@article{peterman_chesnut_gathings_martin_maier_evia_chavez_harris_busch_stover_et al._2024, title={Becoming the change we want to see: Aspirations and initial progress with diversity, equity, access, and inclusion practices to create welcoming environments and center community in informal science institutions}, volume={3}, ISSN={["2151-6952"]}, DOI={10.1111/cura.12621}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={CURATOR-THE MUSEUM JOURNAL}, author={Peterman, Karen and Chesnut, Lynn and Gathings, M. J. and Martin, Keshia and Maier, Allison Black and Evia, Jane Robertson and Chavez, Regina Ayala and Harris, Maren and Busch, K. C. and Stover, Darrell and et al.}, year={2024}, month={Mar} }
 @article{reas_stevenson_gibson_beall_larson_2024, title={Nature or the outdoors? Understanding the power of language in elementary students' self-reported connection to nature}, volume={1}, ISSN={["1469-5871"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2024.2311190}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2024.2311190}, abstractNote={Many previous studies have measured elementary-aged students’ connection to nature (CTN), but few have explicitly considered how the use of different terminology (e.g. ‘nature’ versus ‘the outdoors’) can influence those connections. We utilized a quasi-experimental design to test for differences in affective and self-reported connections to nature among diverse groups of fourth and fifth grade students from two elementary schools in Wake County, North Carolina. We used Mann–Whitney U tests to compare these outcomes between two versions of a survey, one using the word ‘nature’ (n = 112) and one using the word ‘outdoors’ (n = 113), for (1) the whole sample (n = 225) (2) between boys and girls, and (3) between students of color and white students. Self-reported CTN did not vary significantly based on terminology used, but we did find some differences in levels of emotional affinity that students associated with each term. Our results suggest that the differences in which young audiences perceive the terms ‘nature’ versus ‘outdoors’ are nuanced and may offer insight into how language about the environment may invoke different emotions among children.}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH}, author={Reas, Julianne and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Gibson, Lauren and Beall, Justin and Larson, Lincoln R.}, year={2024}, month={Jan} }
 @article{gibson_stevenson_busch_cutts_seekamp_krementz_2024, title={Pushing toward systemic change in the Capitalocene: Investigating the efficacy of existing behavior prediction models on individual and collective pro-environmental actions in high school students}, volume={55}, ISSN={["1940-1892"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2023.2259853}, DOI={10.1080/00958964.2023.2259853}, abstractNote={Environmental education often advocates for individual pro-environmental behavior—which, while beneficial to a degree, fails to match the large scale of today's capitalism-fueled socio-ecological challenges. Rather, collective action holds promise as a means for the large-scale changes required in the Capitalocene. These actions can take the shape of encouraging group uptake of behaviors (collective non-activist behaviors) or through fostering system change (collective activist behaviors). This study works to understand how well the environmental literacy framework combined with the theory of planned behavior predicts collective environmental behaviors, using North Carolina high school students as a study population. We find that, while these models effectively predict student engagement in individual environmental behaviors (adjusted R2 = 0.39), they are less accurate at predicting engagement in collective non-activist behaviors (adjusted R2 = 0.17) and collective activist behaviors (adjusted R2 = 0.10). Thus, more research and theory-building are needed to understand what drives collective behavior among youth and beyond.}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION}, author={Gibson, Lauren and Stevenson, Kathryn and Busch, K. C. and Cutts, Bethany and Seekamp, Erin and Krementz, Sarah}, year={2024}, month={Mar}, pages={102–124} }
 @article{busch_chesnut_stevenson_larson_black-maier_yelton_stover_2023, title={Collaborative capacity-building for collective evaluation: a case study with informal science education centers}, volume={5}, ISSN={["2154-8463"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2023.2216340}, DOI={10.1080/21548455.2023.2216340}, abstractNote={This paper reports on the results of a research-practice partnership that included a U.S. university research team and a state-funded grants program that supports informal science education. The goal of the 2-year partnership was to develop an empirically-tested model for collaboration and capacity-building (CCB) in support of collective evaluation. The model was implemented with 23 informal science education (ISE) organizations across one U.S. state. A comparison of pre and post-surveys indicate that the goals of the CCB model were attained. Participants reported an (1) increased perception of a common agenda, (2) increased capacity for conducting evaluation, and (3) increased peer-peer engagement. Participants also highlighted ongoing barriers to collective evaluation and suggested specific supports to overcome these barriers. This collaborative capacity-building model, although tested with ISE providers, is generalizable to other collective evaluation efforts.}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION PART B-COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Busch, K. C. and Chesnut, Lynn and Stevenson, Kathryn and Larson, Lincoln and Black-Maier, Allison and Yelton, Charles and Stover, Darrell}, year={2023}, month={May} }
 @article{jewell_peterson_martin_stevenson_terando_teseneer_2023, title={Conservation decision makers worry about relevancy and funding but not climate change}, volume={1}, ISSN={["2328-5540"]}, DOI={10.1002/wsb.1424}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={WILDLIFE SOCIETY BULLETIN}, author={Jewell, Kathryn and Peterson, M. Nils and Martin, Mallory and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Terando, Adam and Teseneer, Rachel}, year={2023}, month={Jan} }
 @article{furstenberg_vayer_larson_nils peterson_lee_stevenson_ahlers_anhalt-depies_bethke_clark_et al._2023, title={Evaluating impacts of R3 workshops for first-time hunters at universities across the United States}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2328-5540"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1482}, DOI={10.1002/wsb.1482}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={WILDLIFE SOCIETY BULLETIN}, author={Furstenberg, Richard and Vayer, Victoria R. and Larson, Lincoln R. and Nils Peterson, M. and Lee, Kangjae Jerry and Stevenson, Kathryn and Ahlers, Adam A. and Anhalt-Depies, Christine and Bethke, Taniya and Clark, Brian and et al.}, year={2023}, month={Aug} }
 @article{reilly_stevenson_cutts_brune_knollenberg_barbieri_2023, title={Family matters: intergenerational influences on children's agricultural literacy}, volume={9}, ISSN={["1940-1892"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2023.2257884}, DOI={10.1080/00958964.2023.2257884}, abstractNote={AbstractAgricultural and environmental literacy are essential public goods, but associated education efforts struggle to reach broad audiences. Understanding learner backgrounds and lived experiences can help address this challenge. We assessed the relative importance of demographics, parent views of agriculture, interactions with farmers and parents, and learning setting in predicting agricultural literacy among 525 elementary school children in North Carolina, USA. We used classification and regression trees and random forest models, which account for non-linear and interacting relationships. Knowing a farmer and engagement with parents were more predictive of children agricultural literacy than demographics, countering historically held deficit-based assumptions around agricultural and environmental literacy.Keywords: agricultural literacyenvironmental literacyclassification and regression tree analysisculturally responsive programming AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank the participating families who took time out of their farm visits or busy days to share their thoughts and feelings on local foods. We also thank the teachers who partnered with us on this project, particularly those who continued as COVID-19 posed a myriad of challenges.Disclosure statementNo potential competing interest was reported by the author(s).}, journal={JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION}, author={Reilly, Caitlin and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Cutts, Bethany B. and Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Barbieri, Carla}, year={2023}, month={Sep} }
 @article{hartley_stevenson_pereira_peterson_lawson_martinez_2023, title={How a marine debris environmental education program plays to strengths of linguistically diverse learners}, volume={7}, ISSN={["2504-284X"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.1058864}, DOI={10.3389/feduc.2022.1058864}, abstractNote={Although environmental education (EE) has increased focus on how to best serve diverse populations, one understudied area is how linguistically diverse learners may engage with EE programming. Linguistic diversity is on the rise across the United States; for instance, nearly one-third of all children between the ages of 0 and 8 have at least one parent who speaks a language other than English in the home. This study evaluated impacts of an EE curriculum designed to promote pro-environmental behavior change with a pre-post, treatment-control experimental design among students from linguistically diverse households. In partnership with teachers, we implemented the curriculum in elementary schools across the state of North Carolina, United States. Over two school years (2018–2020), 36 teachers from 31 schools across 18 counties participated in the study, providing 644 paired pre-post student responses (n = 204 control; n = 440 treatment). About 10% of the sample (n = 49 treatment, n = 18 control) reported speaking a language at home other than English. We tested hypotheses that the curriculum would increase pro-environmental behavior change among all students, but particularly among those from linguistically diverse households using multiple linear regression. Results indicate that the curriculum effectively encouraged pro-environmental behaviors for all students on average, but particularly among linguistically diverse students, adding to growing examples of the equigenic effects of environmental and nature-based education. These findings are consistent with research demonstrating that EE can contribute to behavior change among young learners and may be particularly well-suited to resonate with the unique contributions of linguistically diverse learners.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Hartley, Jenna M. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Pereira, Sasha R. and Peterson, M. Nils and Lawson, Danielle F. and Martinez, Bryan}, year={2023}, month={Jan} }
 @article{stevenson_busch_peterson_lawson_chavez_2023, title={How mixed messages may be better than silence in climate change education}, url={https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3084246/v1}, DOI={10.21203/rs.3.rs-3084246/v1}, abstractNote={Abstract}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn and Busch, K. C. and Peterson, M. Nils and Lawson, Danielle F. and Chavez, Regina Ayala}, year={2023}, month={Jul} }
 @article{brune_knollenberg_barbieri_stevenson_2023, title={Towards a unified definition of local food}, volume={103}, ISSN={["1873-1392"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103135}, DOI={10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103135}, abstractNote={Despite the growing popularity of local food, there is still no unified definition used across the board. The lack of unified definition of local food can prevent effective marketing, policymaking, and research efforts. Given the inconsistencies on local food definitions, we sought to fill this gap by surveying consumers’ understanding of local food in North Carolina (NC, USA) departing from three categories of definitions found in the literature; local food defined in terms of: (1) market outlet (e.g., food bought directly from the farmer); (2) locality or political boundaries (e.g., food produced within the country); and (3) distance (e.g., food produced within 100 miles of commercialization). Informed by our study results, we propose defining local food in terms of the specific locality where is produced (e.g., county or state) as opposed to defining local food in terms of distance or market outlet. While the meaning of local food will remain contested among activists, governmental entities, and researchers, this study confirms that a shared meaning among consumers is emerging that should be incorporated across policy making, marketing, and research efforts.}, journal={JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Barbieri, Carla and Stevenson, Kathryn}, year={2023}, month={Oct} }
