Dr. Monroe’s work
in conservation behavior includes understanding perceptions and
human dimensions of wildland-urban interface issues. She is currently
working with Wood to Energy, a Community Woody Biomass Outreach
Program, to assess the potential of using stakeholder discussions
and workshops to improve public understanding of the possibility
of using wood for electricity generation.
(http://www.interfacesouth.org/products/Technical%20Summary_biomass%20project.pdf)
Work with communities at risk of wildland fire has generated several
interesting projects in community preparedness, social capital and
education (Agrawal dissertation 2006), and using neighborhood groups
to create a social contract for encouraging residents to reduce
their risk (see Monroe and Nelson 2004; Nelson et al. 2005). These
studies are funded by the North Central Research Station of the
US Forest Service.
In the realm of environmental education and communication, Martha
worked with co-authors Susan Jacobson and Mallory McDuff to produce
a compilation of strategies: Conservation Education and Outreach
Techniques from Oxford University Press, 2006.
Several graduate students have explored the area of critical thinking
by measuring skills among high school students who participate in
community environment-based education programs (Ernst dissertation
2003) and undergraduates in a forest issues course (Hofreiter thesis
2005).
Evaluation of environmental education programs is critical. We assessed
how teachers use Project Learning Tree and learned that 75% of those
who are trained to use PLT use it with youth, and 75% of these educators
have used PLT in the classroom in the 2000-2001 school years. Most
teachers use less than 6 activities per year in the classroom or
on school grounds. They believe that the Florida Sunshine State
Standards (SSS) and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT)
reduced their use of PLT (Easton thesis 2002).
Environmental curriculum that has been developed to meet Sunshine
State Standards in writing, for example, has increased students’
writing test scores significantly (Randall thesis 2000). The curriculum
introduces students to museums, collection databases, and biodiversity
while conducting activities that use the Linking Florida’s
Natural Heritage Interface and practicing effective writing skills.
The curriculum guide combines five language arts and five science
Florida Sunshine State Standards (SSS). A study of 132 high school
students in Gainesville, Florida in 2000-01 using the curriculum
shows that students made a significant improvement in their writing
scores for assignments in the curriculum scored using the Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) rubric. Funding to support
this project came from the Institute of Museum and Library Services
and the School of Forest Resources and Conservation.
