1. Studied the uses and perceptions of 9 easily accessible outdoor areas by interviewing 89 resid... more 1. Studied the uses and perceptions of 9 easily accessible outdoor areas by interviewing 89 residents of a multiple-family housing development. Judgments of perceived sizes, size adequacy, use frequencies, preferences, and perceived importance were ...
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150695/1/1992_Bardwell_and_Kaplan_I... more Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150695/1/1992_Bardwell_and_Kaplan_Impact_of_Intro_Envt_course.pd
The specter of environmental concerns calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironicall... more The specter of environmental concerns calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironically, the way these issues are presented often leaves people overwhelmed and feeling helpless to do anything about them. This study explores ways of presenting environmental issues that, while still conveying their pervasive and urgent nature, may facilitate people's sense of efficacy and willingness to address them. It adopts an information-processing perspective for looking at this process, focusing on how people respond to information and on the influence of problem definition on the problem-solving process. The study involved two parts. A questionnaire looked at how people organize their thinking about environmental issues, and at the influence of different teaching approaches on these views. Pre- and post-test surveys were administered to 81 undergraduate students enrolled in an Environmental Studies class. The pattern of clusters emerging from factor analysis of the survey show that people, irrespective of their specific environmental stands, share some overarching perceptions. The dimensions derived from factor analysis did not focus on specific issues, but rather, echoed more general themes related to responsibility, effectiveness and concern. The change in mean scores between the pre- and post-test results show that students became more concerned, more confident about the effectiveness of group and personal actions, and more willing to examine some of their lifestyle choices. Differences in outcomes across the three approaches suggest a number of interpretations, but are not sufficiently consistent to permit firm conclusions. The second aspect of the study looked at how people characterize problems, and the influence of that characterization on the structure of the problem. Responses to an article on pesticides were used to identify different problem approaches. The linear approaches represent a more concrete, detailed and context-related problem understanding. The patterned characterizations, building on the linear, indicate a more abstract understanding in that one can see relationships and analogies, and can, so to speak, step back from the problem. The implication of these kinds of approaches, both in terms of problem-solving theory and more applied efforts to share information are discussed.Ph.D.EducationEducational psychologyEnvironmental scienceHealth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128404/2/9013853.pd
Current environmental and health challenges require us to identify ways to better align aesthetic... more Current environmental and health challenges require us to identify ways to better align aesthetics, ecology, and health. At the local level, community gardens are increasingly praised for their therapeutic qualities. They also provide a lens through which we can explore relational processes that connect people, ecology and health. Using key-informant interview data, this research explores gardeners' tactile, emotional, and value-driven responses to the gardening experience and how these responses influence health at various ecological levels (n=67 participants, 28 urban gardens). Our findings demonstrate that gardeners' aesthetic experiences generate meaning that encourages further engagement with activities that may lead to positive health outcomes. Gardeners directly experience nearby nature by 'getting their hands dirty' and growing food. They enjoy the way vegetables taste and form emotional connections with the garden. The physical and social qualities of garden participation awaken the senses and stimulate a range of responses that influence interpersonal processes (learning, affirming, expressive experiences) and social relationships that are supportive of positive health-related behaviors and overall health. This research suggests that the relational nature of aesthetics, defined as the most fundamental connection between people and place, can help guide community designers and health planners when designing environment and policy approaches to improve health behaviors.
The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironicall... more The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironically, the way people understand the issues all too often serves to discourage and frustrate rather than motivate them to action. This article draws from problem-solving perspectives offered by cognitive psychology and conflict management to examine a framework for thinking about environmental problems that promises to help rather than hinder efforts to address them. Problem-framing emphasizes focusing on the problem definition. Since how one defines a problem determines one's understanding of and approach to that problem, being able to redefine or reframe a problem and to explore the "problem space" can help broaden the range of alternatives and solu-
Learning about environmental issues, their complexity, and urgency can be overwhelming. In this a... more Learning about environmental issues, their complexity, and urgency can be overwhelming. In this article, the author suggests that positive examples offer a refreshing change from the more typical doomsday warnings or edicts for action. While acknowledging environmental realities, these stories establish a norm for seeing those realities as challenges. They hold promise in terms of helping people build more adequate models about environmental problems and about their roles in addressing them.
