A Quantitative Analysis of the Effectiveness of a Field Visit on the Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior of Youth

Young people are becoming more detached from nature through a number of causes, including their increased use of digital media. This detachment from nature results in a lowering in the sense of ownership of the land and its resources, and subsequently, results in less motivation to conserve it. In order to reverse such behaviours and attitudes, a new programme termed “Lifelong Learning through Nature (LLN)” was devised. This study is an analysis of the LLN programme and its potential of making links among outdoor learning, fieldwork, and education for sustainable development. These results shed light on the effectiveness of the programme in influencing knowledge and attitudes, and in turn, lead to formulate a way forward in the programme’s evolution. Outdoor education is an essential element of education for sustainable development (ESD), which is key to address the current situation for a sustainable future. The data is collected through an extended questionnaire from a number of different schools in the Maltese islands, which is analysed through Statistic Package for Social Science (SPSS). The results reveal a great sense of detachment in the young students, and eventually, a greater sense of pointlessness in the older students. This study reveals that the field visit does have an influential role in the knowledge and attitudes of school children towards nature. This study continues to uphold the vision that outdoor education should be considered as a main activity, which involves and results in ESD. In response to these findings, a model illustrating the emerging links between the field visit programme and various factors is presented. This paper directly illustrates how university research in teamwork with non-governmental organisations can impact the local community. Also, the study will be useful to anyone who is interested in carrying out effective programs and research in the links between ESD and outdoor education.