Advancing Environmental Literacy Training for Instructors of Outdoor Adventure Activities

Outdoor experiences have strong associations with increasing human-nature connections and inspiring
pro-environmental behaviour. There is little research however in determining how much outdoor
instructors' know and understand about environmental concepts themselves. For my undergraduate
dissertation I carried out research with outdoor instructors of marine-based activities such as surfing, sea
kayaking and coasteering and surveyed their knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in relation to marine
pollution. Results from this research showed that whilst attitudes towards protecting the environment
were generally very positive and that individual action reflected these attitudes, instructors' knowledge
of marine pollution was hugely variable. With this being the case, instructors' ability to effectively
educate and influence clients on the marine environment and human impacts was thought to be
questionable.
The proposed research seeks to address this problem. It will identify how environmental education can
be most effectively taught through adventure activities and assess the environmental knowledge of
outdoor instructors to gauge if there are generic weaknesses and/or strengths in knowledge. I propose to
use the research to develop a course for the outdoor industry based on environmental education. The
aim of the course would be that outdoor instructors become more equipped in their knowledge and
teaching to effectively pass on information to clients and to encourage the adoption of proenvironmental
behaviours and sustainable living.