 @article{reilly_stevenson_warner_park_knollenberg_lawson_brune_barbieri_2022, title={Agricultural and environmental education: a call for meaningful collaboration in a U.S. context}, volume={28}, ISSN={["1469-5871"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2040431}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2022.2040431}, abstractNote={Abstract Blending agricultural education (AE) and environmental education (EE) frameworks is a promising pathway towards the goals of boosting environmental engagement and support for local agricultural systems among broad public audiences. However, thoughtful and intentional collaboration between researchers is needed to facilitate these outcomes. We feel it is important to collapse existing disciplinary walls between AE and EE to effectively reposition both as critical public goods and address inequitable access to environmental and agricultural knowledge among the next generation. In this paper, we outline the historical context for the silos between U.S.-based AE and EE programmatic and research practice. We then present a new collaborative structure for scholars in both fields to work together to build agricultural and environmental literacy in support of environmentally sustainable, economically robust, and socially responsible agroecosystems. Ultimately, we aim to create structures for broader and more collaborative efforts through which to improve agricultural and environmental literacy for new generations of learners.}, number={9}, journal={Environmental Education Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Reilly, C. and Stevenson, K. and Warner, W. and Park, T. and Knollenberg, W. and Lawson, D. and Brune, S. and Barbieri, C.}, year={2022}, pages={1410–1422} }
 @article{jewell_peterson_stevenson_choi_2022, title={Children of Trinidad prioritize conservation of species that are important in nature}, volume={50}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/crb.2022.0002}, DOI={10.1353/crb.2022.0002}, abstractNote={Abstract:Conservation is intended to protect species for future generations, so therefore conservationists should understand which species children want to protect. This may be particularly important in biodiversity hotspots, like islands, where resources are scarce, but biodiversity conservation needs are acute. We surveyed children (ages 7-12) on the island of Trinidad to determine how they prioritized wildlife species attributes for conservation. Species that are important in nature, and animals whose numbers are declining fast were seen as the most important attributes for prioritizing species conservation. Animals that can be hunted and fished for and animals that you can see around the home were considered the least important attributes for conservation. Our results suggest an emerging pattern of children's species preferences that is linked to geography and parallels those of conservation biologists. Species attribute ranking by children in Trinidad shared similarities with both children from a more remote island, who prioritized endemic species, and children from a continental location, who prioritized species that were ecologically important. These findings support an encouraging narrative where children's priorities for wildlife conservation are well positioned to support wildlife conservation.Resumen:La conservación está destinada a proteger las especies para las generaciones futuras, por lo que los conservacionistas deben saber qué especies quieren proteger los niños. Esto puede ser particularmente importante en puntos críticos de biodiversidad, como islas, donde los recursos son escasos, pero las necesidades de conservación de la biodiversidad son agudas. Encuestamos a niños (de 7 a 12 años) en la isla de Trinidad para determinar cómo priorizaban los atributos de las especies de vida silvestre para la conservación. Las especies que son importantes en la naturaleza y los animales cuyo número está disminuyendo rápidamente se consideraron los atributos más importantes para priorizar la conservación de especies. Los animales que se pueden cazar y pescar y los animales que se pueden ver en el hogar se consideraron los atributos menos importantes para la conservación. Nuestros resultados sugieren un patrón emergente de las preferencias de especies de los niños que está vinculado a la geografía y es paralelo al de los biólogos conservacionistas. La clasificación de los atributos de las especies por parte de los niños en Trinidad compartió similitudes tanto con los niños de una isla más remota, que priorizaron las especies endémicas, como con los niños de una ubicación continental, que priorizaron las especies que eran ecológicamente importantes. Estos hallazgos respaldan una narrativa alentadora donde las prioridades de los niños para la conservación de la vida silvestre están bien posicionadas para apoyar la conservación de la vida silvestre.Résumé:La conservation a pour but de protéger les espèces pour les générations futures, c'est pourquoi les défenseurs de l'environnement doivent comprendre quelles espèces les enfants veulent protéger. Cela peut être particulièrement important dans les points chauds de la biodiversité, comme les îles, où les ressources sont rares, mais les besoins de conservation de la biodiversité sont aigus. Nous avons interrogé des enfants (âgés de 7 à 12 ans) sur l›île de Trinidad pour déterminer comment ils accordaient la priorité aux attributs des espèces sauvages pour la conservation. Les espèces qui sont importantes dans la nature et les animaux dont le nombre diminue rapidement ont été considérés comme les attributs les plus importants pour donner la priorité à la conservation des espèces. Les animaux qui peuvent être chassés et pêchés et les animaux que vous pouvez voir autour de la maison étaient considérés comme les attributs les moins importants pour la conservation. Nos résultats suggèrent un modèle émergent de préférences des enfants en matière d'espèces qui est lié à la géographie et correspond à ceux des biologistes de la conservation. Le classement des attributs des espèces par les enfants de Trinidad partageait des similitudes avec les enfants d'une île plus éloignée, qui donnaient la priorité aux espèces endémiques, et les enfants d'une zone continentale, qui donnaient la priorité aux espèces écologiquement importantes. Ces résultats soutiennent un récit encourageant où les priorités des enfants pour la conservation de la faune sont bien placées pour soutenir la conservation de la faune.}, number={1}, journal={Caribbean Studies}, publisher={Project MUSE}, author={Jewell, Kathryn and Peterson, M. Nils and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Choi, Daniel}, year={2022}, month={Mar}, pages={63–77} }
 @article{zhang_martin_stevenson_yao_2022, title={Equally green? Understanding the distribution of urban green infrastructure across student demographics in four public school districts in North Carolina, USA}, volume={67}, ISSN={["1610-8167"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127434}, DOI={10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127434}, abstractNote={Green infrastructure (GI) provides a suite of ecosystem services that are widely recognized as critical to health, well-being, and sustainability on an urbanizing planet. However, the distribution of GI across urban landscapes is frequently uneven, resulting in unequal delivery of these services to low-income residents or those belonging to underserved racial/ethnic identities. While GI distribution has been identified as unequal across municipalities, we investigated whether this was true in public schoolyards within and among urban school districts. We examined schoolyards in four metropolitan areas of diverse socio-economic and demographic compositions in North Carolina, USA to determine if they provided equal exposure to GI, then compared whether this was true of the broader urban landscape. We first classified the land cover of elementary schoolyards and their neighborhoods, then used bivariate and multivariate approaches to analyze the relationships between GI (i.e. tree canopy cover and total GI) and the socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity of the schools and surrounding neighborhoods, respectively. We found that the extent of tree canopy cover and total GI in schoolyards was unrelated to the socioeconomic status and the race/ethnicity of students across the four school districts. In contrast, neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status and larger populations of underserved race/ethnicity residents had less tree canopy cover and total GI. Although total GI was more evenly distributed in schoolyards, the extent of tree canopy cover and total GI in schoolyards was lower than that in the neighborhoods. This suggests opportunities for school districts to expand GI in schoolyards, leveraging their potential to increase ecosystem services to all children, from increased educational opportunities to improved mental, physical, and environmental well-being.}, journal={URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Zhang, Zhenzhen and Martin, Katherine L. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Yao, Yuan}, year={2022}, month={Jan} }
 @article{brune_knollenberg_stevenson_barbieri_2022, title={Investigating Predictors of Public- and Private-Sphere Sustainable Behaviors in the Context of Agritourism}, volume={14}, ISSN={["2071-1050"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020663}, DOI={10.3390/su14020663}, abstractNote={Encouraging sustainable behaviors regarding food choices among the public is crucial to ensure food systems’ sustainability. We expand the understanding of sustainable behavioral change by assessing engagement in local food systems (LFSs) in the context of agritourism experiences. Using theory of planned behavior (TPB) and personal norms, we conducted pre–post-surveys at agritourism farms to measure the impact of changes in the TPB behavioral antecedents as predictors of the following behavioral intentions regarding LFS engagement: (1) purchasing local food (private-sphere behavior), (2) increasing monthly budget to purchase local food (private-sphere behavior) and (3) advocating for local food (public-sphere behavior). Our findings indicate that strategies to encourage LFS engagement should seek to activate moral considerations that can motivate action across private and public behaviors, which applies to various demographic groups. To stimulate collective action, strategies should target subjective norms specifically (e.g., encouraging social interaction around local food), while strategies encouraging private behaviors should focus on easing perceived barriers to buying local food (e.g., promoting local food outlets). As agritourism experiences effectively modify the three above-mentioned behavioral antecedents, we advocate for holistic experiences that provide opportunities for deeper engagement with local food, stimulate the senses, and facilitate social interaction around LFSs.}, number={2}, journal={SUSTAINABILITY}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Stevenson, Kathryn and Barbieri, Carla}, year={2022}, month={Jan} }
 @article{casola_beall_nils peterson_larson_brent jackson_stevenson_2022, title={Political polarization of conservation issues in the era of COVID-19: An examination of partisan perspectives and priorities in the United States}, volume={67}, ISSN={1617-1381}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126176}, DOI={10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126176}, abstractNote={As a zoonotic disease with unprecedented global impacts, COVID-19 may influence how people prioritize issues related to wildlife conservation. Using a nationally representative sample of US residents, we investigated: (1) how COVID-19 affected the relative importance of conservation issues among adults with different political ideologies, and (2) how the pandemic affected political polarization of conservation issues during the 2020 general election in the United States. Conservation issues such as endangered species and controlling zoonotic disease ranked low in importance among the 14 policy issues considered, even lower than environmental issues such as climate change and environmental protection; however, the importance of all conservation issues increased as a result of COVID-19. Political polarization surrounding the perceived importance of conservation issues also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Democrats reporting larger increases in importance than Republicans. Polarization was driven by the most conservative Republicans and the most liberal Democrats. But this polarization was less extreme than it was for other issues such as climate change and healthcare. Findings highlight the need for communicating links between zoonotic disease and human interactions with wildlife and the environment. Acting quickly may be critical in areas where conservation issues are primed to succumb to political polarization.}, journal={Journal for Nature Conservation}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Casola, William R. and Beall, Justin M. and Nils Peterson, M. and Larson, Lincoln R. and Brent Jackson, S. and Stevenson, Kathryn T.}, year={2022}, month={Jun}, pages={126176} }
