways such paradigms lead to different insights and lines of inquiry, we offer a of a natural resource management program seen through the lenses of four different research philosophies. The program engages biological and social scientists as they work to increase native biodiversity in Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand and share successes with other regions. We argue that the benefits of training students to appreciate research possibilities via multiple research paradigms could improve the way we work together and collaborate with colleagues in other disciplines. Students are better equipped to select, develop, and defend appropriate research questions and paradigms. Also, the potential for environmental education research activity that complements project-specific data collection is great, as with most natural resource projects. In sum, improving our collective awareness of paradigmatic perspectives will help improve communication and understanding as we all work in the transformation of education, ecosystems and human communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting a climate change presentation or workshop can be uncomfortable for adult educators because they do not want to alienate audiences or diminish their credibility among those who doubt climate change is a problem. Trust in the speaker is a key element for successful communication, and perhaps essential when conveying information about a controversial issue. We review three forest-related workshops, treated as cases, and based on audience responses offer a series of suggestions for building and maintaining trust in the context of climate change programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hope is an important component that helps engage people in solving problems. The development of an instructional model on climate change and forests provided an opportunity to design and test a measurement tool to assess hope about climate change. In this article, we described the process and determined the reliability and validity of a newly developed 11-item Climate Change Hope Scale (CCHS). The study involved high school students from the southeastern United States during fall of 2013 and spring of 2015 (N = 1,902, 14-18 years old). The factor analysis confirmed a three-factor solution with good model fit: (a) collective-sphere willpower and waypower, (b) personal-sphere willpower and waypower, and (c) lack of willpower and waypower. This study suggests that the CCHS is a valid, reliable, and feasible tool to measure hope in the context of climate change among U.S. high school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Millions of people across the tropics rely on wildlife for food and income. However, overhunting to satisfy this demand is causing the decline of many species; an issue known as the wild meat crisis. We applied a before‐after control‐intervention design to assess the effects of social marketing (an information campaign and community engagement) with and without an economic incentive (discount coupons for chicken) on wild meat consumption. Coupons increased chicken consumption, as expected, but did not reduce wild meat consumption. In contrast, social marketing without the price incentive reduced wild meat consumption by ∼62%. This study demonstrates how social marketing and price incentives may be effective at reducing demand for meat and other wildlife products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]