Positive Youth Development and High-Yield, Nature-Based, Outdoor Experiences:

Family Perceptions and Family Inclusive Opportunities

Katie M. ShawYouth Development Leadership Graduate Program

College of Health, Education, and Human Development

Clemson University

Introduction• High-Yield, Nature-Based, Outdoor

Experiences– Sense of place• Basic Needs and Self Determination Theory

– Resiliency Training• Families are essential component to

youth development Outdoor

Experiences Important

Family Important

Lack of Connection

Problem• Youth partaking in fewer HYNBOE and

efforts to promote participation lack family inclusiveness

• Programs remove youth from proximal environment to promote PYD– Deter: • Optimal development • Internal motivation

Constraints to Family

Participation in HYNBOE

Reliance on Engineered Entertainme

nt

Less Engagement

in Natural World

Purpose

• Resulting data will help ascertain– Thematic overlap in parental perceptions – Potential programming needs and transferable efforts

within the field that address parental perceptions

Qualitative Evaluation

Parent Perceptions

Constraints

Benefits

Outdoor Organization

s

Family Inclusive Efforts

Guiding Questions1) What are parents' perceived benefits of participation in high-yield,

nature-based, outdoor experiences?

2) What are parents' perceived barriers or constraints to participation in high-yield, nature-based, outdoor experiences?

3) Do barriers or constraints to partaking in high-yield, nature-based, outdoor experiences preclude the benefits gained from participation?

4) Do outdoor organizations aim to make the benefits of participation as identified by parents attainable through family inclusive, high-yield, nature-based, outdoor programming?

5) Do outdoor organizations aim to overcome barriers or constraints as identified by parents to make participation in family inclusive, high-yield, nature-based, outdoor experiences possible?

Literature Review• High-Yield Activities (Sibthorp &

Morgan, 2011)

HYNBOE

Cognitive & Behavior

Competency Keen

Awareness & Sensory

Skills

Learning Performanc

e

Motivation

InitiativeContributing to Self, Family,

Community, & Society

Empathy

Strong Sense of Identity

Strong Relationshi

ps with Adults &

Peers

Moral Character

Literature Review

• National Kids Survey (Cordell, Green, Larson, Stephens, Fly, & Schexnayder,

2011)– 63%, >80%, 50% – Types of outdoor activities cause concern• Louv's (2008) Nature Deficit Disorder

– Engineered entertainment outdoors • Constraints Theory (Crawford, Jackson, & Godbey,

1991)

Literature Review

• Needs Attention: – Integration of families and communities

in outdoor program design and implementation

– Constraints: Safety and Feasibility – Benefits: Gap in Literature

• Qualitative Investigation: – Grounded Theory

• Population & Sample: – Parents – Outdoor Organizations

Methodology

Methodology• Data Collection: – Parent

• Semi Structured Interview – Organization

• Document Review• Instrumentation: – Researcher– Script– Audio-Recorder– Form

Methodology• Parent Data Analysis: Inductive Process– Open Coding (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992, as cited in Creswell, 2009)– Axial Coding of Constraints Constraint

Theory Model– Selective Coding of Benefits Broader

Themes –Member Checking– Tabulation

Methodology• Outdoor Organization Data Analysis:

Inductive Process–Member Checking – Tabulation– Coding and Thematic Identification– Compare & Contrast • Current Efforts with Identified Needs

Limitations & Delimitations

• Thematic Saturation• Language and Scheduling• Census• One School • One Parent

Implications• Promote PYD – Better Descriptors: • Perceived benefits and constraints to

participation in HYNBOE• Family-inclusive needs, opportunities, and

transferable practices in the regional community

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