 @article{beall_jackson_casola_peterson_larson_stevenson_seekamp_2022, title={Self-reported participation in outdoor and nature-based recreation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic supports psychological health and well-being}, volume={3}, ISSN={2666-5581}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2022.100094}, DOI={10.1016/j.wss.2022.100094}, abstractNote={Restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered daily lives and affected human health and well-being. Outdoor and nature-based activities could potentially mitigate some of these negative impacts. To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on outdoor recreation and subjective well-being, we combined two samples of U.S. adults collected from April 30th - June 15th, 2020 and from August 7th - August 26th, 2020 (total n = 2178) using Qualtrics XM. During the pandemic, participation in outdoor activities declined by 35%, participation in nature-based activities declined by 33%, and subjective well-being declined by 24%. Participation in outdoor activities and nature activities prior to the pandemic and during the pandemic predicted smaller declines in subjective well-being. Results highlight the importance of outdoor recreation for building resilience to changes in subjective well-being before and during global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.}, journal={Wellbeing, Space and Society}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Beall, Justin M. and Jackson, S. Brent and Casola, William R. and Peterson, M. Nils and Larson, Lincoln R. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Seekamp, Erin}, year={2022}, pages={100094} }
 @article{stevenson_gibson_2022, title={Teen-Led Radical Cultural Change}, volume={1}, url={https://doi.org/10.52750/234615}, DOI={10.52750/234615}, abstractNote={Kathryn Stevenson, Ph.D. is interested in preparing young people to engage and helping them understand unique ways they may contribute to solving global change. She discusses her decade of research trying to learn more about how young people think and learn about climate change and how youth-led conversations may have something important to offer.}, publisher={North Carolina State University}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn and Gibson, Lauren}, year={2022}, month={Jan} }
 @article{zhang_stevenson_martin_2022, title={Use of nature-based schoolyards predicts students' perceptions of schoolyards as places to support learning, play, and mental health}, volume={1}, ISSN={["1469-5871"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2032612}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2022.2032612}, abstractNote={Abstract Although green schoolyards provide many benefits to children and communities, little research explores students’ perceptions of these benefits and how natural elements (e.g. gardens, trees) and associated use shape student experience. We examine the relationship between nature-based attributes, nature-based activities, and teacher-led activities with students’ perceptions of schoolyards’ benefits to self (e.g. feeling calm, good place to learn) and to community (e.g. contributions to cleaner water, increased biodiversity). We measured 199 3rd -6th grade students’ perceptions of schoolyards’ benefits from 9 schools in Raleigh, North Carolina. Overall, students viewed schoolyards positively, and recognized more benefits to self than community. We found that the relationship between the presence of nature-based attributes and students’ positive feelings was limited. Instead, we found that nature-based activities and teacher-led activities had a positive relationship with students’ positive feelings. Our findings suggest that school greening efforts need to be paired with policies and curricular practices to encourage interaction with natural elements to ensure benefits are fully realized by students. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2032612 .}, number={9}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Zhang, Zhenzhen and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Martin, Katherine L.}, year={2022}, month={Jan} }
 @article{gibson_busch_stevenson_cutts_demattia_aguilar_ardoin_carrier_clark_cooper_et al._2022, title={What is community-level environmental literacy, and how can we measure it? A report of a convening to conceptualize and operationalize CLEL}, volume={5}, ISSN={["1469-5871"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2067325}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2022.2067325}, abstractNote={Abstract Environmental education research often emphasizes the importance of community context, but conceptualization and measurement of environmental literacy has mostly occurred at the individual level, often focusing on individual behaviors. The environmental problems facing the world today require collective action—communities coming together to address large-scale problems. Accordingly, understanding and encouraging collective action requires a shift in focus from individual to community-level environmental literacy (CLEL). Despite its importance, CLEL has been left largely undefined and unmentioned in environmental education literature. To understand the field’s current conceptualizations and measurement strategies around CLEL, the authors held a convening of 24 researchers to discuss the topic. Here, we report the findings of this convening and present a series of tensions that emerged in conceptualizing and measuring CLEL. We see this area of research as rich with opportunity for innovation and offer considerations for researchers engaging in this work.}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Gibson, Lauren M. and Busch, K. C. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Cutts, Bethany B. and DeMattia, Elizabeth A. and Aguilar, Olivia M. and Ardoin, Nicole M. and Carrier, Sarah J. and Clark, Charlotte R. and Cooper, Caren B. and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Apr} }
 @article{jackson_stevenson_larson_peterson_seekamp_2021, title={Connection to Nature Boosts Adolescents’ Mental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic}, volume={13}, ISSN={2071-1050}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132112297}, DOI={10.3390/su132112297}, abstractNote={Growing evidence suggests that connection to nature may be linked to mental health and well-being. Behavioral changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively affect adolescents’ connection to nature, subsequently impacting health and well-being. We explored the relationship between connection to nature and well-being before and during the pandemic through a nationally representative survey of adolescents across the United States (n = 624) between April and June 2020. Survey items focused on connection to nature, mental well-being, and participation in outdoor activities before and during the pandemic. Paired-sample t-tests revealed declines in connection to nature, mental well-being, and participation in outdoor activities during the pandemic. Multiple linear regression analyses examining connection to nature’s mediating role between outdoor activity participation and mental well-being indicated that connection to nature fueled higher levels of mental well-being at both time intervals. Z scores comparing connection to nature’s mediating role between outdoor activity participation and mental well-being between time intervals indicate that during the pandemic, the direct effect of outdoor activities on mental well-being increased, generating a greater impact than before the pandemic. This study illustrates how the health and well-being benefits associated with adolescents’ outdoor activities are reinforced when those activities also foster a stronger connection to nature.}, number={21}, journal={Sustainability}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Jackson, S. Brent and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Larson, Lincoln R. and Peterson, M. Nils and Seekamp, Erin}, year={2021}, month={Nov}, pages={12297} }
 @article{beall_casola_peterson_larson_carr_seekamp_stevenson_jackson_2021, title={Cultural Cognition and Ideological Framing Influence Communication About Zoonotic Disease in the Era of COVID-19}, volume={6}, ISSN={2297-900X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.645692}, DOI={10.3389/fcomm.2021.645692}, abstractNote={The efficacy of science communication can be influenced by the cultural values and cognitions of target audiences, yet message framing rarely accounts for these cognitive factors. To explore the effects of message framing tailored to specific audiences, we investigated relationships between one form of cultural cognition—political ideology—and perceptions about the zoonotic origins of the COVID-19 pandemic using a nationally representative Qualtrics XM panel (n = 1,554) during August 2020. First, we examined differences in attitudes towards science (in general) and COVID-19 (specifically) based on political ideology. We found that, compared to conservatives and moderates, liberals trusted science more, were less skeptical of science, perceived greater risk from COVID-19, were more likely to believe in a wildlife origin of COVID-19, and were more likely to support restrictions on wildlife trade. Second, we examined the influence of cultural framing on the perceived validity of science related to COVID-19. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: 1) a technocratic framing that highlighted feats of human ingenuity to overcome zoonoses; 2) a regulatory framing that highlighted regulations and expansions of protected areas for wildlife as a means to prevent zoonoses, and 3) a control article about traffic lights with no cultural framing. After reading the initial framing article, all three groups read the same fictional, yet factually accurate, ‘Nature Science study’ generated by the authors. An OLS regression model revealed a significant interaction between the technocratic framing and political ideology. Relative to the control group, the technocratic framing slightly increased perceived validity of the Nature Science study for conservatives, significantly lowered perceived validity for liberals, and had no impact on moderates. We did not detect any significant interaction between framing and political ideology for the regulatory framing. Findings of this study highlight the need to account for cultural cognitions when communicating about COVID-19 and other zoonotic diseases. Communication strategies carefully designed to resonate with ideologically diverse audiences may ultimately lead to bipartisan support for actions required to promote “One Health” approaches that reduce the impacts of zoonoses on human and environmental health.}, journal={Frontiers in Communication}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Beall, Justin M. and Casola, William R. and Peterson, M Nils. and Larson, Lincoln R. and Carr, Wylie A. and Seekamp, Erin and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Jackson, S Brent}, year={2021}, month={May} }
 @article{vayer_larson_peterson_lee_von furstenberg_choi_stevenson_ahlers_anhalt‐depies_bethke_et al._2021, title={Diverse University Students Across the United States Reveal Promising Pathways to Hunter Recruitment and Retention}, volume={85}, ISSN={0022-541X 1937-2817}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22055}, DOI={10.1002/jwmg.22055}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT}, number={5}, journal={The Journal of Wildlife Management}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Vayer, Victoria R. and Larson, Lincoln R. and Peterson, M. Nils and Lee, Kangjae Jerry and Von Furstenberg, Richard and Choi, Daniel Y. and Stevenson, Kathryn and Ahlers, Adam A. and Anhalt‐Depies, Christine and Bethke, Taniya and et al.}, year={2021}, month={May}, pages={1017–1030} }
 @article{zhang_stevenson_martin_2021, title={Exploring geographical, curricular, and demographic factors of nature use by children in urban schoolyards in Raleigh, NC, USA}, volume={65}, ISSN={["1610-8167"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127323}, DOI={10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127323}, abstractNote={Experience in nature provides a host of benefits to children, but today’s children who live in urban environments spend less time with nature compared to previous generations. Because children spend a large amount of time at school, greening schoolyards is one strategy for providing children with more access to nature and its benefits. However, installing nature-rich spaces in schoolyards may not guarantee their use, and research is needed to understand how the physical make-up of schoolyards may interact with teacher and student-related factors to predict use of natural elements on schoolyards. We inventoried 9 urban schoolyards and surveyed an associated 199 3rd-6th grade students and 14 teachers to measure children’s awareness and use of nature-rich vs. traditional outdoor spaces as predicted by teachers’ behavior (i.e. taking students outdoors) and environmental education-related training, student demography, and schoolyard physical environment. We found that children were less aware of nature-rich spaces (gardens 69 %, woodlands 28 %) compared to traditional outdoor spaces (playgrounds 73 %, athletic fields 77 %) and spent less time there (once a month versus several times a week). However, teachers taking children outdoors (p = 0.001) and trained in environmental education (p = 0.10) positively predicted student awareness of gardens. Teacher training in environmental education was also predictive of children exploring woodlands (p = 0.04), highlighting the importance of teacher training in successful green schoolyard efforts. We provide a glimpse of schoolyards as places for urban children to access nature's benefits by studying different school factors that influence children’s nature-based activities. Simply implementing natural spaces in schoolyards cannot guarantee the use of natural spaces by children. Providing institutional support and professional development for teachers may help to enhance children's awareness of different nature-rich areas and promote nature-base activities in schoolyards.}, journal={URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Zhang, Zhenzhen and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Martin, Katherine L.}, year={2021}, month={Nov} }
