Sustainable Execution Factors of 'The Whale Class' Educational Program and It's Application for Environmental Education

'The Whale Class' 고래 관찰 교육 프로그램의 지속적 운영 요인 및 환경교육적 시사점

Environmental Literacy is needed to establish a sustainable society and can be very well developed through Outdoor Environmental Education(OEE). However, establishing OEE in Korea is a very difficult. Thus, it is very important to find out which factors influence the sustainability of OEE. The purpose of this study is to identify those factors. Participatory observation research and some interviews were used in "The Whale Class" of the University of Georgia in the United States. Major findings and recommendations were as follows: (1) OEEs give participants good experiences about the environment; (2) Program operators of OEEs are enthusiastic about education and environmental conservation; (3) Good educational practices such as cooperative education and participation in conversation foster learning; (4) Good organizations with guest lectures from various environmental fields would be beneficial; (5) Public information about environmental programs would be helpful; (6) Administrative support for those organizations connected to environmental programs would be useful; and (7) OEE provide reflection activities to foster Environmental Literacy.