The Relative Effectiveness of Interpretive Programs Directed by Youth and Adult Naturalists in a National Forest

Abstract

A field experiment was designed to measure effectiveness of interpretive programming at the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California. The focus of this experiment was to evaluate a newly created youth naturalist program designed by the U.S. Forest Service. During the summer of 1996, 439 visitors completed questionnaires at either a campfire talk or a trail hike. The questionnaires measured their knowledge, attitudes, and/or feelings about how the programs were delivered. Results indicated that interpreters at the campfire talk and the trail hike were successful in accomplishing the stated objectives of knowledge and attitude change. Youth naturalists were equally effective as adults on several, but not all, performance measures.

Enhancing the Zoo Visitor’s Experience by Public Animal Training and Oral Interpretation at an Otter Exhibit

“…The general subject of interpretation has received a good bit of attention in the literature (see Field & Wagar, 1973;Knapp, Volk, & Hungerford, 1997;Prentice, 1991;Roggenbuck, Loomis, & Dagostino, 1990;Tilden, 1957), but interpretative strategies using oral narration or verbal scripts have received limited quantitative evaluations. The few studies of oral interpretation alone have been performed at places such as museums, national parks, and forests, and assessments have revealed it to be effective in achieving behavioral and attitudinal changes (Morgan, Absher, Loudon, & Sutherland, 1997;Nielson & Buchanan, 1986;Oliver, Roggenbuck & Watson, 1985;Olson, Bowman, & Roth, 1984;Roggenbuck & Berrier, 1982;Vander Stoep & Gramann, 1988). One study performed at Zoo Atlanta found that the presence of a docent increased the time visitors stayed at the exhibit (Jackson, 1994).…”

Interpretation Programs at a Historic Preservation Site

“…A number of current studies provide data that support the immediate retention of information and impact of interpretation programs. This work has primarily been focused on immediate postsurveys, questionnaires, and/or immediate postinterviews (Beckman, 1999;Brody, Tomkiewicz, & Graves, 2002;Madin & Fenton, 2004;Morgan, Absher, Louden, & Sutherland, 1997;Porter & Howard, 2002;Povey & Rios, 2002). This focus on immediate data has recently been noted as a limitation in the field of interpretation because of the lack of breadth and depth that the queries provide (Koran, Willems, & Camp, 2000).…”