 @article{stevenson_szczytko_carrier_peterson_2021, title={How outdoor science education can help girls stay engaged with science}, volume={43}, ISSN={["1464-5289"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2021.1900948}, DOI={10.1080/09500693.2021.1900948}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Although gender gaps associated with K-12 science achievement have narrowed significantly, gaps in science engagement and efficacy in childhood likely explain why women remain underrepresented in science careers. Early intervention programs may address root causes of gender gaps in science careers. Outdoor science education (OSE) is one understudied but promising strategy, that provides ample opportunity for reform-based instructional practices that may benefit girls, including girls of colour. Using a pre–post, treatment-control quasi-experimental design, we evaluated how an OSE program differentially impacted the science grades, science knowledge, and science self-efficacy of fifth grade girls versus boys (n = 640). We found the OSE treatment increased knowledge and maintained science grades for girls while grades fell for girls in the control group. We also found that science self-efficacy decreased for both boys and girls in the treatment group. We did not detect direct or interaction effects of race on science outcomes. Research suggests OSE may help students associate science learning with challenge, which may help explain the decrease in self-efficacy coupled with the increase in achievement for girls. We suggest future research continue to investigate how OSE can benefit all students, including those who may become disengaged with learning in traditional classroom settings.}, number={7}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Szczytko, Rachel E. and Carrier, Sarah J. and Peterson, M. Nils}, year={2021}, month={May}, pages={1090–1111} }
 @article{hartley_stevenson_peterson_busch_carrier_demattia_jambeck_lawson_strnad_2021, title={Intergenerational learning: A recommendation for engaging youth to address marine debris challenges}, volume={170}, ISSN={["1879-3363"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112648}, abstractNote={Youth can impact environmental attitudes and behaviors among adults. Indeed, research on intergenerational learning has demonstrated the influence of young people on adults in their lives for myriad environmental topics. Intergenerational learning (IGL) refers to the bidirectional transfer of knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors from children to their parents or other adults and vice versa. We suggest an educational framework wherein K-12 marine debris education designed to maximize IGL may be a strategy to accelerate interdisciplinary, community-level solutions to marine debris. Although technical strategies continue to be developed to address the marine debris crisis, even the most strictly technical of these benefit from social support. Here, we present 10 Best Practices grounded in educational, IGL, and youth civic engagement literature to promote marine debris solutions. We describe how integrating IGL and civic engagement into K-12-based marine debris curricula may start a virtuous circle benefiting teachers, students, families, communities, and the ocean.}, journal={MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN}, author={Hartley, Jenna M. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Busch, K. C. and Carrier, Sarah J. and DeMattia, Elizabeth A. and Jambeck, Jenna R. and Lawson, Danielle F. and Strnad, Renee L.}, year={2021}, month={Sep} }
 @article{ennes_lawson_stevenson_peterson_jones_2021, title={It’s about time: perceived barriers to in-service teacher climate change professional development}, volume={27}, ISSN={["1469-5871"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2021.1909708}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2021.1909708}, abstractNote={Abstract The pressing nature of climate change and its associated impacts requires a climate literate citizenry. Climate change education in K-12 settings may provide a unique opportunity to make inroads towards climate literacy. However, many K-12 teachers avoid teaching climate change because they are uncomfortable with the subject or do not see its relevance to their curriculum. Removing barriers to climate change professional development (CCPD) for teachers may help increase confidence in teaching about climate change. To understand the perceived barriers to participating in CCPD, a survey was conducted with 54 middle school science teachers who did not respond to a previous invitation to participate in a CCPD program. The most significant barrier was time to participate. The participants were also asked to rate their confidence about whether climate change is happening. The results were compared between teachers who were confident climate change was happening and those who were not to examine whether these beliefs influenced teachers’ perceptions of barriers. Those who were confident climate change was happening were less likely to perceive administrative support, interest in the workshop, and knowledge of climate change content as barriers. However, both groups of teachers reported that time was the primary barrier rather than the topic. This suggests that, rather than developing unique strategies, existing best practices in teacher professional development can be used to support CCPD opportunities. Additional recommendations include thinking creatively about how to create time for teachers to attend and making the professional development directly relevant to teacher’s local contexts.}, number={5}, journal={Environmental Education Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Ennes, M. and Lawson, D. and Stevenson, K. and Peterson, N. and Jones, M.G.}, year={2021}, pages={762–778} }
 @article{jackson_stevenson_larson_peterson_seekamp_2021, title={Outdoor Activity Participation Improves Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic}, volume={18}, ISSN={1660-4601}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052506}, DOI={10.3390/ijerph18052506}, abstractNote={COVID-19 is reshaping human interactions with the natural environment, potentially generating profound consequences for health and well-being. To assess the effects of COVID-19 on the outdoor recreation participation and subjective well-being of adolescents, as well as how participation in outdoor activities may mitigate declines in subjective well-being, we used a Qualtrics XM panel to conduct a nationally representative survey of youth ages 10–18 across the United States (n = 624) between 30 April and 15 June 2020. Survey questions focused on frequency of participation in outdoor activities before and during the pandemic, as well as changes in subjective well-being. Paired t-tests revealed decreases in both outdoor recreation participation (64% reported declines) and subjective well-being (52% reported declines). A regression model examining correlates of changes in subjective well-being (R2 = 0.42) revealed strong associations with changes in outdoor play (B = 0.44, p < 0.001) and nature-based (B = 0.21, p = 0.016) activities. Adolescents’ from all backgrounds who participated in these activities during the pandemic reported smaller declines in subjective well-being. Results highlight the critical role that time outdoors and time in nature play in bolstering adolescents’ resilience to stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and underscore the need to facilitate outdoor recreation opportunities for youth during times of crisis.}, number={5}, journal={International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Jackson, S. Brent and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Larson, Lincoln R. and Peterson, M. Nils and Seekamp, Erin}, year={2021}, month={Mar}, pages={2506} }
 @article{larson_peterson_furstenberg_vayer_lee_choi_stevenson_ahlers_anhalt-depies_bethke_et al._2021, title={The future of wildlife conservation funding: What options do US college students support?}, volume={3}, url={https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.505}, DOI={10.1111/csp2.505}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={10}, journal={CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Larson, Lincoln R. and Peterson, Markus Nils and Furstenberg, Richard Von and Vayer, Victoria R. and Lee, Kangjae Jerry and Choi, Daniel Y. and Stevenson, Kathryn and Ahlers, Adam A. and Anhalt-Depies, Christine and Bethke, Taniya and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Jul}, pages={e505} }
 @article{larson_zhang_oh_beam_ogletree_bocarro_lee_casper_stevenson_hipp_et al._2021, title={Urban Park Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Are Socially Vulnerable Communities Disproportionately Impacted?}, volume={3}, ISSN={2624-9634}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2021.710243}, DOI={10.3389/frsc.2021.710243}, abstractNote={The COVID-19 pandemic altered human behavior around the world. To maintain mental and physical health during periods of lockdown and quarantine, people often engaged in outdoor, physically distanced activities such as visits to parks and greenspace. However, research tracking outdoor recreation patterns during the pandemic has yielded inconsistent results, and few studies have explored the impacts of COVID-19 on park use across diverse neighborhoods. We used a mixed methods approach to examine changes in park use patterns in cities across North Carolina, USA, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on impacts in socially vulnerable communities (based on racial/ethnic composition and socioeconomic status). First, we surveyed a demographically representative sample of 611 urban residents during August 2020 to assess their use of outdoor park spaces before and during the pandemic. Second, we used cell phone location (i.e., geo-tracking) data to document changes in park visits within 605 socioeconomically diverse urban census tracts before (July 2019) and during (July 2020) the pandemic. Data from both methods revealed urban park use declined during the pandemic; 56% of survey respondents said they stopped or reduced park use, and geo-tracked park visits dropped by 15%. Park users also became more homogenous, with visits increasing the most for past park visitors and declining the most in socially vulnerable communities and among individuals who were BIPOC or lower-income. Our results raise concerns about urban park use during the COVID-19 pandemic and suggest pre-existing health disparities in socially vulnerable communities might be exacerbated by inequitable access and utilization of parks and greenspace.}, journal={Frontiers in Sustainable Cities}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Larson, Lincoln R. and Zhang, Zhenzhen and Oh, Jae In and Beam, Will and Ogletree, S. Scott and Bocarro, Jason N. and Lee, KangJae Jerry and Casper, Jonathan and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Hipp, J. Aaron and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Sep} }
 @article{vaughn_peterson_casola_stevenson_pacifici_2021, title={Using the Implicit Association Test to Evaluate Subconscious Attitudes Toward Snakes}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1753-0377"]}, DOI={10.1080/08927936.2021.1986261}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT
 Human fear and antipathy toward snakes make conservation and management of these species difficult, as negative attitudes are not generally linked to public support. However, our understanding of whether such attitudes are innate or learned is limited. In this study, respondents aged 7–76 years completed an implicit association test (IAT) designed to examine implicit attitudes toward snakes (n = 175). Respondents had negative implicit attitudes toward snakes. Parents had more negative implicit attitudes toward snakes than children, but we detected no effects for sex or race/ethnicity, and the overall ability for demographic variables to predict implicit attitudes was low (R2  = 0.035). Approximately, 13% of the overall variance was explained by the random effect for family unit (ρ = 0.132), indicating membership within a given household unit had small effects on the development of implicit biases against snakes. Collectively, these results support the hypothesis that human aversion to snakes is implicit and provide more evidence that aversion may be innate within our biological or cultural memory. Implicit bias training may be critical to mitigate the effects of negative implicit attitudes toward snakes. Although future research is needed to understand socio-demographic correlates of implicit biases against snakes, our results suggest interventions may be crafted without concern about unique responses to snakes across sex and ethnicities.}, journal={ANTHROZOOS}, author={Vaughn, Audrey K. and Peterson, M. Nils and Casola, William R. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Pacifici, Lara B.}, year={2021}, month={Oct} }
