Measuring the Effectiveness of the Leave No Trace PEAK Program

摘要

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics developed the Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids (PEAK) program to teach children the seven Leave No Trace principles. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the PEAK program. A significant increase was found between the pre-test (M = 3.41, SD = .34) and the post-test (M = 3.61, SD = .36) with the post-test scores being significantly higher, F(1, 140) = 11.15, p.01. No significant difference was found between the pre-test (M = 3.48, SD = .35), post-test (M = 3.63, SD = .35), and 8-month post-test (M = 3.38, SD = .41). The 8-month post-test indicated a drop in scores, though not statistically significant, below the pre-test. Results supported the PEAK program’s effectiveness, in the short-term, in teaching children the Leave No Trace principles. However, longer-term retention was not supported.