Preschool outdoor play environments (OPEs) are unique spaces that, when carefully designed, can encourage child-initiated play resulting in jumping, chasing, and exploration of materials and natural spaces (Moore, 1996). Specifically, elements of the OPE can facilitate movement and increase physical activity (Baek et al., 2015) through engaged, child-initiated play. Children...
This report presents summative evaluation results for a National Science Foundation funded project entitled Grounding Institutional Partnerships in Structures for Broader Impacts Design (BID). The project represents a collaboration between five institutions: Institute for Learning Innovation, The STEM Research Center at Oregon State University, Scicenter, University of Washington-Bothell, and University...
The purpose of this report is to provide a mid-way evaluation document. This report serves as a record of project status and a set of recommendations for consideration. It is intended to facilitate reflective and adaptive process so that the BID collaborative can renew the project plan and optimize project...
Anecdotal evidence suggests that “learning in the field” has distinctive benefits to undergraduate education, but direct evidence about these benefits and effective practices in field-based science education is limited. The Undergraduate Field Experiences Research Network (UFERN) aims to address this gap as well as the opportunity for broadening participation in...
This study examined four occupational health risks that contribute to job strain, the experience of infectious disease, musculoskeletal strain, job dissatisfaction, and depressive symptoms, for toddler teachers as predictors of classroom quality. Both the physical and social settings of early care and education (ECE) are influential in shaping children’s early...
Research on community forests, primarily governed and managed by local forest users, in the United States is limited, despite their growth in numbers over the past decade. We conducted a survey to inventory CFs in the U.S., and better understand their ownership and governance structures, management objectives, benefits, and financing....
The dehumanization of Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and marginalized communities does not end once an individual is released from an institution. The dehumanization process is kept alive with ineffective community supervision and the stigma associated with an individual’s incarnation history. Evidence of this continual dehumanization process is reflected...
Third-party caregivers – that is, non-parent caregivers who care for children in some capacity – are very valuable in supporting the healthy development and wellbeing of children and families (Bronfenbrenner, 1990). Two populations of third-party caregivers – home-based childcare educators (HBCCs) and foster caregivers (FCs) – both currently face challenges...