 @article{hartley_stevenson_peterson_demattia_paliotti_fairbairn_2021, title={Youth Can Promote Marine Debris Concern and Policy Support Among Local Voters and Political Officials}, volume={3}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2021.662886}, DOI={10.3389/fpos.2021.662886}, abstractNote={Many of the most sweeping social movements throughout history have been youth-led, including those related to environmental challenges. Emerging research suggests youth can build environmental concern among parents via intergenerational learning, in some cases overcoming socio-ideological differences that normally stymie attempts at collective action. What has not been studied is the potential for youth to also influence adults outside their immediate families. This study based in North Carolina, USA, explores the potential of today's young people as environmental change-agents in their communities on the topic of marine debris. Specifically, this evaluation examines responses from voters and local officials after participating in youth-led civic engagement events. After engaging with a youth-led civic engagement event, voters, and local officials completed a retrospective pretest survey that asked questions about levels of marine debris concern and their likelihood of supporting a local marine debris ordinance. Young people encouraged both concern and policy support among both voters and officials, and that concern and policy support increased independently of whether adults were voters or officials, liberals or conservatives, or knew the students personally. Further, participation in the youth-led engagement event reduced political differences in marine debris concern. This study suggests youth can play a critical role addressing marine debris challenges by promoting support for marine debris management policy, and doing so across political barriers.}, journal={Frontiers in Political Science}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Hartley, Jenna M. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and DeMattia, Elizabeth A. and Paliotti, Savannah and Fairbairn, Thomas J.}, year={2021}, month={Apr} }
 @article{liles_peterson_stevenson_peterson_2021, title={Youth wildlife preferences and species-based conservation priorities in a low-income biodiversity hotspot region}, volume={48}, ISSN={["1469-4387"]}, DOI={10.1017/S0376892921000035}, abstractNote={Summary}, number={2}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION}, author={Liles, Michael J. and Peterson, M. Nils and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, Markus J.}, year={2021}, month={Jun}, pages={110–117} }
 @article{stevenson_moore_cosco_floyd_sullivan_brink_gerstein_jordan_zaplatosch_2020, title={A national research agenda supporting green schoolyard development and equitable access to nature}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2325-1026"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.406}, DOI={10.1525/elementa.406}, abstractNote={The diverse benefits of nature are increasingly well-known, but access to nature and its associated benefits are inequitable. In parallel, because school attendance is compulsory, schools are ubiquitous in every community. However, only a small fraction extend classroom settings into outdoor spaces developed as educational resources richly endowed with nature. By greening schoolyards, every community in the United States would provide safe, accessible, natural areas, greatly expanding available educational space and resources benefiting the entire school community. Greening schoolyards offers a promising strategy to ensure all children and communities have access to the health, wellness, learning, and myriad other benefits contact with nature provides. This paper makes the case for green schoolyards as a tool for providing access to nature for all children and sets a research agenda to support that goal.}, number={1}, journal={ELEMENTA-SCIENCE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Moore, Robin and Cosco, Nilda and Floyd, Myron F. and Sullivan, William and Brink, Lois and Gerstein, Dana and Jordan, Cathy and Zaplatosch, Jaime}, year={2020} }
 @article{szczytko_stevenson_peterson_bondell_2020, title={How combinations of recreational activities predict connection to nature among youth}, volume={51}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2020.1787313}, DOI={10.1080/00958964.2020.1787313}, abstractNote={Abstract Connection to nature (CTN) can help promote environmental engagement requisite for addressing extreme environmental challenges. Current generations, however, may be less connected to nature than previous ones. Spending time in nature can counter this disconnect, particularly among children. In relation to CTN, this study evaluates the relative predictive power of solitary and social time in nature, specific recreation activities (e.g., camping), and diverse backgrounds (e.g., ethnicity) through a classification tree analysis with 9-to-12-year olds in the southeastern USA (n = 1,285). Solitary time in nature was the most important predictor of high CTN, and social time in nature was a secondary component of high CTN. In addition, in the context of this study, hunting and fishing were the most important activities predicting high CTN. Based on these results, we suggest providing solitary outdoor activities reinforced by environmental socialization to promote CTN for all.}, number={6}, journal={The Journal of Environmental Education}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Szczytko, Rachel and Stevenson, Kathryn Tate and Peterson, Markus Nils and Bondell, Howard}, year={2020}, month={Nov}, pages={462–476} }
 @article{clark_pender_peterson_stevenson_lawson_szczytko_2020, title={Reaching Underserved Populations through a Fisheries Education Program}, volume={45}, ISSN={["1548-8446"]}, DOI={10.1002/fsh.10390}, abstractNote={Environmentally literate citizens capable of making informed decisions are essential to successfully managed fisheries. Fisheries‐focused environmental education programs may help build environmental literacy, but experimental evaluations are needed to determine the effectiveness of fisheries education programs. We begin addressing this need with a study of “Shad in the Classroom.” The program engages students in American Shad Alosa sapidissima restoration through rearing and releasing fry. We used a pre/post, treatment (n = 777)/control (n = 57) evaluation during the 2016–2017 academic year. Participation in the program created large improvements in American Shad knowledge between tests (P < 0.001). All students gained knowledge, but African Americans (P < 0.001) and students identifying as “other” races and ethnicities (P = 0.003) fell behind their peers. Shad in the Classroom is an effective tool for teaching children about fisheries management but, may help ethnic minorities the least, suggesting a need to tailor content for diverse students.}, number={3}, journal={FISHERIES}, author={Clark, Kalysha and Pender, Danielle and Peterson, M. Nils and Stevenson, Kathryn and Lawson, Danielle and Szczytko, Rachel}, year={2020}, month={Mar}, pages={131–137} }
 @article{brune_knollenberg_stevenson_barbieri_2020, title={U-Pick Farms: Harvesting More than Pumpkins}, volume={38}, ISSN={["2160-6862"]}, DOI={10.18666/JPRA-2020-10038}, abstractNote={Recreational experiences offer many benefits to individuals and society, including improved mental and physical health. Yet, limited evidence is available on the potential benefits of recreation as a path to stimulate desired behavioral outcomes. The purpose of this work is to discuss preliminary findings of whether participating in agritourism influences intended local foods purchasing behavior. To achieve this purpose, we surveyed 173 recreationists before and after visiting a farm offering recreational activities (agritourism) in 2018. Results of repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance indicate that agritourism influenced participants’ attitudes and intended behavior toward local foods although subjective norms and perceived behavioral control remained unchanged. However, the regression analysis indicated that changes in subjective norms and perceived behavioral control predicted changes in intended behavior. We conclude that agritourism can encourage consumers’ purchasing intentions of local foods, supporting an underexplored additional benefit of recreational experiences as a path to promote desirable behaviors. Further, agritourism experiences may be most effective at encouraging local foods purchasing when they show that buying local foods is socially supported and relatively easy. Subscribe to JPRA}, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF PARK AND RECREATION ADMINISTRATION}, author={Brune, Sara and Knollenberg, Whitney and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Barbieri, Carla}, year={2020}, pages={135–144} }
 @misc{busch_henderson_stevenson_2019, title={Broadening epistemologies and methodologies in climate change education research}, volume={25}, ISSN={["1469-5871"]}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2018.1514588}, abstractNote={Abstract In this commentary, we reflect on the articles in this special collection from our lens as scholars who have chosen to conduct research with a focus on climate change education. We start with statements of positionality, as certainly our own experiences and philosophical stances shape our work and reflections included here. Afterwards, we present a typology of climate change education research, utilizing a framework developed from research paradigms with an emphasis on epistemology and methodology. Lastly, we make recommendations for future research efforts based on suggestions within the research articles in the collection as well as from the typology presented.}, number={6}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH}, author={Busch, K. C. and Henderson, Joseph A. and Stevenson, Kathryn T.}, year={2019}, month={Jun}, pages={955–971} }
 @article{lawson_stevenson_peterson_carrier_l. strnad_seekamp_2019, title={Children can foster climate change concern among their parents}, volume={9}, ISSN={1758-678X 1758-6798}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0463-3}, DOI={10.1038/s41558-019-0463-3}, number={6}, journal={Nature Climate Change}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Lawson, Danielle F. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Carrier, Sarah J. and L. Strnad, Renee and Seekamp, Erin}, year={2019}, month={May}, pages={458–462} }
 @article{schuttler_stevenson_kays_dunn_2019, title={Children’s attitudes towards animals are similar across suburban, exurban, and rural areas}, volume={7}, ISSN={2167-8359}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7328}, DOI={10.7717/peerj.7328}, abstractNote={The decline in the number of hours Americans spend outdoors, exacerbated by urbanization, has affected people’s familiarity with local wildlife. This is concerning to conservationists, as people tend to care about and invest in what they know. Children represent the future supporters of conservation, such that their knowledge about and feelings toward wildlife have the potential to influence conservation for many years to come. Yet, little research has been conducted on children’s attitudes toward wildlife, particularly across zones of urbanization. We surveyed 2,759 4–8th grade children across 22 suburban, exurban, and rural schools in North Carolina to determine their attitudes toward local, domestic, and exotic animals. We predicted that children who live in rural or exurban areas, where they may have more direct access to more wildlife species, would list more local animals as “liked” and fewer as “scary” compared to children in suburban areas. However, children, regardless of where they lived, provided mostly non-native mammals for open-ended responses, and were more likely to list local animals as scary than as liked. We found urbanization to have little effect on the number of local animals children listed, and the rankings of “liked” animals were correlated across zones of urbanization. Promising for conservation was that half of the top “liked” animals included species or taxonomic groups containing threatened or endangered species. Despite different levels of urbanization, children had either an unfamiliarity with and/or low preference for local animals, suggesting that a disconnect between children and local biodiversity is already well-established, even in more rural areas where many wildlife species can be found.}, journal={PeerJ}, publisher={PeerJ}, author={Schuttler, Stephanie G. and Stevenson, Kathryn and Kays, Roland and Dunn, Robert R.}, year={2019}, month={Jul}, pages={e7328} }
 @article{lawson_stevenson_peterson_carrier_seekamp_strnad_2019, title={Evaluating climate change behaviors and concern in the family context}, volume={25}, ISSN={1350-4622 1469-5871}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2018.1564248}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2018.1564248}, abstractNote={Abstract Although research suggests that family dynamics likely play a role in shaping children’s behaviors, few studies focus on environmental behaviors, and none to our knowledge investigate how parents shape climate change mitigation behaviors among their children. We begin to fill this gap through a quantitative case study using matched household-level survey data from 182 coastal North Carolina families (n = 241 parents aged 29–77; n = 182 students aged 11–14) associated with 15 middle school science teachers. Family climate change discussions, parent behaviors, and children’s climate change concern levels predicted the degree to which children will participate in individual-level climate mitigation behaviors. These results provide evidence that promoting climate-related conversations within households may promote climate action even when parents are apathetic about climate change. Similarly, parental behaviors, but not their concern levels, were important predictors of adolescent behaviors. This study highlights novel ways that family dynamics may promote climate change mitigating behaviors and a new pathway to promoting climate mitigation at familial, and ultimately, societal levels.}, number={5}, journal={Environmental Education Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Lawson, Danielle F. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Carrier, Sarah J. and Seekamp, Erin and Strnad, Renee}, year={2019}, month={Jan}, pages={678–690} }
