The Effect of a Conservation Program on Schoolchildren's Attitudes toward the Environment

Abstract In this article, the author examines the issue of whether there are any discernible effects of a conservation educational program for fifth-grade schoolchildren a year after a visit to the site. Within such a period, a number of intervening variables either reinforce or inhibit the effects of such programs. The difficulties inherent in designing research to assess the longer-term effects with children of this age are significant. However, when comparing two groups of schoolchildren, one of which had participated and the other had not, some differences of attitude were found with respect to specific features of the conservation area.