Analysis of the Current Situation and the Potential Development of Environmental Education Program Evaluation in Japan: Organizing Research Cases Based on the “Guidelines for Environmental Education Program Evaluation”

Abstract

  This study reports on and organizes the activities of the Study Group on Environmental Education Program Evaluation. It outlines the “Guidelines for Environmental Education Program Evaluation” prepared by this study group. Subsequently, it analyzes the contents of the Evaluation Guidelines to manage the current situation and clarify issues related to environmental education program evaluation in Japan.

  The results suggest that researchers and practitioners are primarily interested in survey methods that use readiness, which leads to pro-environmental behavior change, as an evaluation indicator. Moreover, they indicate the need to explore new psychological concepts suitable for environmental education program evaluation and the need for studies incorporating a “social impact evaluation” perspective that considers the regional characteristics of environmental education programs in Japan.