The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironicall... more The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironically, the way people understand the issues all too often serves to discourage and frustrate rather than motivate them to action. This article draws from problem-solving perspectives offered by cognitive psychology and conflict management to examine a framework for thinking about environmental problems that promises to help rather than hinder efforts to address them.
Abstract Corporate lands offer a vital resource as wildlife habitats. This study examined the pot... more Abstract Corporate lands offer a vital resource as wildlife habitats. This study examined the potential benefits employees derive from various forms of involvement with the corporate natural environment. Surveys were distributed at two industrial sites (n= 245, 92). Despite ...
Abstract: This monograph is a resource for educators who wish to explore environmental problem so... more Abstract: This monograph is a resource for educators who wish to explore environmental problem solving. It consists of five parts. Chapter 1 presents a psychological perspective on problem solving and its implications for teaching problem solving skills in an ...
Abstract Corporate lands offer a vital resource as wildlife habitats. This study examined the pot... more Abstract Corporate lands offer a vital resource as wildlife habitats. This study examined the potential benefits employees derive from various forms of involvement with the corporate natural environment. Surveys were distributed at two industrial sites (n= 245, 92). Despite ...
Community gardens are viewed as a potentially useful environmental change strategy to promote act... more Community gardens are viewed as a potentially useful environmental change strategy to promote active and healthy lifestyles but the scientific evidence base for gardens is limited. As a step towards understanding whether gardens are a viable health promotion strategy for local communities, we set out to examine the social processes that might explain the connection between gardens, garden participation and health. We analyzed data from semi-structured interviews with community gardeners in Denver. The analysis examined social processes described by community gardeners and how those social processes were cultivated by or supportive of activities in community gardens. After presenting results describing these social processes and the activities supporting them, we discuss the potential for the place-based social processes found in community gardens to support collective efficacy, a powerful mechanism for enhancing the role of gardens in promoting health.
1. Studied the uses and perceptions of 9 easily accessible outdoor areas by interviewing 89 resid... more 1. Studied the uses and perceptions of 9 easily accessible outdoor areas by interviewing 89 residents of a multiple-family housing development. Judgments of perceived sizes, size adequacy, use frequencies, preferences, and perceived importance were ...
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150695/1/1992_Bardwell_and_Kaplan_I... more Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150695/1/1992_Bardwell_and_Kaplan_Impact_of_Intro_Envt_course.pd
The specter of environmental concerns calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironicall... more The specter of environmental concerns calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironically, the way these issues are presented often leaves people overwhelmed and feeling helpless to do anything about them. This study explores ways of presenting environmental issues that, while still conveying their pervasive and urgent nature, may facilitate people's sense of efficacy and willingness to address them. It adopts an information-processing perspective for looking at this process, focusing on how people respond to information and on the influence of problem definition on the problem-solving process. The study involved two parts. A questionnaire looked at how people organize their thinking about environmental issues, and at the influence of different teaching approaches on these views. Pre- and post-test surveys were administered to 81 undergraduate students enrolled in an Environmental Studies class. The pattern of clusters emerging from factor analysis of the survey show that people, irrespective of their specific environmental stands, share some overarching perceptions. The dimensions derived from factor analysis did not focus on specific issues, but rather, echoed more general themes related to responsibility, effectiveness and concern. The change in mean scores between the pre- and post-test results show that students became more concerned, more confident about the effectiveness of group and personal actions, and more willing to examine some of their lifestyle choices. Differences in outcomes across the three approaches suggest a number of interpretations, but are not sufficiently consistent to permit firm conclusions. The second aspect of the study looked at how people characterize problems, and the influence of that characterization on the structure of the problem. Responses to an article on pesticides were used to identify different problem approaches. The linear approaches represent a more concrete, detailed and context-related problem understanding. The patterned characterizations, building on the linear, indicate a more abstract understanding in that one can see relationships and analogies, and can, so to speak, step back from the problem. The implication of these kinds of approaches, both in terms of problem-solving theory and more applied efforts to share information are discussed.Ph.D.EducationEducational psychologyEnvironmental scienceHealth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128404/2/9013853.pd