 @article{busch_ardoin_gruehn_stevenson_2019, title={Exploring a theoretical model of climate change action for youth}, volume={41}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2019.1680903}, DOI={10.1080/09500693.2019.1680903}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT This study explores the influence of cognitive (knowledge and certainty) and psychosocial (social norms and efficacy) variables on youth’s climate change-related behaviour, with the aim to create an empirically supported theoretical model for youth's choice to take action to mitigate climate change. This survey-based research was conducted with 453 middle and high school students within a large urban area of the western United States. Through structural equation modelling, it was found that knowledge about climate change causes and effects was a weak predictor of behaviour. Whereas social norms accepting of climate change, and the paths from social norms via efficacy and certainty, were strong predictors of behaviour. Certainty of human attribution and efficacy were rather weak predictors, mediating the influence of knowledge and norms. Students’ grade level, participation in clubs and number of science classes primarily affected knowledge and social norms. An implication of this study is that if action-taking is an intended outcome of climate change education efforts, then the learning activities should address efficacy and social norms.}, number={17}, journal={International Journal of Science Education}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Busch, K.C. and Ardoin, Nicole and Gruehn, Daniel and Stevenson, Kathryn}, year={2019}, month={Nov}, pages={2389–2409} }
 @article{peterson_stevenson_lawson_2019, title={Reviewing how intergenerational learning can help conservation biology face its greatest challenge}, volume={235}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.05.013}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocon.2019.05.013}, abstractNote={Environmental problems can be resolved when the public is no longer willing to accept their risks and demands change (i.e., Reflexive Modernization). Notable examples include responses to the ozone hole and acid rain, but in an emerging post-truth world, politicization of conservation can result in adults ignoring risks and accepting the status quo (i.e., Anti-Reflexivity). This problem is particularly acute for conservation biology challenges linked to climate change. Although strategic framing of conservation messages can help overcome ideological barriers to conservation actions, additional methods are needed to engage citizens in addressing loss of biodiversity. We argue that child to parent intergenerational learning is an understudied but promising pathway to incite biodiversity conservation actions among children and adults. Children have unique perspectives on wildlife and conservation, are easily reached in schools, and are likely the best equipped to help parents navigate ideologically fraught topics in ways that create action. We review key practices of intergenerational learning and outline how its best practices may be integrated in conservation biology programming and research.}, journal={Biological Conservation}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Peterson, M. Nils and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Lawson, Danielle F.}, year={2019}, month={Jul}, pages={290–294} }
 @article{barbieri_stevenson_knollenberg_2018, title={Broadening the utilitarian epistemology of agritourism research through children and families}, volume={22}, ISSN={1368-3500 1747-7603}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1497011}, DOI={10.1080/13683500.2018.1497011}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT The genesis of agritourism is rooted in diversifying income for farmers, and accordingly, epistemological framing of agritourism research has focused on understanding the direct economic value of farm visits. The literature has identified multiple measures of tourism values and we propose that a similar broad epistemological perspective is needed to expand the analysis of the full spectrum of benefits that agritourism can provide to farmers and food systems. We describe the potential, yet unmeasured, benefits of agritourism and propose to empirically examine the educational and marketing potential of agritourism through building agricultural literacy among young visitors and encouraging family-level support of local food systems. We offer this as one example of how to expand of the epistemological approach to agritourism research, which will allow for a more holistic account of its benefits.}, number={19}, journal={Current Issues in Tourism}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Barbieri, Carla and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Knollenberg, Whitney}, year={2018}, month={Jul}, pages={2333–2336} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_bondell_2018, title={Developing a model of climate change behavior among adolescents}, volume={151}, ISSN={["1573-1480"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-018-2313-0}, DOI={10.1007/s10584-018-2313-0}, abstractNote={Research on adolescent climate change perceptions has uncovered key insights about how knowledge, concern, and hope might relate to behavior and the potential for educational interventions to influence these factors. However, few of these studies have employed treatment/control designs that might address causality and none have addressed how these factors might interact to influence behavior. We developed a model of behavior change where a climate education treatment impacted knowledge, knowledge impacted hope and concern, and hope and concern together impacted behavior. We empirically tested the utility of this model and the causal relationships within it using a pre/post, treatment/control evaluation of climate education among adolescents in North Carolina, USA (n = 1041). We found support for a causal relationship between the treatment and gains in knowledge, but not between treatment and behavior. However, we did find support for a path model in which climate change knowledge positively relates to increased climate change concern and hope, and increases in concern and hope predict changes in pro-environmental behavior. Low SES was related to smaller gains in knowledge, concern, and behavior. Our results contribute to a theoretical understanding of climate change behaviors among adolescents and suggest that climate education aiming to change behavior should focus on building hope and concern.}, number={3-4}, journal={CLIMATIC CHANGE}, publisher={Springer Nature}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Bondell, Howard D.}, year={2018}, month={Dec}, pages={589–603} }
 @article{szczytko_stevenson_peterson_nietfeld_strnad_2018, title={Development and validation of the environmental literacy instrument for adolescents}, volume={25}, ISSN={1350-4622 1469-5871}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2018.1487035}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2018.1487035}, abstractNote={Abstract Environmental education (EE) practitioners struggle to consistently and rigorously evaluate their programs, particularly when little time is available for evaluation. Since environmental literacy (EL) is the goal of environmental education, a very short EL instrument – amenable to use when longer tests are not practical for practitioners – would address an important EE need. We describe the development and validation of the Environmental Literacy Instrument for Adolescents (ELI-A) that is short enough for use in field applications (i.e. 5–15 min) and measures four domains of environmental literacy (ecological knowledge, hope, cognitive skills, behaviour). Factor analysis, item response theory, and concurrent validity tests were used in the validation process. Structural equation modelling supported the fit between the ELI-A and prevailing EL frameworks. The results support a valid and reliable instrument that is short enough for practical use but comprehensive in measuring four primary components of EL. This instrument could help fulfil the call to evaluate EE programming in both formal and informal settings.}, number={2}, journal={Environmental Education Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Szczytko, Rachel and Stevenson, Kathryn and Peterson, M. Nils and Nietfeld, John and Strnad, Renee L.}, year={2018}, month={Jun}, pages={193–210} }
 @article{stevenson_porter_stevenson_2018, title={Effects of a Game-Based e-Learning Module on Undergraduate Food Science Students' Planned Behaviors Concerning Good Manufacturing Practices}, volume={17}, ISSN={["1541-4329"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4329.12148}, DOI={10.1111/1541-4329.12148}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Stevenson, Clinton D. and Porter, Kinsey and Stevenson, Kathryn T.}, year={2018}, month={Oct}, pages={111–117} }
 @article{stevenson_king_selm_peterson_monroe_2018, title={Framing climate change communication to prompt individual and collective action among adolescents from agricultural communities}, volume={24}, ISSN={["1469-5871"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1318114}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2017.1318114}, abstractNote={Abstract Climate communication research suggests strategic message framing may help build public consensus on climate change causes, risks and solutions. However, few have investigated how framing applies to adolescents. Similarly, little research has focused on agricultural audiences, who are among the most vulnerable to and least accepting of climate change. Among 950 high school agriculture students in North Carolina, we found agriculture and environment framing of climate change, but not community and health frames, elicited feelings of worry, and these together with community frames elicited hope. Further, students feeling more worry were more supportive of individual and collective action. Those accepting climate change and females had more emotive responses and higher support for all action measures, and acceptance of human causes predicted more worry and support for collective action. We find these results encouraging as agriculture teachers likely employ agriculture and environment frames when following best teaching practices.}, number={3}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and King, Tasha L. and Selm, Kathryn R. and Peterson, M. Nils and Monroe, Martha C.}, year={2018}, pages={365–377} }
 @article{valdez_peterson_stevenson_2018, title={How communication with teachers, family and friends contributes to predicting climate change behaviour among adolescents}, volume={45}, ISSN={["1469-4387"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85032206580&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1017/s0376892917000443}, abstractNote={SUMMARY}, number={2}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION}, author={Valdez, Rene X. and Peterson, M. Nils and Stevenson, Kathryn T.}, year={2018}, month={Jun}, pages={183–191} }
 @article{lawson_stevenson_peterson_carrier_strnad_seekamp_2018, title={Intergenerational learning: Are children key in spurring climate action?}, volume={53}, ISSN={0959-3780}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.10.002}, DOI={10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.10.002}, abstractNote={Complex environmental problems are typically resolved after the public is no longer willing to accept their risks and demands change (i.e., Reflexive Modernization). Notable examples include responses to the ozone hole and acid deposition. In the case of climate change, however, the politicization of the issue can result in adults ignoring the risks and accepting the status quo (i.e., Anti-Reflexivity). Although strategies such as strategic framing have seen some successes, new methods are needed to engage citizens in addressing climate change impacts. We argue that child-based climate communication is an understudied but promising pathway to incite climate action among children and adults alike. Children have unique perspectives on climate change, represent an audience that is easily reached through schools, and are arguably best equipped to navigate the ideologically fraught topic of climate change with older generations in ways that inspire action. We review research to support this novel communication approach and outline best practices for programmatic implementation and associated research.}, journal={Global Environmental Change}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Lawson, Danielle F. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Carrier, Sarah J. and Strnad, Renee and Seekamp, Erin}, year={2018}, month={Nov}, pages={204–208} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_dunn_2018, title={Leveraging natural capital to solve the shared education and conservation crisis}, volume={32}, ISSN={["1523-1739"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13039}, DOI={10.1111/cobi.13039}, abstractNote={Article impact statement: Promoting natural capital in schools mitigates educational inequalities and preserves biodiversity.}, number={2}, journal={CONSERVATION BIOLOGY}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Dunn, Robert R.}, year={2018}, month={Apr}, pages={490–492} }
