NEW RESEARCH – How do we assist people to love and value nature?
One way is through interpretive programs in natural areas. At the IUCN World Parks Congress (2014) Marc Stern USA presented findings from his research about the elements that make programs that inspire people with nature. A special issue of the journal of interpretation research 2013 (Vol 18:2) captured several areas of research undertaken by Marc and his colleagues.
In particular they evaluated hundreds of national park interpretation programs to see what enhanced the experiences of visitors, shaped attitudes and fostered appreciation of the places being interpreted and influenced how audiences decide to behave. (Ham p.3.)
One of the findings is that “programs that are relevant to the audience, tell holistic stories, provoke the audience to reflect, and move beyond facts into the realm of revelation tend to produce better visitor outcomes than programs that are fact-based and detached from the audiences’ lives” (Stern & Powell 2013 p.38). Full journal article available at http://frec.vt.edu/