Current environmental and health challenges require us to identify ways to better align aesthetic... more Current environmental and health challenges require us to identify ways to better align aesthetics, ecology, and health. At the local level, community gardens are increasingly praised for their therapeutic qualities. They also provide a lens through which we can explore relational processes that connect people, ecology and health. Using key-informant interview data, this research explores gardeners' tactile, emotional, and value-driven responses to the gardening experience and how these responses influence health at various ecological levels (n=67 participants, 28 urban gardens). Our findings demonstrate that gardeners' aesthetic experiences generate meaning that encourages further engagement with activities that may lead to positive health outcomes. Gardeners directly experience nearby nature by 'getting their hands dirty' and growing food. They enjoy the way vegetables taste and form emotional connections with the garden. The physical and social qualities of garden participation awaken the senses and stimulate a range of responses that influence interpersonal processes (learning, affirming, expressive experiences) and social relationships that are supportive of positive health-related behaviors and overall health. This research suggests that the relational nature of aesthetics, defined as the most fundamental connection between people and place, can help guide community designers and health planners when designing environment and policy approaches to improve health behaviors.
The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironicall... more The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironically, the way people understand the issues all too often serves to discourage and frustrate rather than motivate them to action. This article draws from problem-solving perspectives offered by cognitive psychology and conflict management to examine a framework for thinking about environmental problems that promises to help rather than hinder efforts to address them. Problem-framing emphasizes focusing on the problem definition. Since how one defines a problem determines one's understanding of and approach to that problem, being able to redefine or reframe a problem and to explore the "problem space" can help broaden the range of alternatives and solu-
Learning about environmental issues, their complexity, and urgency can be overwhelming. In this a... more Learning about environmental issues, their complexity, and urgency can be overwhelming. In this article, the author suggests that positive examples offer a refreshing change from the more typical doomsday warnings or edicts for action. While acknowledging environmental realities, these stories establish a norm for seeing those realities as challenges. They hold promise in terms of helping people build more adequate models about environmental problems and about their roles in addressing them.
The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironicall... more The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironically, the way people understand the issues all too often serves to discourage and frustrate rather than motivate them to action. This article draws from problem-solving perspectives offered by cognitive psychology and conflict management to examine a framework for thinking about environmental problems that promises to help rather than hinder efforts to address them.
Abstract Corporate lands offer a vital resource as wildlife habitats. This study examined the pot... more Abstract Corporate lands offer a vital resource as wildlife habitats. This study examined the potential benefits employees derive from various forms of involvement with the corporate natural environment. Surveys were distributed at two industrial sites (n= 245, 92). Despite ...
Abstract: This monograph is a resource for educators who wish to explore environmental problem so... more Abstract: This monograph is a resource for educators who wish to explore environmental problem solving. It consists of five parts. Chapter 1 presents a psychological perspective on problem solving and its implications for teaching problem solving skills in an ...
Abstract Corporate lands offer a vital resource as wildlife habitats. This study examined the pot... more Abstract Corporate lands offer a vital resource as wildlife habitats. This study examined the potential benefits employees derive from various forms of involvement with the corporate natural environment. Surveys were distributed at two industrial sites (n= 245, 92). Despite ...
Community gardens are viewed as a potentially useful environmental change strategy to promote act... more Community gardens are viewed as a potentially useful environmental change strategy to promote active and healthy lifestyles but the scientific evidence base for gardens is limited. As a step towards understanding whether gardens are a viable health promotion strategy for local communities, we set out to examine the social processes that might explain the connection between gardens, garden participation and health. We analyzed data from semi-structured interviews with community gardeners in Denver. The analysis examined social processes described by community gardeners and how those social processes were cultivated by or supportive of activities in community gardens. After presenting results describing these social processes and the activities supporting them, we discuss the potential for the place-based social processes found in community gardens to support collective efficacy, a powerful mechanism for enhancing the role of gardens in promoting health.
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