 @article{larson_szczytko_bowers_stephens_stevenson_floyd_2018, title={Outdoor Time, Screen Time, and Connection to Nature: Troubling Trends Among Rural Youth?}, volume={10}, ISSN={0013-9165 1552-390X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013916518806686}, DOI={10.1177/0013916518806686}, abstractNote={Evidence suggests that contemporary children are spending less time outdoors than their predecessors. Concurrent reports also highlight the rise of electronic media use in the lives of youth. We explored relationships between self-reported outdoor time, screen time, and connection to nature in a sample of sixth- to eighth-grade students across rural South Carolina ( N = 543). We found that most youth spent time outdoors, but they spent more time with electronic media. The outdoor versus screen time discrepancy was particularly pronounced for girls, African Americans, and eighth graders. Connection to nature, linked to outdoor time, was highest among boys, White students, and sixth graders. Our study contributes to growing evidence highlighting the negative influence of escalating screen time on outdoor time and connection to nature during adolescence. Programs designed to address these troubling trends could focus on two groups at particularly high risk: girls and youth of color.}, journal={Environment and Behavior}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Larson, Lincoln R. and Szczytko, Rachel and Bowers, Edmond P. and Stephens, Lauren E. and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Floyd, Myron F.}, year={2018}, month={Oct}, pages={001391651880668} }
 @inbook{carrier_stevenson_2017, place={Rotterdam, the Netherlands}, title={Children experiencing the outdoors}, ISBN={978-94-6300-915-7}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85032949132&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1007/978-94-6300-917-1_3}, abstractNote={This chapter will demonstrate how outdoor education can answer the call for science education reform while benefiting the whole child. It begins by outlining research on how outdoor experiences can provide science engagement benefits that last a lifetime. We then outline the specific science reforms that have been presented in the United States and globally to encourage lifelong science achievement.}, booktitle={Reforming Teaching and Teacher Education: Bright Prospects for Active Schools}, publisher={Sense Publishers}, author={Carrier, S.J. and Stevenson, K.T.}, editor={Kimonen, Eija and Nevalainen, RaimoEditors}, year={2017}, pages={67–88} }
 @article{peterson_chesonis_stevenson_bondell_2017, title={Evaluating relationships between hunting and biodiversity knowledge among children}, volume={41}, ISSN={1938-5463}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/WSB.792}, DOI={10.1002/wsb.792}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT}, number={3}, journal={Wildlife Society Bulletin}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Peterson, M. Nils and Chesonis, Tessa and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Bondell, Howard D.}, year={2017}, month={Aug}, pages={530–536} }
 @article{clark_cupp_phelps_peterson_stevenson_serenari_2017, title={Household Dynamics of Wildlife Value Orientations}, volume={22}, ISSN={1087-1209 1533-158X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2017.1345022}, DOI={10.1080/10871209.2017.1345022}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Wildlife value orientations (WVOs) shape attitudes and behavior toward wildlife. Although demographic correlates of WVOs are well established, these relationships are largely unknown among children and within family units. The only previous study addressing these topics used fathers’ perceptions as proxies for family member WVOs. We surveyed North Carolina households (n = 136) to test hypotheses regarding whether individuals can assess household WVOs and what variables shape WVOs within households. Fathers and mothers accurately assessed WVOs of their children. Membership in a household was the most important predictor of an individual’s WVOs (accounting for 37% [ρ = .37] of the variance predicted by the model). Younger age, being female, and lack of participation in hunting were associated with more protectionist WVOs. These results provide the first household level support for divergence between generations from utilitarian toward protectionist WVOs. Our results suggest that household unit may be a critical element to consider in WVO research.}, number={5}, journal={Human Dimensions of Wildlife}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Clark, Kalysha E. and Cupp, Katie and Phelps, Crystal L. and Peterson, M. Nils and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Serenari, Christopher}, year={2017}, month={Aug}, pages={483–491} }
 @article{shapiro_peterson_stevenson_frew_langerhans_2017, title={Wildlife species preferences differ among children in continental and island locations}, volume={44}, ISSN={0376-8929 1469-4387}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0376892917000133}, DOI={10.1017/s0376892917000133}, abstractNote={SUMMARY}, number={4}, journal={Environmental Conservation}, publisher={Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, author={Shapiro, Hannah G. and Peterson, M. Nils and Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Frew, Kristin N. and Langerhans, R. Brian}, year={2017}, month={Mar}, pages={389–396} }
 @article{frew_peterson_stevenson_2016, title={Are we working to save the species our children want to protect? Evaluating species attribute preferences among children}, volume={51}, ISSN={0030-6053 1365-3008}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0030605315001477}, DOI={10.1017/s0030605315001477}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={3}, journal={Oryx}, publisher={Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, author={Frew, Kristin and Peterson, M. Nils and Stevenson, Kathryn}, year={2016}, month={May}, pages={455–463} }
 @article{stevenson_2016, title={Building of environmental literacy among middle school students: the role of in-school, out of school, and psychological factors}, volume={22}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84949816943&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2015.1118749}, abstractNote={Because environmental literacy (EL) is a complex construct, fostering it requires multiple strategies. This dissertation examined how in-school, out-of-school and psychological factors are related to the development of EL among middle school students in North Carolina, USA. Key features of the three quantitative surveys undertaken in this study are that they: address multiple perspectives of EL; include large, randomly selected, diverse samples; and control for factors such as student demographics, and teacher and school attributes. The first study (n = 739) found that published environmental education curricula (e.g. Project WET) and time outdoors were positively related to EL outcomes (knowledge, affect, cognitive skills, and behaviour). Specifically, curricula were positively related to knowledge and cognitive skills, and time outdoors to affect and behaviour, suggesting that pairing these strategies may build EL. The second study (n = 407) found limited positive associations between having a role model and time outdoors with behaviour, and a negative association between watching nature television and environmental knowledge (the study examined knowledge and behaviour only). Student, teacher and school attributes were more important predictors of EL. Findings include that Hispanic and Black students scored lower than White students; and teachers with Masters degrees, smaller class sizes, and higher socio-economic status positively predicted environmental knowledge (both studies) and overall EL (study one). As study one showed a positive interaction between minority status and the relationship between time outdoors in EL, environmental education that promotes time outdoors could help mitigate ethnicity-related EL disparities. However, addressing factors such as teacher preparation and professional development, and poverty, may be more impactful in building EL. The third study (n = 387) investigated how worldview and climate change knowledge related to acceptance of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), and in turn, climate change risk perception. Like adults, students with individualistic worldviews were less likely to accept AGW than communitarian respondents at low knowledge levels. However, climate change knowledge was positively related to acceptance of AGW regardless of worldview and especially among}, number={3}, journal={Environmental Education Research}, author={Stevenson, K.}, year={2016}, pages={448–449} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_bradshaw_2016, title={How Climate Change Beliefs among US Teachers Do and Do Not Translate to Students}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84992366101&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0161462}, abstractNote={Research suggests climate change beliefs among science teachers mirror those of the general public, raising questions of whether teachers may be perpetuating polarization of public opinion through their classrooms. We began answering these questions with a survey of middle school science teachers (n = 24) and their students (n = 369) in North Carolina, USA. Similar to previous studies, we found that though nearly all (92.1%) of students had teachers who believe that global warming is happening, few (12%) are in classrooms with teachers who recognize that global warming is anthropogenic. We found that teacher beliefs that global warming is happening and student climate change knowledge were the strongest predictors of student belief that global warming is happening and human caused. Conversely, teacher beliefs about human causes of global warming had no relationship with student beliefs, suggesting that science teachers’ low recognition of the causes of global warming is not necessarily problematic in terms of student outcomes. These findings may be explained by previous research suggesting adolescents interpret scientific information relatively independently of ideological constraints. Though teacher polarization may be problematic in its own right, it appears that as long as climate change information is presented in classrooms, students deduce anthropogenic causes.}, number={9}, journal={PLOS ONE}, publisher={Public Library of Science (PLoS)}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Bradshaw, Amy}, editor={Wouwe, JacobusEditor}, year={2016}, month={Sep} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_2016, title={Motivating Action through Fostering Climate Change Hope and Concern and Avoiding Despair among Adolescents}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2071-1050"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84956701449&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.3390/su8010006}, abstractNote={Efforts to build climate change concern seem warranted to overcome apathy and promote action. However, research suggests that these efforts can backfire by breeding despair, denial and inaction. This may be especially true among younger audiences, as despair is highest among those who view climate challenges as out of their control, and children generally have lower perceived and actual control than adults in political and personal arenas. Though many studies have documented feelings of despair and sadness among younger audiences, few have explored how climate change hope may counteract despair and encourage productive responses to climate change concern. This study examined how climate change hope, despair, and concern predict pro-environmental behavior with a quantitative survey of a random sample of middle school students in North Carolina, USA (n = 1486). We did not find an interaction between climate change hope and concern or despair, but instead found climate change hope and concern independently and positively related to behavior and despair negatively related to behavior. These results suggest that climate change concern among K-12 audiences may be an important antecedent to behavior which does not dampen the positive impacts of hope. Further, rather than mitigating the negative effects of climate change despair, hope may be an independent predecessor to behavior. Students at Title I (a measure of low socioeconomic status) schools were less likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviors, suggesting climate literacy efforts should target schools with lower levels of socioeconomic status specifically.}, number={1}, journal={SUSTAINABILITY}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn and Peterson, Nils}, year={2016}, month={Jan} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_bondell_2016, title={The influence of personal beliefs, friends, and family in building climate change concern among adolescents}, volume={25}, ISSN={1350-4622 1469-5871}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2016.1177712}, DOI={10.1080/13504622.2016.1177712}, abstractNote={Abstract Understanding adolescent climate change concern (CCC) may be a key strategy for building a citizenry that supports climate change action, as adolescents are likely less influenced by ideological polarization than adults. Prior research shows that climate education may build concern among adolescents, but other factors such as peer pressure may also be important. We investigated the relationships between CCC, acceptance of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), perceived level of acceptance among friends and family, and frequency of discussion of the issue among 426 middle school students in North Carolina, USA, and developed a novel instrument to measure each of these constructs. Acceptance of AGW had the strongest association with CCC. Frequency of discussion with friends and family was the second strongest predictor. Perceived level of acceptance among family and friends was the third strongest predictor. Model selection results suggest family had more influence than friends in this study. Girls perceived climate change as a higher risk than boys. In addition to building acceptance of AGW, leveraging discussions with peers and especially family may help build concern for climate change among future generations.}, number={6}, journal={Environmental Education Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Bondell, Howard D.}, year={2016}, month={Apr}, pages={832–845} }
