The Effects of an Outdoor Learning Program, ‘GewässerCampus’, in the Context of Environmental Education

Abstract

With education playing a role as a catalyst for change towards a more sustainable world, there is a need to develop educational concepts that enable young people to responsibly take up the challenges of future-proof development. The GewässerCampus project is related to environmental education in the context of the ecological dimension of Education for Sustainable Development. This article focuses on evaluating the GewässerCampus project by assessing current motivation, ecological knowledge, and environmental values during participation in an outdoor learning program. In total, 231 German pupils of lower and upper secondary level participated in the project. In a quasi-experimental study design, current motivation, pro-environmental and anthropogenic values (Preservation and Utilization), and knowledge were assessed before and immediately after participation in the learning program. The learning activities during the project day led to significant knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, high individual values of the test items for Preservation and low values of the test items for Utilization were obtained. Our results show how important it is to consider the individual teaching and learning requirements of the learner group depending on the grade level, as well as the type of school, when preparing modules for environmental education in the context of sustainable development.