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Department of Environmental Studies DISSERTATION COMMITTEE PAGE The undersigned have examined the dissertation entitled: “Exploring Lifelong Influence of Participating in the Junior Audubon Club During Childhood,” presented by Amy Weidensaul, candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and hereby certify that it is accepted* Committee Chair: Jimmy Karlan, Ph.D. Core Faculty, Antioch University New England Committee Member: Jean Kayira, Ph.D. Core Faculty, Antioch University New England Committee Member: Corrie Colvin Williams, Ph.D. Co-founder & Principal Consultant, Blue Lotus Consulting & Evaluation, LLC Defense Date: October 29, 2018 Date Approved by all committee members: December 10, 2018 Date Submitted to the Registrar’s Office: December 12, 2018 *Signatures are on file with the Registrar’s Office, Antioch University New England. Exploring Lifelong Influence of Participating in the Junior Audubon Club During Childhood by Amy Weidensaul A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England 2018 © 2018 by Amy Weidensaul All rights reserved Acknowledgements This dissertation is the result of a five-and-a-half year journey filled with challenges, successes and celebrations. It would not have been possible without the community of support that has been by my side throughout this entire journey, and to whom I am forever indebted. To my committee members, Jimmy Karlan, Jean Kayira, and Corrie Colvin Williams, thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge, providing endless guidance and advice, and for challenging me to make my research better and strengthen myself as a practitioner. I especially want to thank Jimmy for being my advisor and committee chair. He has provided unwavering support, critical feedback, shared many laughs, and endless encouragement to keep me progressing on this journey. To my 19 research participants, thank you for sharing your stories, for allowing me to walk down memory lane with you, and for reflecting on your life paths. I owe tremendous thanks to my cohort of doctoral students at Antioch University New England. Thank you for always providing encouragement, celebrating our successes, small and large, together, and for your friendship. To Marcy Sieggreen, thank you for your friendship. Even with you gone, I heard your laughter and words of encouragement to finish the program. An incalculable amount of thanks goes to my family and dear friends, who were always willing to provide me with perspective, reassurance and love. Thank you to my parents, Ray and Jody Bourque, for fueling my love to learn and passion for the environment. And to my husband, Scott, who has never once wavered in his support for me, both during this research and throughout our years together. I honestly could never have done this without him by my side. iv Abstract There is limited research looking at the role that specific programs play in the formation of environmental identity, or lifelong influences of specific environmental programs. This study looks to address this gap by exploring the salient and memorable experiences of past Junior Audubon Club members who participated in the program as children, and how they describe the influences of the program on their environmental identities. Based on this study, there were specific components of the Junior Audubon Club that proved most influential and lasting for the participants, including active learning in nature, supportive adults who shared similar interest and passions, and establishment of a sense of community through social acceptance and group identity. This study suggests that childhood participation in programs can be particularly successful, and have a lasting impact, when a sense of community is created with peer acceptance, supportive adults, repeated experiences in nature and active learning. Findings from this study document the long-term impacts that participation in such a program as a child can have throughout an individual’s lifetime, and the results of this study can be applied to the development of potentially more impactful environmental education programs. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible in the open access OhioLINK ETD Center (http://etd.ohiolink.edu). Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xii Chapter I: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Statement of Purpose .................................................................................................... 5 Chapter II: Review of Literature ......................................................................................... 7 Environmental Education ............................................................................................ 7 Significant Life Experience ........................................................................................ 14 Environmental Identity............................................................................................... 16 Social Practice Theory ................................................................................................ 18 Research Framework .................................................................................................. 22 Chapter III: A Brief History of Junior Audubon Club 1910-1970 ................................... 27 Early Years of National Audubon Society ................................................................ 27 Audubon Brings ‘Bird Lore’ to Children ................................................................. 29 Dead Robins and the Launch of Junior Audubon Club (early years 1910–1920s) 31 Roaring Along in the Roaring '20s ............................................................................ 36 Peterson Takes the Helm (the 1930s)......................................................................... 38 Changing Names and Celebrating Milestones (the 1940s) ...................................... 40 The High-water Mark (the 1950s) ............................................................................. 42 The Beginning of the Organizational Shift: 1960–‘70s ........................................... 44 A Pioneering Program with Lasting Impact............................................................. 45 Chapter IV: Research Design............................................................................................ 48 Overall Approach and Rationale ............................................................................... 51 Study Participants ....................................................................................................... 55 Historical Archives ...................................................................................................... 58 Phase One Data Collection: Quantitative ................................................................. 59 Phase Two Data Collection: Qualitative ................................................................... 62 Data Analysis Methods ............................................................................................... 64 Validity Issues .............................................................................................................. 66 Limitations in Research Design ................................................................................. 68 Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................ 71 Chapter V: Study Findings................................................................................................ 74 Environmental Identity............................................................................................... 76 Select Participant Profiles .......................................................................................... 79 AnnMarie ................................................................................................................... 80 Forrest and Carol-Ann ............................................................................................... 83 Charles ....................................................................................................................... 85 Heinz .......................................................................................................................... 88 Tom ............................................................................................................................ 90 Summary of Participant Profiles ............................................................................... 93 Emergent Themes ........................................................................................................ 93 Memories .....................................................................................................................