 @article{shapiro_erickson_peterson_frew_stevenson_langerhans_2016, title={Which species to conserve: evaluating children’s species-based conservation priorities}, volume={25}, ISSN={0960-3115 1572-9710}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S10531-016-1067-0}, DOI={10.1007/s10531-016-1067-0}, number={3}, journal={Biodiversity and Conservation}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Shapiro, H. G. and Erickson, K. A. and Peterson, M. Nils and Frew, K. N. and Stevenson, K. T. and Langerhans, R. B.}, year={2016}, month={Feb}, pages={539–553} }
 @article{stevenson_lashley_chitwood_peterson_moorman_2015, title={How Emotion Trumps Logic in Climate Change Risk Perception: Exploring the Affective Heuristic Among Wildlife Science Students}, volume={20}, ISSN={1087-1209 1533-158X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2015.1077538}, DOI={10.1080/10871209.2015.1077538}, abstractNote={Despite scientific support for the reality of climate change, public opinion remains polarized. Continued skepticism may be partially explained by lack of understanding of climate change science, and worldview and ideology, but factors contributing to risk perceptions also may differ depending on the subject of risk. This article compared how wildlife students in the eastern United States perceive climate change risk to wildlife versus humans. Left-leaning political ideology and acceptance of anthropogenic global warming predicted perceptions of climate change risks to humans. Contrastingly, scientific understanding was the most important predictor of wildlife-related risk perceptions. Students may have used an affective heuristic (i.e., emotions) in assessing climate change risks to society and a cognitive reasoning (i.e., logic and data) when considering climate change risks to wildlife, which suggests that climate change communicators should appeal to these different modes of thinking when considering risks to humans versus wildlife.}, number={6}, journal={Human Dimensions of Wildlife}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Lashley, Marcus A. and Chitwood, M. Colter and Peterson, M. Nils and Moorman, Christopher E.}, year={2015}, month={Oct}, pages={501–513} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_2015, title={How experiential service-learning affects student perceptions of education in their careers and as a wildlife management activity}, volume={39}, ISSN={1938-5463}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/WSB.594}, DOI={10.1002/wsb.594}, abstractNote={Wildlife education has long been critiqued for leaving students entering the workforce deficient in skills such as communication, public relations, and problem solving. This challenge may emerge from both curricula and instructional techniques focused on technical expertise rather than soft skills. Researchers have suggested several instructional techniques to address this challenge but have not empirically examined their effectiveness. This study examined how an environmental-education service-learning project affected undergraduate wildlife science students' perceptions of education as a possible career and how important they considered education as a wildlife management activity using a pre-posttreatment comparison between 36 wildlife students at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC, USA, during spring 2014) participating in an environmental-education service-learning project and 23 wildlife students from the same cohort who were not. In the pretest, few (10.3%) students from either group saw K–12 education as a future career, but most (98.3%) saw education as an important wildlife management activity. Most (82.0%) students also predicted they would need educator skills in their careers, but more females than males saw this as likely. The treatment was positively related to students' belief they would use teaching skills in future careers and that a career in K–12 education would be fulfilling. These results suggest that service-learning projects may be an effective tool to boost interest in education both as a career and as a wildlife management activity among future wildlife professionals regardless of gender, but that especially high interest among females could provide guidance for training and recruitment efforts attempting to mitigate the gender gap among wildlife professionals. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.}, number={4}, journal={Wildlife Society Bulletin}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils}, year={2015}, month={Sep}, pages={732–737} }
 @article{carrier_thomson_tugurian_stevenson_2014, title={Elementary Science Education in Classrooms and Outdoors: Stakeholder views, gender, ethnicity, and testing}, volume={36}, ISSN={0950-0693 1464-5289}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2014.917342}, DOI={10.1080/09500693.2014.917342}, abstractNote={In this article, we present a mixed-methods study of 2 schools’ elementary science programs including outdoor instruction specific to each school's culture. We explore fifth-grade students in measures of science knowledge, environmental attitudes, and outdoor comfort levels including gender and ethnic differences. We further examine students’ science and outdoor views and activity choices along with those of adults (teachers, parents, and principals). Significant differences were found between pre- and posttest measures along with gender and ethnic differences with respect to students’ science knowledge and environmental attitudes. Interview data exposed limitations of outdoor learning at both schools including standardized test pressures, teachers’ views of science instruction, and desultory connections of alternative learning settings to ‘school' science.}, number={13}, journal={International Journal of Science Education}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Carrier, Sarah J. and Thomson, Margareta M. and Tugurian, Linda P. and Stevenson, Kathryn Tate}, year={2014}, month={May}, pages={2195–2220} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_bondell_moore_carrier_2014, title={Overcoming skepticism with education: interacting influences of worldview and climate change knowledge on perceived climate change risk among adolescents}, volume={126}, ISSN={0165-0009 1573-1480}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1228-7}, DOI={10.1007/s10584-014-1228-7}, abstractNote={Though many climate literacy efforts attempt to communicate climate change as a risk, these strategies may be ineffective because among adults, worldview rather than scientific understanding largely drives climate change risk perceptions. Further, increased science literacy may polarize worldview-driven perceptions, making some climate literacy efforts ineffective among skeptics. Because worldviews are still forming in the teenage years, adolescents may represent a more receptive audience. This study examined how worldview and climate change knowledge related to acceptance of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) and in turn, climate change risk perception among middle school students in North Carolina, USA (n = 387). We found respondents with individualistic worldviews were 16.1 percentage points less likely to accept AGW than communitarian respondents at median knowledge levels, mirroring findings in similar studies among adults. The interaction between knowledge and worldview, however, was opposite from previous studies among adults, because increased climate change knowledge was positively related to acceptance of AGW among both groups, and had a stronger positive relationship among individualists. Though individualists were 24.1 percentage points less likely to accept AGW than communitarians at low levels (bottom decile) of climate change knowledge, there was no statistical difference in acceptance levels between individualists and communitarians at high levels of knowledge (top decile). Non-White and females also demonstrated higher levels of AGW acceptance and climate change risk perception, respectively. Thus, education efforts specific to climate change may counteract divisions based on worldviews among adolescents.}, number={3-4}, journal={Climatic Change}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Bondell, Howard D. and Moore, Susan E. and Carrier, Sarah J.}, year={2014}, month={Aug}, pages={293–304} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_carrier_strnad_bondell_kirby-hathaway_moore_2014, title={Role of Significant Life Experiences in Building Environmental Knowledge and Behavior Among Middle School Students}, volume={45}, ISSN={0095-8964 1940-1892}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2014.901935}, DOI={10.1080/00958964.2014.901935}, abstractNote={Significant life experience research suggests that the presence of role models, time outdoors, and nature-related media foster pro-environmental behavior, but most research is qualitative. Based on a random sample of middle school students in North Carolina, USA, we found limited positive associations between presence of a role model and time outdoors with behavior and a negative association between watching nature television and environmental knowledge. The strongest predictors of environmental knowledge and behavior were student/teacher ratio and county income levels, respectively. We also found that Native Americans engaged in environmental behaviors more than Caucasians, and that African American and Hispanic students had lower levels of environmental knowledge. Accordingly, life experiences appear less important than promoting small class sizes and addressing challenges associated with lower incomes in schools.}, number={3}, journal={The Journal of Environmental Education}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Carrier, Sarah J. and Strnad, Renee L. and Bondell, Howard D. and Kirby-Hathaway, Terri and Moore, Susan E.}, year={2014}, month={May}, pages={163–177} }
 @article{stevenson_peterson_bondell_mertig_moore_2013, title={Environmental, Institutional, and Demographic Predictors of Environmental Literacy among Middle School Children}, volume={8}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84875306492&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0059519}, abstractNote={Building environmental literacy (EL) in children and adolescents is critical to meeting current and emerging environmental challenges worldwide. Although environmental education (EE) efforts have begun to address this need, empirical research holistically evaluating drivers of EL is critical. This study begins to fill this gap with an examination of school-wide EE programs among middle schools in North Carolina, including the use of published EE curricula and time outdoors while controlling for teacher education level and experience, student attributes (age, gender, and ethnicity), and school attributes (socio-economic status, student-teacher ratio, and locale). Our sample included an EE group selected from schools with registered school-wide EE programs, and a control group randomly selected from NC middle schools that were not registered as EE schools. Students were given an EL survey at the beginning and end of the spring 2012 semester. Use of published EE curricula, time outdoors, and having teachers with advanced degrees and mid-level teaching experience (between 3 and 5 years) were positively related with EL whereas minority status (Hispanic and black) was negatively related with EL. Results suggest that school-wide EE programs were not associated with improved EL, but the use of published EE curricula paired with time outdoors represents a strategy that may improve all key components of student EL. Further, investments in teacher development and efforts to maintain enthusiasm for EE among teachers with more than 5 years of experience may help to boost student EL levels. Middle school represents a pivotal time for influencing EL, as improvement was slower among older students. Differences in EL levels based on gender suggest boys and girls may possess complementary skills sets when approaching environmental issues. Our findings suggest ethnicity related disparities in EL levels may be mitigated by time spent in nature, especially among black and Hispanic students.}, number={3}, journal={PLoS ONE}, publisher={Public Library of Science (PLoS)}, author={Stevenson, Kathryn T. and Peterson, M. Nils and Bondell, Howard D. and Mertig, Angela G. and Moore, Susan E.}, editor={Patterson, Randen LeeEditor}, year={2013}, month={Mar}, pages={e59519} }